Ryan Hagen, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 05/10/2012 11:09:14 AM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – The results of the election for city clerk will stand, a Superior Court judge ruled Thursday, rejecting a claim by 15 voters whose ballots weren’t counted because of signature mismatches.

The trial had the potential to change the outcome of the city clerk’s race, in which Georgeann “Gigi” Hanna – a former public relations official and journalist who took office March 5 – gathered six votes more than Amelia Sanchez-Lopez, who heads the county Alcohol and Drug Services Administration.

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Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/10/2012 09:02:22 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – Final layoff notices for 224 teachers were approved at an emergency school board meeting Thursday so the notices could be sent before a state-mandated deadline.

The decision, made by the board of the San Bernardino City Unified School District at a sparsely attended meeting, was an expected consequence of earlier budget decisions.

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Michel Nolan, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 05/10/2012 09:30:11 AM PDT

Former Cal Poly Pomona administrator Tomas D. Morales on Thursday was named president of Cal State San Bernardino.

Read the rest of this entry »

Liset Márquez, Staff Writer
Created: 05/10/2012 09:11:14 AM PDT

ONTARIO – There are two entrenched sides in the L.A./Ontario International Airport ownership saga.

Ontario officials contend regaining local control of the airport could reverse a five-year trend that has seen passenger traffic increasingly drop.

Read the rest of this entry »

By David Siders and Torey Van Oot
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, May. 11, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

In one choreographed appearance at the office of the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters, Gov. Jerry Brown’s campaign to raise taxes appeared on Friday to take shape.

A week after announcing he had collected enough signatures to qualify the initiative for the November ballot, Brown – accompanied by a new political consultant, the first lady and his dog – turned several boxes of them in.

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By Chris Megerian and Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
May 11, 2012

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown warned Californians on Thursday to brace for another round of difficult budget cuts as he hand-delivered boxes of petitions to election officials requesting that his proposed tax hike be placed on the November ballot.

Brown, who is expected to unveil his revised budget proposal Monday, said he needed far more than the $4.2 billion in spending reductions he asked for in January. And he continued to raise the specter of even deeper wounds to public schools, colleges and other state services if his bid for tax hikes fails.

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By Amanda Becker
Roll Call Staff
May 10, 2012, 6:23 p.m.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s re-election campaign can’t approach donors who already contributed the maximum amount permitted by law in order to replace roughly $4.5 million that was siphoned from its accounts in an embezzlement scheme — at least for the time being.

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Thursday, May 10, 2012 – 04:30 p.m.

Mayor Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) has pick up some desperately needed campaign help in his quest to represent the 31st Congressional District.

Aguilar just received over $48,000 in independent expenditure help from the Restoring Our Community PAC.

The expenditure was reported to the Federal Election Commission today.

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Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/09/2012 11:28:12 AM PDT

A trial will begin again Thursday that could change the outcome of the San Bernardino city clerk’s race by forcing the registrar of voters to count mail-in ballots that he initially discarded because he said signatures on them did not match those he had on file.

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Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs

BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com

Published: 09 May 2012 06:54 PM

WASHINGTON — Inland Rep. Mary Bono Mack is leading the formation of a new congressional caucus intended to raise the stature of female GOP lawmakers and bring a greater woman’s touch to the party more commonly associated with men.

This week’s launch of the Women’s Policy Committee comes as Democrats attempt to paint Republicans as engaging in a “war on women” through their positions on issues ranging from health care to disparate pay for men and women.

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Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Created: 05/09/2012 06:31:07 PM PDT

CLAREMONT – A three-year salary and benefits agreement has been approved between the city and the Claremont Police Officers Association.

The new contract ends months of contentiousness. The city declared negotiations to be at an impasse in late August, and union members on April 11 turned down by a single vote an earlier agreement, forcing additional negotiations.

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May 09, 2012 3:26 PM
From Staff Reports

Editor’s note: This is one in an occasional series on the candidates running for the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. The newly reconfigured 1st District includes the bulk of the Victor Valley, Fort Irwin and unincorporated areas surrounding Barstow. The election coincides with the presidential primary June 5.

The Daily Press asked the seven candidates vying for San Bernardino County 1st District Supervisor to weigh in on this question, in 50 words or less: What is the most pressing issue within the purview of the Board of Supervisors and what is your take on it?

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By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 10, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Thursday, May. 10, 2012 – 7:29 am

State workers’ pay is back on the budget chopping block.

Officials representing Gov. Jerry Brown met with state employee union leaders last week and delivered the news: A budget revision he’ll release Monday includes a new proposal to cut payroll costs in the upcoming fiscal year.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons, Washington Bureau
May 9, 2012, 6:03 p.m.

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s decision to endorse same-sex marriage staked out a stance that carries uncertain political risks but one he said was rooted in the biblical admonition “to treat others the way you would want to be treated.”

Obama’s endorsement Wednesday, a milestone for the gay rights movement, was the first from a sitting president and a potentially powerful tail wind for a cause still struggling for electoral approval. It comes as the country remains divided over whether same-sex marriages should have the same recognition and legal standing as traditional ones, and six months before an election expected to be so tight it may hinge on small slices of votes in a handful of key states.

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State Senator Bob Dutton left. Congressman Gary Miller right.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 – 02:30 p.m.

Big money is starting to flow in the race to represent the 31st Congressional District.

Two major Super-PAC’s weighed in heavily for Congressman Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) Wednesday afternoon, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Read the rest of this entry »

State Senator Bob Dutton, candidate for CD 31, is the beneficiary of a super-pac created by his Father Ted Dutton.

By PE Politics
May 8, 2012 9:29 AM

Newly posted Federal Election Commission reports show more than $21,400 in spending in support of State Sen. Bob Dutton, who is vying to represent California’s 31st Congressional District.

The money came from a group called Inland Empire Taxpayers for Jobs, a so-called SuperPac allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money through independent expenditures.

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By PE Politics
May 8, 2012 11:52 AM

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has submitted to the California Secretary of State a list of delegates he hopes to be seated at this summer’s Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Inland Reps. Mary Bono Mack and Darrell Issa, both early Romney backers, are among the list of 172 potential delegates, as are former San Bernardino County Supervisor Clifford Young, Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren and a host of others. The list was posted today on FlashReport, a conservative politics blog.

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Andrew Edwards
Posted: 05/08/2012 04:10:11 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – Stater Bros. Markets reported a $16.4 million profit for its more recent quarter, an amount nearly double what the grocery company reported for the comparable period one year prior.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Created: 05/08/2012 02:23:12 PM PDT

Recent signs suggest the Inland Empire’s office market may be returning to health, but the market may be at least three years from a full recovery.

That’s the word from Lee Spence, a principle at DAUM Commercial Services branch in Ontario, who based his prediction on his firm’s analysis of companies gradually moving in to the many vacant offices of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

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By Ed Mendel
Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Actuaries recommend a $213 million increase in annual state pension payments to CalPERS in July, bringing the total to $3.7 billion.

But $149 million would be added to the increase if the impact of a lower earnings forecast, dropped by the board in March from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent a year, is not phased in over 20 years.

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May 8th, 2012, 8:22 pm
Posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor

The San Onofre nuclear plant. Register photo by Ana Venegas.

Operators of the troubled San Onofre nuclear plant now say more than 1,300 steam generator tubes have been plugged in the plant’s two idled reactor units.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 – 08:00 a.m.

San Bernardino County, Calif. – San Bernardino County’s budget woes are likely to worsen in the coming fiscal year as employee pension fund returns fail to not only deliver relief, but instead bring more pain.

The San Bernardino County Employees Retirement Association (SBCERA) has, to date, only generated a 0.6% return for its 2011-2012 fiscal year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Former Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda

Administrator’s Note: This front-page article was published in last week’s Wall Street Journal.

THE A-HED
Updated May 2, 2012, 12:44 p.m. ET

Locals Call In Baseball’s Tommy Lasorda to Rally for Ontario; Hearing Birds Chirp

By TAMARA AUDI

ONTARIO, Calif.—The Ontario International Airport, 35 miles east of Los Angeles, offers nonstop flights to just 15 cities. Daily departures have plummeted to 62, less than half the number five years ago.

Baseball legend Tommy Lasorda has pitched for the Dodgers and for Rolaids and Slim Fast. Now he’s doing commercials for a struggling regional airport trying to win independence from Los Angeles.

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BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 07 May 2012 10:03 PM

The San Bernardino City Council is looking at leasing more city property for cellphone towers to help solve its budget troubles, but has tabled for now a proposal to bring parking meters downtown.

The proposals were brought to the council Monday night, May 7, after it rejected a plan last month that would have relied on across-the-board cuts and holding some positions vacant.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY DAYNA STRAEHLEY
STAFF WRITER
dstraehley@pe.com

Published: 07 May 2012 10:39 PM

The Riverside Unified School District Board of Education voted 3-2 late Monday to send final layoff notices to 84 teachers for the 2012-13 school year, said Tim Martin, president of the Riverside City Teachers Association.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kelly Puente, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/07/2012 03:07:22 PM PDT

LONG BEACH – The California State University Board of Trustees today will again consider freezing CSU presidents’ salaries in an attempt to curb public outcry over recent pay hikes.

But critics aren’t satisfied.

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Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 05/07/2012 05:31:41 PM PDT

A marketing plan that was supposed to address the steep decline in passenger traffic at LA/Ontario International Airport was criticized by Los Angeles World Airports’ governing body Monday.

Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, a seven-member civilian board that governs LAWA airports – such as ONT – and staff, including a longtime airline industry expert, discussed marketing strategies that could turn things around at the struggling airport.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Tuesday, May. 8, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

California is struggling to emerge from the worst recession since the Great Depression and has more than 2 million unemployed workers, plus countless others who have given up seeking work out of frustration and/or have fled to other states.

Clearly the state needs many billions of dollars in job-creating investment. But its attractiveness to that investment is, to say the least, problematic, given its relatively high tax burden, its dense regulatory structure, its deficiencies in education, transportation and water supply, and its tangled government finances.

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In Session
By Ben Pershing
Published: May 7, 2012

Rep. Mary Bono Mack is all over the map.

In Washington, the longtime Republican lawmaker from California is an increasingly prominent player on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, while also trying to be a voice for two constituencies — moderates and women — that she believes don’t always receive the requisite attention within the House Republican Conference.

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Monday, May 7, 2012 – 10:30 a.m.

Former Massachusetts Governor and apparent Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney is displaying strength in three newly-released polls this morning.

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, May 7, 2012 – 10:20 a.m.

An interesting campaign depiction courtesy of the Internet.

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Monday, May 7, 2012 – 10:00 a.m.

Out of the three hotly-contested races in San Bernardino County, the contest for Third District supervisor appears to be full battle mode.

The sign crew for Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos’ campaign was clearly expressing their unhappyness and frustration over the weekend.

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THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 06 May 2012 07:26 PM

When it comes to Internet prominence, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie stands out as a potential running mate for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

So says a survey by PeekYou, a company specializing in online people searches. PeekYou recently ranked possible GOP vice presidential candidates based on how often they’re mentioned on the Web, the amount of Web content they generate, their participation in social networks and other factors.

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Inland Rep. Mary Bono Mack’s team is confident it can again ward off a challenge, though it may be tougher /Amanda Lucidon

BY BEN GOAD
WASHINGTON BUREAU
bgoad@pe.com

Published: 06 May 2012 08:34 PM

California’s primary next month will be dress rehearsal time in the 36th Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack and challenger Raul Ruiz will square off in the first of two contests for the Riverside County seat.

Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, and Ruiz, an emergency room doctor and Democrat from the Coachella Valley, are the only two candidates in the race, so they are both assured to move on to November’s general election. Still, Republicans and Democrats will be watching closely to see whether Ruiz shows signs that he is a serious threat to Bono Mack’s bid for an ninth term.

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Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/06/2012 03:28:51 PM PDT

Millions of Californians who prefer voting by mail can begin casting their ballots as early as the next few days.

Voters can cast June 5 ballots through the mail, drop them off at any polling place within the voter’s county, or vote in person at county elections offices.

County elections officials will begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots on Monday.

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Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 05/06/2012 03:27:45 PM PDT

ONTARIO – It’s no secret that finding daily flights in and out of LA/Ontario International Airport can be a bit of an issue.

For the past five years, since the peak of travel at ONT, the facility has lost more than 40 percent of its seat capacity.

The cause for the decline in air service?

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Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 05/06/2012 03:28:49 PM PDT

ONTARIO – More than 80 cities, organizations and elected officials have passed resolutions backing Ontario’s efforts to wrest control of LA/Ontario International Airport from Los Angeles.

The Inland Empire initiative, Set ONTario Free, was launched by Ontario at the start of the year. It quickly gained traction with a wave of cities throughout Southern California, including 17 from Los Angeles County, joining a growing number of agencies calling for local control.

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May 06, 2012 6:54 PM
From Staff Reports

As the June 5 primary approaches, the Daily Press asked the 13 candidates running for the newly drawn 8th Congressional District representing the High Desert to weigh in on this question, in 50 words or less: What are your ideas for reducing the federal debt? Where specifically would you cut?

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Monday, May. 7, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Let’s get ready to rumble.

In this corner is California Gov. Jerry Brown.

In that corner is Molly Munger, a very wealthy civil rights attorney.

Brown and his union allies want voters to raise their own sales taxes, plus income taxes on the most affluent, to narrow a chronic budget gap.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Ed Mendel
Monday, May 7, 2012

The mayors of San Jose and San Diego are backing local measures on the June ballot that aim to make the change critics of costly public pensions say is the key to major reform — cutting the cost of pensions earned by current workers in the future.

Using different methods, Measure B in San Jose and Proposition B in San Diego would allow current workers to keep pension amounts already earned, but pensions earned in the future could be cut or cost workers more.

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Sunday, May 6, 2012 – 10:45 p.m.

It was interesting to see the approach, runway and taxi lights activated at San Bernardino International Airport on Sunday night.

An unusual event at the mostly dormant facility.

Rumor has it Wonder Woman was landing her invisible jet.

Sunday, May 6, 1012 – 01:00 p.m.

The Chambers of Commerce of Big Bear, Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, and Running Springs are hosting a two-hour moderated forum for all 13 Candidates seeking to represent the newly-formed California 8th U.S. Congressional District.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sunday, May 6, 2012 – 10:30 a.m

Ramos struggles through final candidate forum.

Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman and San Bernardino County Board of Supe’s candidate James Ramos showed up for the final candidate forum held at Copper Mountain College on Friday night.

Nothing changed.

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Sunday, May 6, 2012 – 09:45 a.m.

Hats off to Asssemblyman Paul Cook (R-Ycca Valley) and Mayor Ryan McEachron (R-Victorville).

Both men have actually made it into voter mailboxes in the open 8th Congressional District.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sunday, May 6, 2012 – 09:30 a.m.

Signs of problems are once again emerging that indicate the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters office could be having logistical issues.

It would appear the county can’t escape election snafu’s regardless of who is at the helm.

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BY RICHARD K. De ATLEY
STAFF WRITER
rdeatley@pe.com

Published: 04 May 2012 05:40 PM

Four judicial races in Riverside County’s June 5 election have divided the region’s usually collegial legal community and brought out issues much larger than the names on the ballot.

It’s lit up court hallway debates over the quality of the county’s judiciary, campaign money, judicial rulings and temperament, and even whether judicial elections are the right way to the bench.

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Michel Nolan, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/05/2012 07:10:57 AM PDT

BIG BEAR LAKE – Here’s what’s new at the zoo.

The latest development in the Moonridge Animal Park’s relocation project is an artist’s nearly complete 3D scale model of the new wolf enclosure.

Third District Supervisor Neil Derry has spearheaded the effort to push the relocation along.

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Will Evans, California Watch
Sunday, May 6, 2012

Leading financial firms donated $1.8 million to successful school bond measures in California over the past five years, and in almost every instance, school district officials hired those same underwriters to sell the bonds for a profit, a California Watch review has found.

The practice is especially pronounced in California, where underwriters gave 155 political contributions since 2007 to successful bond campaigns for school construction and repairs. One major underwriter, Piper Jaffray, has said it gets more requests for campaign contributions in California than in any other state where it does business.

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Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 6, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

When Jerry Brown occupied the governor’s Capitol suite nearly four decades ago, he frequently talked about an “era of limits.”

Whatever Brown meant – he often spoke cryptically – the phrase was widely interpreted as meaning California’s powerful, post-World War II spurt of population and economic growth was over and public policies should adjust accordingly.

Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday, May 5, 2012 – 06:00 p.m.

You gotta love San Bernardino County politics.

The letter to the editor by San Bernardino attorneys Philip Kassel and Sanford Kassel, printed below, says it all.

Read the rest of this entry »

State Senator Bob Dutton left. Former San Manuel Tribal Chairman James Ramos right.

Saturday, May 5, 2012 – 10:15 a.m.

State Senator Bob Dutton’s support of Former San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos was front and center Thursday night.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Robin Harding in Washington and Michael Mackenzie in New York
Last updated: May 4, 2012 8:32 pm

Weaker-than-expected US jobs growth hit financial markets and cast a shadow over President Barack Obama’s plans for a formal launch of his re-election campaign this weekend.

US crude oil prices fell more than $4 a barrel and were trading below $100 for the first time since early February after data showed the economy added only 115,000 jobs in April compared with expectations of 162,000. The S&P 500 dropped as much as 1.5 per cent while yields on US and German 10-year government bonds fell.

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Congressman Joe Baca left. County Supervisor Josie Gonzales right.

BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 04 May 2012 06:48 PM

Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, is backing San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales’ opponent in the June 5 election in a sign of increased tensions between the one-time allies.

In a campaign news release Friday, May 4, Baca took aim at Gonzales, accusing her of failing to “live up to Democratic principles by supporting candidates that were part of the county corruption scandal.” He also described her as having “lost touch with the everyday needs of families.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/04/2012 06:52:55 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – The area’s economy got a significant boost with Amazon’s decision to open a 950,000-square-foot shipping center at the site of the former Norton Air Force Base, officials said Friday.

The facility will provide full-time jobs for more than 1,000 people as early as fall, said Amazon spokesman Ty Rogers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 05/04/2012 05:20:47 PM PDT

A San Bernardino Superior Court judge on Friday rejected a motion to dismiss a case against a High Desert developer accused of lying to the Grand Jury about his role in a political action committee.

Judge J. David Mazurek denied the motion filed on behalf of John Dino DeFazio, 52, of Apple Valley, who stands charged with six felony counts of perjury. A pretrial hearing is now scheduled for June 22.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, May. 5, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

The stage was set Friday for three revenue-raising measures to qualify for the November ballot after a group led by hedge-fund manager Tom Steyer submitted more than 900,000 signatures for a tax increase on out-of-state businesses.

Proponents of two other tax initiatives, driven separately by Gov. Jerry Brown and civil rights attorney Molly Munger, said they have collected more than enough signatures to place their proposals before voters.

Read the rest of this entry »

Six candidates for state-level office in California have been arrested within the last two years. But do voters care?

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
May 5, 2012

SACRAMENTO — It isn’t enough these days for certain state lawmakers to defend their voting records when seeking reelection. Some also have to explain arrest records.

Within the last 20 months, five state legislators and one former state senator with active campaigns have been arrested on suspicion of crimes including drunk driving, perjury, voter fraud, shoplifting and trying to carry a loaded gun through airport security.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jessica Guynn
May 3, 2012, 6:07 p.m.

California has a friend about to write a hefty personal check that could help ease the state budget crunch.

Mark Zuckerberg, the 27-year-old founder and chief executive of Facebook whose initial public stock offering in two weeks could value the company at $96 billion, will cut in the state for an estimated $189 million in cash, according to calculations from PrivCo, which researches private companies.

Read the rest of this entry »

Friday, May 4, 2012 – 08:15 a.m.

The U.S. economy continued to decelerate in April, with just 115,000 jobs created.

The average estimate by economists was for April job creation of 160,000.

The March number was 154,000.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY JEFF HORSEMAN
STAFF WRITER
jhorseman@pe.com

Published: 03 May 2012 07:09 PM

Riverside’s League of Women Voters, The Group, The Latino Network and the Riverside NAACP chapter are hosting candidate forums on Wednesday, May 9, for the 61st Assembly and 31st State Senate districts.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 05/03/2012 08:54:13 AM PDT

Anthony Orlando Sanchez pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Riverside, admitting to conspiracy to commit bribery.

Sanchez, 36, was charged with acting as a conduit between an Upland business and former Mayor John Pomierski. Pomierski pleaded guilty last week in the bribery case.

Read the rest of this entry »

State Senator Bob Dutton

Liset Márquez, Staff Writer
Created: 05/03/2012 06:01:14 PM PDT

ONTARIO – A local senator may soon revive a bill aimed at helping this city gain autonomous control of the struggling LA/Ontario International Airport.

Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, created Senate Bill 446 in early 2011 in an effort to move discussions along between officials from Ontario and Los Angeles World Airports, which operates ONT under a 44-year joint-powers agreement.

Read the rest of this entry »

California Governor Jerry Brown says”Suck it in.” (Photo: AP)

By Kevin Yamamura and David Siders
kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, May. 4, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

After years of being labeled the “Party of No” by majority Democrats, California Republican leaders stood under rainy skies Thursday outside the Capitol to dub themselves the “Party of Yes.”

The newly christened party kicked off its campaign by asking for a “no” vote on Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax hike.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Friday, May. 4, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Darrell Steinberg is a baseball fanatic, but when he said this week that “the season is beginning,” he wasn’t talking about sports, or at least not games played on grass.

Steinberg, the state Senate’s leader, was talking about the state budget game, which will be particularly difficult this year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Published: Friday, May. 4, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 4A

The director of California’s political watchdog agency is shelving her proposal to require bloggers to disclose payments they receive from political campaigns.

Read the rest of this entry »

May 3, 2012 | 4:30 pm

Moving swiftly after a judge dismissed its case, the district attorney’s office refiled 24 perjury and voter-fraud charges late Thursday afternoon against Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife, Flora Montes De Oca Alarcon.

The new charges make the same allegations as a case thrown out by Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy on Thursday morning, accusing the Alarcons of lying about living in a house in Panorama City so that the councilman could run for his 7th District office.

Read the rest of this entry »

May 3, 2012 | 6:40 pm

A Southern California Edison executive said Thursday that the company is hoping to have the shuttered San Onofre nuclear plant back up and running in June, but even then the plant will have to run at a reduced capacity for the immediate future — and perhaps forever.

The reduced operation is meant to compensate for manufacturing defects that led to the plant’s closure three months ago.

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James Ramos, former chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, with San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos, Wednesday evening at a campaign fundraiser at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino, Calif., May 2, 2012. (Redlands-Loma Linda Patch photo by Guy McCarthy.)

By Guy McCarthy
May 2, 2012

The campaign for James Ramos, candidate for county supervisor in the Third District that includes Redlands and Loma Linda, released part of a letter Wednesday from the Fair Political Practices Commission stating his disclosure of economic interests are appropriate.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kelly Puente and Ryan Hagen, Staff Writers
Posted: 05/02/2012 12:28:26 PM PDT

California State University faculty have voted to authorize a series of two-day strikes at each of the 23 campuses, if contract talks fail.

The California Faculty Association, which represents professors, librarians, counselors and other staff, announced the strike vote Wednesday at a noon news conference at Cal State Long Beach. The authorization was overwhelmingly approved by 95 percent of those who participated in a two-week voting process that ended on Friday.

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Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 05/02/2012 11:26:32 AM PDT

Document: Read the amended complaint (.pdf file)

An attorney who filed a lawsuit seeking reimbursement for taxpayers of the $102 million settlement made by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors in 2006 with Rancho Cucamonga-based developer Colonies Partners LP has made slight amendments to his complaint.

Cory Briggs said he added some language to the complaint, which he filed in February in San Bernardino County Court, in order to fill in information that attorneys for the Colonies said was needed.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 05/02/2012 11:37:50 AM PDT

SAN BERNARDIN0 – The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and the county’s transportation planning agency on Wednesday adopted the first set of goals for a 20-year vision plan to improve the quality of life in the county.

During a special meeting at the Santa Fe Train Depot, the board met with officials from San Bernardino Associated Governments, or SanBAG, to briefly discuss the goals, targeting cradle-to-career success and establishing a business-friendly atmosphere in the county, before moving to adopt them.

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Staff report
Created: 05/02/2012 05:11:18 PM PDT

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Brenda Chabot, executive director of the Republican Party of San Bernardino County, will speak on “Getting Out The Vote” on May 10 to the West Valley Republican Assembly.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 05/02/2012 04:00:20 PM PDT

RANCHO CUCAMONGA – The city has been forced to let go nearly 20 employees due to the elimination of millions of dollars in redevelopment funding.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 2, 2012

Supporters of a tax measure backed by wealthy civil rights attorney Molly Munger have started submitting the voter signatures they’ve collected in their qualification campaign.

The campaign announced late today that it is submitting 241,049 signatures to elections officials in Los Angeles County. Backers hope to submit signatures of 775,000 voters in all. Roughly 504,000 valid signatures are needed to qualify the proposal for the November ballot.

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12:06 AM, May 3, 2012
Written by John Myers

Supporters of Governor Jerry Brown’s tax increase initiative believe they’ve got the signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot, less than seven weeks after hitting the streets.

The initiative to temporarily raise income taxes on the most wealthy and sales taxes on everyone wrapped up its paid signature gathering on Wednesday, according to Democratic political consultant Gale Kaufman, a top advisor to the campaign.

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