Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/09/2013 01:39:03 PM PDT
Years of levying but not collecting fines on medical marijuana dispensaries and fielding impatient calls from neighbors upset the shops stay open are rapidly ending now that the California Supreme Court says cities may ban them, San Bernardino officials say.
By Andrew Tangel
May 9, 2013, 1:30 p.m.
NEW YORK — California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris has accused JPMorgan Chase & Co. of using fraudulent and unlawful debt-collection practices against some 100,000 credit card holders in the state.
By Nicole Santa Cruz, Los Angeles Times
May 9, 2013, 11:57 p.m.
The first grand jury report described Orange County as being a “hotbed of corruption, conflict of interest and abuse of authority” while the next blamed political leaders for the “implosion” of the county’s health plan for the poor.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, May. 10, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Crime dominated California’s political landscape during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s before giving way to other preoccupations.
During that era, the state’s voters and politicians debated – and decided – issues such as capital punishment, “three strikes and you’re out,” and prison construction, all hinged on voters’ fears of becoming crime victims.
By Steve Milne
Thursday, May 09, 2013
(Sacramento, CA) A new report shows California home “foreclosure starts” – or the number of homes just entering the foreclosure process – were up for the third straight month in April.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 9, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 7B
CalPERS says the insolvent city of San Bernardino has enough money to pay its past-due bill to the giant pension fund.
By Sandra Emerson, Wes Woods II and Ryan Hagen, Staff Writers
Posted: 05/08/2013 02:49:30 PM PDT
Updated: 05/08/2013 04:05:02 PM PDT
Special Section: Medical Marijuana
Now that the more than 180 cities and counties up and down the state have the state’s highest court on their side, many local government officials are actively seeking the closure of medical marijuana dispensaries operating in violation of their zoning laws.
By Nicole Santa Cruz
May 8, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Orange County may owe the state as much as $150 million after a judge tentatively ruled this week that it must pay back funds originally meant for local schools and community colleges.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, May. 8, 2013 – 1:40 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, May. 8, 2013 – 3:56 pm
Former CalPERS Chief Executive Fred Buenrostro pleaded innocent today to conspiracy charges in connection with the pension fund’s bribery scandal.
By Patrick McGreevy and Chris Megerian
May 8, 2013, 8:21 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — California legislative leaders and 10 public employee unions announced opposition Wednesday to any sale of the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune Co. newspapers to a pair of wealthy brothers who fund conservative causes throughout the country.
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY
Published: May 8, 2013 104 Comments
LOS ANGELES — An effort by two conservative billionaires to take over The Los Angeles Times and seven other newspapers is setting off a firestorm of opposition here. Public employee unions, the leaders of the State Legislature and liberal advocacy groups are moving to block the sale, denouncing it as a threat to public workers and Democratic Party issues.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/07/2013 07:06:07 PM PDT
The city’s financial situation is clearer and many disagreements about what documents to share have been resolved, San Bernardino’s attorney and those objecting to its bankruptcy eligibility said Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside.
Again.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/07/2013 01:04:37 PM PDT
The billboard “congratulating” Mayor Pat Morris and four members of the City Council for making San Bernardino the nation’s “worst-run city” has been moved to the corner of Highland Avenue and Medical Center Drive, but the police union responsible for putting it up say they’re standing by their message.
By Brian Sumers Staff Writer
brian.sumers@dailybreeze.com @briansumers on Twitter
Posted: 05/07/2013 06:50:20 PM PDT
Updated: 05/07/2013 07:32:30 PM PDT
Los Angeles World Airports officials have a suggestion for business leaders and politicians in the Inland Empire who want airlines to add flights at LA/Ontario International Airport: Open your checkbooks.
May 07, 2013; 05:51 PM
San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer Greg Devereaux will stay on until 2017, and possibly beyond that, under a contract extension approved Tuesday, May 7, by the Board of Supervisors.
To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Liset Marquez and Joe Nelson, Staff Writers
Posted: 05/07/2013 11:00:57 AM PDT
Updated: 05/07/2013 09:49:23 PM PDT
Ontario and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors will join Inglewood and Culver City in a legal battle over an environmental plan for LAX approved by the Los Angeles City Council last week.
May 07, 2013; 06:29 PM
SACRAMENTO — Representatives of some of the state’s most successful tribes with casinos have met privately to hammer out a proposal to legalize online poker, tribal leaders and others said Tuesday.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Melody Gutierrez and David Siders
mgutierrez@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, May. 8, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez is proposing a new state spending restriction that would set aside money from capital gains taxes in good years to help the state through economic downturns.
By Emily Alpert, Los Angeles Times
May 7, 2013, 8:59 p.m.
The number of violent crimes involving guns has plummeted in the last two decades, but more than half of Americans think the opposite is true, according to reports released Tuesday.
May 06, 2013; 06:38 PM
Moreno Valley Mayor Tom Owings put out a statement late Monday asserting he had reason to believe a grand jury will begin to collect testimony Wednesday, May 8, as part of a wide-ranging investigation into corruption by federal enforcement agencies.
To read story by Debra Gruszecki in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/06/2013 10:40:16 PM PDT
The group behind a campaign to recall nine elected city officials says eight have been served with the required notice and accuses the remaining councilwoman of hiding and even denying her identity to avoid being served.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/06/2013 05:07:10 PM PDT
YUCCA VALLEY — A recall is under way against two recently re-elected members of the Town Council who opponents charge have not been accountable to the town’s 20,000 residents.
By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 12:59 pm
Last Modified: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 5:53 pm
Local governments in California are free to ban the distribution and sale of marijuana for medical purposes despite state law that allows it under certain circumstances, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, May. 7, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, May. 7, 2013 – 8:37 am
There’s nothing ambiguous about Article IV, Section 8a of the California Constitution:
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 6, 2013
Gov. Jerry Brown today called “mystifying” the continuing legal pressure on his administration to reduce California’s prison population, as he reiterated his pledge to appeal the case as far as the U.S. Supreme Court.
By Abby Sewell
May 6, 2013, 1:27 p.m.
Energy officials expect to get through another summer without blackouts even if the San Onofre nuclear plant remains shuttered — but damaging fires in the months ahead could undermine that prediction.
By Billy House
Updated: May 5, 2013 | 2:11 p.m.
May 5, 2013 | 12:00 p.m.
The brewing debt-ceiling showdown still looms weeks—if not months—away, but hostilities will begin flaring this week as House Republicans push action on a bill signaling no retreat from their demand for spending cuts as a condition to any ceiling hike.
Monday, May 6, 2013 – 12:30 p.m.
Bankrupt San Bernardino, California degenerated into the realm of a three-ring political circus last week, with the announcement by a citizens group that they intend to recall all of the city’s elected officials, with the exception of the City Clerk and City Treasurer.
Monday, May 6, 2013 – 11:45 a.m.
Last Friday’s release of the April employment report by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is somewhat curious.
The much followed official unemployment rate (U-3) fell from 7.6% to 7.5%.
By Andrew Edwards
andrew.edwards@ inlandnewspapers.com @InlandGov on Twitter
Posted: 05/05/2013 09:45:08 PM PDT
Assemblywoman Norma Torres has continued to maintain her big fundraising lead in the race for an open state Senate seat, raising more than double the amount collected by her opponent, Ontario Mayor Paul Leon.
Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/05/2013 08:44:29 PM PDT
Updated: 05/05/2013 09:07:57 PM PDT
The state Supreme Court is set to issue a decision today on whether the city of Riverside is legally allowed to ban medical marijuana dispensaries through zoning laws.
By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 7:56 am
Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic lawmakers are on a collision course over restoring cuts to California’s safety net, marking a key test of vows to hold the line on state spending.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 5:18 am
One of the questions that Capitol veterans often field from those newer to the political arena is whether today’s Jerry Brown is markedly different from what he was during his first governorship three-plus decades ago.
By Ed Mendel
Monday, May 6, 2013
Bankrupt San Bernardino’s new budget restarts CalPERS payments in July after skipping about $13 million in payments this fiscal year. But the next step in the city plan, getting CalPERS to refinance the unpaid bill, is a no-go at this point.
By DYLAN BYERS
5/5/13 8:42 PM EDT
The Rush Limbaugh Program is considering ending its affiliation agreement with Cumulus Media at the end of this year, a move that would bring about one of the biggest shakeups in talk radio history, a source close to the show tells POLITICO.
May 04, 2013; 05:24 PM
Law enforcement officials first announced the formation of a task force focused on political corruption in November 2010, when FBI agents and San Bernardino County district attorney’s investigators raided Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.
To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/04/2013 06:22:53 PM PDT
In 2010, San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos announced the formation of the Inland Empire Joint Corruption Task Force, prompted by allegations of rampant corruption in local government. His announcement followed an FBI raid at the county-run Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, where it was alleged that some public officials had been receiving free medical care.
May 05, 2013; 11:51 AM
Riverside County’s economy is poised to bounce back from the Great Recession as home sales improve and more people find work, according to reports from two groups of economists.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press Enterprise, click here.
May 03, 2013; 07:40 PM
A former Riverside Sheriff’s Association official dismissed in 2005 after complaining about legal fees spent to defend a deputy accused of vandalism has won his federal whistleblower lawsuit.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Brian Sumers, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/04/2013 01:13:27 PM PDT
Updated: 05/04/2013 05:28:25 PM PDT
Hoping to jump-start business at L.A./Ontario International, airport executives would provide hefty financial incentives to airlines offering new flights beginning this summer under a plan to be considered Tuesday.
By Jason Felch and Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times
May 4, 2013, 8:24 p.m.
In 2006, billionaire computer magnate Michael Dell, one of the world’s richest men, agreed to pay $200 million for the Fairmont Miramar Hotel, a beachfront landmark in Santa Monica that long has been a retreat for Hollywood starlets and U.S. presidents.
A few months later, Dell tore up the contract.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 5, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, May. 5, 2013 – 7:19 am
Reader beware: We’re about to delve into numbers – big, abstract numbers, but immensely important numbers as well.
By Dan Morain
dmorain@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 5, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 1E
Last Modified: Sunday, May. 5, 2013 – 7:22 am
Rep. Ami Bera, one of two Democratic physicians in the House, doesn’t want Obamacare to fail.
But the freshman member of Congress is worried about President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement.
By JAMES HOHMANN | 5/4/13 5:54 PM EDT
HOUSTON — The National Rifle Association has become, more than ever, part and parcel of the Republican Party.
The officially nonpartisan group’s no-compromise strategy helped defeat the background check bill in the Senate last month and grow its membership ranks to 5 million.
Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/03/2013 07:38:31 PM PDT
Updated: 05/03/2013 11:34:47 PM PDT
UPLAND — The Upland Unified School District will need to identify $9 million in cuts for the 2013-14 fiscal year budget over the next two months or face insolvency.
By Denny Walsh and Torey Van Oot
dwalsh@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, May. 4, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Saturday, May. 4, 2013 – 12:41 am
A plan for inmate population reduction in California’s prisons that was submitted Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown and his corrections department to three federal judges may be dead on arrival.
By Nancy Cook
Updated: May 3, 2013 | 9:51 a.m.
May 3, 2013 | 9:26 a.m.
The federal government’s latest snapshot of the unemployment rate offered few bright spots Friday. The economy added 165,000 jobs in April—slightly better than March’s revised number of 138,000 jobs. Unemployment went down one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.5 percent; and health care, retail trade, and the food-services industry added positions.
Friday, May 3, 2013 – 11:00 a.m.
Law firm Arent Fox L.P. released a Q&A interview of Partner and Former Federal Judge Stephen Larson, by legal website LAW360, yesterday.
By Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/02/2013 04:18:21 PM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO — A group trying to recall the city’s top nine elected officials drew about 50 people for a news conference Thursday explaining why they think the city needs all new leaders.
May 02, 2013; 02:17 PM
SACRAMENTO – In a rare legislative setback for members of Inland Southern California’s powerful tribal casino industry, the Assembly narrowly passed legislation ratifying a gaming compact between the Brown administration and a Central Valley tribe.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Eneterpise, click here.
Board of trustees to vote on O’Hearn’s future
May 02, 2013 8:40 PM
Jose Quintero, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • Victor Valley College trustees called a special meeting for Friday night to discuss renewing the contract of Superintendent/President Christopher O’Hearn, who some critics in the community have accused of poor leadership.
By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 2, 2013 – 10:53 pm | Page 1A
Last Modified: Friday, May. 3, 2013 – 7:53 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Brown administration told a federal court Thursday night that to further reduce inmate prison population the Legislature would have to agree to dramatically restructure the laws governing California’s corrections system.
By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times
May 2, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — California has been flooded with revenue this tax season and is on track to finish the fiscal year with a surplus of billions of dollars, according to officials.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 2, 2013 – 4:58 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, May. 2, 2013 – 8:34 pm
The powerful Service Employees International Union said today it defeated a challenge from the upstart National Union of Healthcare Workers and will continue to represent 45,000 Kaiser Permanente workers.
By Patrick McGreevy
May 2, 2013, 11:06 a.m.
SACRAMENTO — The state Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would allow prosecutors to file misdemeanor instead of felony charges in cases of simple possession of heroin, cocaine and other hard drugs.
By Matea Gold, Chris Megerian and Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times
May 2, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Early last month, state lawyers and election officials around the country dialed into a conference call to talk about how to deal with the flood of secret money that played an unprecedented role in the 2012 election.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 2, 2013
Former Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia is looking to return to the Legislature.
By Peter Burrows – May 2, 2013 9:01 PM PT
Apple Inc. (AAPL) avoided as much as $9.2 billion in taxes by financing part of a $55 billion stock buyback with debt rather than offshore cash that would have been billed by the U.S. government, Moody’s Investment Services estimates.
By Ronald D. White
May 2, 2013, 10:40 a.m.
California gasoline prices have fallen by 77.4 cents a gallon from the record of $4.671 set in October.
But the state’s prices remain among the highest in the nation, and today is no exception. California is running fourth behind Hawaii, Alaska and Illinois with an average of $3.897 a gallon, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/01/2013 10:25:06 AM PDT
Special Section: San Bernardino
SAN BERNARDINO — A group of business owners and residents is submitting notices to the mayor, city attorney and City Council with a clear message: You’ve failed, and we plan to throw you out of office.
May 01, 2013; 06:20 PM
The scene that played out in Moreno Valley this week was a familiar one in the Inland area: FBI agents and other law enforcement officials raiding homes and offices as part of a public corruption investigation.
To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press Enterprise, click here.
May 01, 2013; 06:35 PM
SACRAMENTO — A pair of influential Riverside County tribes with casinos are trying to scuttle a gaming compact between the state and a Central Valley tribe that could come up for an Assembly ratification vote as early as today.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Posted on | May 1, 2013
Former President George W. Bush will be paid $175,000 to speak at a regional government conference at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in June, public records show.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The Press Enterprise Watchdog Blog, click here.
April 30, 2013; 08:32 AM
Federal and local agents served search warrants on Tuesday, April 30, at the homes of Moreno Valley’s five City Council members, a real estate broker with political connections and the corporate office of Skechers warehouse developer Highland Fairview.
To read story by Lora Hines, Jeff Horseman, John Asbury and Imran Ghori in The Press Enterprise, click here.
April 30, 2013 9:37 PM
Jim E. Winburn, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • A City Councilwoman and former bond broker for the municipal airport authority blame what they called “handshake deals” for the questionable financial practices that ultimately led to this week’s fraud allegations against Victorville by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/30/2013 06:15:26 PM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO — The police union has put up a billboard at a busy intersection congratulating Mayor Pat Morris and four council members, but those elected officials don’t take it as a compliment – or the truth.
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/30/2013 11:37:47 AM PDT
Updated: 04/30/2013 07:36:59 PM PDT
Related: Two Los Angeles County supervisors push for local control of ONT | ONT special section
View: Agenda item | Agenda amendment | Ontario letter | ARSAC letter
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has joined more than 100 government entities and officials calling into question the management of L.A./Ontario International Airport and advocating it would be better under local control.
Community works on college’s accreditation issues
April 30, 2013 9:17 AM
Davida Siwisa James, For the Daily Press
VICTORVILLE • Close to 100 people gathered in a room with a capacity of 41 on Monday night for a “Call to Action Meeting” concerning Victor Valley College’s ongoing accreditation problems.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
By Dan Walters
April 30, 2013
California’s state and local governments are at least $648 billion in debt and the total could surpass $1.1 trillion — depending on how pension liabilities are calculated — according to a data compilation by a conservative think tank.
By Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times
April 30, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
Home prices are rising at levels not seen since the real estate boom, but American homeownership remains on the decline.
By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013 – 11:05 am
Continuing a trend dating back to 2006, in-state consumption of gasoline declined in 2012 compared with the previous year, according to the California Board of Equalization.
ENERGY
By Amy Harder
Updated: April 30, 2013 | 10:13 p.m.
April 30, 2013 | 1:17 p.m.
The United States has double the amount of oil and three times the amount of natural gas than previously thought, stored deep under the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, according to new data the Obama administration released Tuesday.
By Kathleen Miles
Posted: 04/30/2013 7:03 am
At a Los Angeles Times in-house awards ceremony a week ago, columnist Steve Lopez addressed the elephant in the room.
Speaking to the entire staff, he said, “Raise your hand if you would quit if the paper was bought by Austin Beutner’s group.” No one raised their hands.
By Justin Sink – 04/30/13 07:00 PM ET
President Obama bristled during a press conference on Tuesday when asked whether his second-term agenda is failing after the first 100 days.
April 30, 2013; 08:32 AM
Federal and local agents served search warrants throughout in Moreno Valley on Tuesday morning, April 30, raiding the homes of the city’s mayor, all five City Council members, a businessman with close political connections and the corporate offices of development company Highland Fairview.
To read story by Lora Hines, Jeff Horseman, Richard K. De Atley and John Asbury in The Press Enterpise, click here.
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