Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - 10:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, January 1, 2014 - 12:00 p.m.
InlandPolitcs.com is now approaching the 25,000 comment mark.
As this milestone approaches, it would appear that the business-as-usual ‘dark’ political gamesmanship in the Inland Empire has already commenced.
By Richard Cohen, Opinion Writer
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
It is incumbent on me as a columnist to do one of those year-end things — the 10 best of this, the 10 worst of that or, as you will see, who had the worst year in politics. That distinction goes, with some reluctance on my part, to Hillary Rodham Clinton. As has sometimes happened in her life, events got away from her.
Alex Pappas
Political Reporter
10:40 AM 12/31/2013
After a year of seeing President Obama’s approval ratings plummet, the president’s pollster is offering a strikingly candid and pessimistic New Year’s resolution.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 12/30/13, 8:22 PM PST |
SAN BERNARDINO >> The San Bernardino County Administrative Office has launched its own website where the public can look at current and past budgets, see the county’s organizational chart and get information on county administrators.
By Dan Walters
[email protected]
Published: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 - 9:22 pm
Last Modified: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 - 10:18 pm
The biggest political story in California this year didn’t happen in the Capitol or other political arenas.
Monday, December 30, 2013 - 08:15 a.m.
Woo hoo! The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) announced over the weekend that some 1.1 million consumers enrolled, or signed-up, for healthcare coverage through government-run exchanges.
Even though premiums must still be collected for most of that number.
By Steve Lopez
December 28, 2013, 4:00 p.m.
In more ways than one, I’m sorry to see 2013 fade into the books. Thanks to a steady run of incompetence, corruption and bungling by various public officials, it was a banner year for local news in Greater Los Angeles.
By Ben Poston and Robert Faturechi
December 29, 2013
Dozens of police officers rejected for jobs at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after investigators found evidence of dishonesty or past misconduct were given positions elsewhere in county government, according to interviews and internal hiring records reviewed by The Times.
By Dan Walters
[email protected]
Published: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 - 12:00 am
A seat in Congress is one of the nation’s most sought-after political prizes, and once elected, a member rarely gives it up voluntarily.
By Ed Mendel
Monday, December 30, 2013
A superior court ruling announced last week overturned key parts of a voter-approved San Jose pension reform: an attempt to cut employer costs for pensions earned by current workers in the future.
By Dan Walters
[email protected]
Published: Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013 - 12:00 am
One of the games that politicians and interest groups play is called “economic impact.”
By Dan Balz
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Political polarization has ushered in a new era in state government, where single-party control of the levers of power has produced competing Americas. One is grounded in principles of lean and limited government and on traditional values; the other is built on a belief in the essential role of government and on tenets of cultural liberalism.
By Dan Balz
Sunday, December 29, 2013
California and Texas are nation-states within the United States, a pair of behemoths in size, population, history and influence. In the debate over red-state vs. blue-state governance, they stand at opposite poles.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
December 27, 2013
A multi-billion-dollar surge of bond issues by state and local governments is making California, once again, the nation’s top issuer of municipal debt, the Bloomberg financial news service calculates.
December 27, 2013; 04:18 PM
The good news for David Abad is that he’s about to start a new job.
But it would have been a much more festive holiday for Abad and his family if he had learned about the job offer a week earlier. On Christmas Day he found himself at the end of the 26 weeks of unemployment benefits California provides for, and he was expecting nothing after that because the federally funded extended benefits program officially ends Saturday.
To read story by Jack Katzanek in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 12/28/13, 5:30 PM PST |
Defense attorneys said Friday they will push to get San Bernardino County’s Colonies corruption case back to trial court so they can present additional evidence they say will help prove their clients’ innocence.
December 27, 2013; 05:56 PM
Democrats seeking to unseat Rep. Gary Miller, R-Rancho Cucamonga, in the 31st Congressional District are feeling encouraged by a recent poll that shows him with weak approval ratings.
To read post by Jeff Horseman and Imran Ghori in The PE Political Empire Blog, click here.
December 27, 2013; 03:09 PM
Dean Benjamini, recently named assistant public defender in charge of the Indio office, was appointed as a Riverside County Superior Court judge by Gov. Jerry Brown, the governor’s office announced Friday, Dec. 27.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
December 27, 2013; 04:13 PM
Redlands city officials intend to gauge public support in early 2014 for two potential ballot measures that would finance flood control, sidewalks, ramps for disabled access, parks and trees.
To read story by Erin Waldner in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
December 27, 2013; 01:40 PM
City managers in some of the Inland region’s largest municipalities have stitched voluminous golden parachutes to protect themselves from the whims of elected leaders, who have provided little stability for their top executives in recent years.
To read story by Aaron Claverie in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Greg Cappis, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 12/28/13, 9:58 AM PST |
One politician resigned this past month, and five others are campaigning to win his empty seat.
December 27, 2013 3:00 PM
From Staff Reports
An investment magazine recently gave a top nod to the San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association for its innovative strategies in 2013, according to a county news release.
By Sari Horwitz
Saturday, December 28, 2013
A federal judge in New York ruled Friday that the massive collection of domestic telephone data brought to light by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden is lawful, rejecting a challenge to the program by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
December 27, 2013
It’s been more than two years since California redrew its political map, but old district-numbering habits apparently still linger for Rep. Ed Royce.
By Mark Gutglueck
Posted on December 27, 2013
(December 26) SACRAMENTO—The California Supreme Court on December 23 reestablished the essential elements of the Colonies Lawsuit Settlement Public Corruption Prosecution, granting the gist of prosecutors’ appeal more than a year and two months after the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Riverside dismissed the most crucial charges lodged against developer Jeff Burum, the central defendant in the case.
Friday, December 27, 2013 - 10:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 27, 2013 - 02:45 p.m.
InlandPolitics.com has been calling attention to millions of dollars in non-disclosed legal settlements paid out by San Bernardino County.
December 24, 2013; 12:02 PM
Riverside and San Bernardino counties each were denied requests this month for $80 million in state grants for jail construction, even though their applications ranked among the highest-scoring based on criteria used to evaluate grant proposals.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
December 26, 2013
Consumer sentiment in California, measured during the weeks leading up to the annual retail stampedes, was slightly lower in the fourth quarter, a study by Chapman University found.
To read story by Jack Katzanek in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Peter Schrag
Special to The Bee
Published: Friday, Dec. 27, 2013 - 12:00 am
Last Modified: Friday, Dec. 27, 2013 - 5:26 am
As the 2013 season for making lists comes to an end – the 10 best, the 10 greatest, the 10 worst – add yet another 11th-hour contender: The smartest thing the Republicans did in 2013 was choosing Jim Brulte to chair the California GOP.
December 27, 2013, 07:49 am
By Peter Sullivan
A new CNN poll finds that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are essentially tied in a potential 2016 presidential matchup.
December 26th, 2013 - 09:00 AM ET
Posted by CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser
Washington (CNN) - Democrats have lost their advantage and Republicans now have a slight edge in the battle for control of Congress, according to a new national poll.
Health care
Published December 26, 2013
FoxNews.com
So you’ve signed up for health care on the ObamaCare exchanges. Think you’re covered? Not quite.
By S.A. Miller and Geoff Earle
December 25, 2013 | 5:45am
WASHINGTON — Here comes the ObamaCare tax bill.
The cost of President Obama’s massive health-care law will hit Americans in 2014 as new taxes pile up on their insurance premiums and on their income-tax bills.
Business
Some Christmas Packages Aren’t Delivered
By Shelly Banjo, Suzanne Kapner, Serena Ng and Laura Stevens
Updated Dec. 25, 2013 9:34 p.m. ET
A surge in online shopping this holiday season left stores breaking promises to deliver packages by Christmas, suggesting that retailers and shipping companies still haven’t fully figured out consumers’ buying patterns in the Internet era.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013 - 08:00 a.m.
InlandPolitics.com would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!
Bloomberg
By Cotten Timberlake
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
U.S. store visits plummeted 21 percent and retail sales dropped 3.1 percent in the week through Saturday, signaling a lackluster finish for stores’ most important selling season, Chicago-based researcher ShopperTrak said yesterday.
By David Lightman
McClatchy Washington Bureau
December 23, 2013 Updated 18 hours ago
WASHINGTON — A three-month extension of emergency unemployment benefits is gaining momentum.
By Barton Gellman
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
MOSCOW — The familiar voice on the hotel room phone did not waste words.
“What time does your clock say, exactly?” he asked.
He checked the reply against his watch and described a place to meet.
“I’ll see you there,” he said.
December 23, 2013 - 12:30 p.m.
The trajectory of the highly-publicized $102 million Colonies corruption prosecution remains, at least for the moment, at a standstill.
Monday, December 23, 2013 - 09:15 a.m.
It’s finally here!
Take your pick! Will it be Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum?
Today’s the December 23, 2013, deadline to enroll in ObamaCare for coverage effective January 1, 2014.
By Ed Mendel
Monday, December 23, 2013
A pension reform initiative proposed by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and others got a mixed cost analysis last week from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, quickly trumpeted by opponents.
Sunday, December 22, 2013 - 12:00 p.m.
The holiday news cycle slow down is in full swing.
By Mark Gutgleuck
Friday, December 20, 2013
Paul Chabot has given indication he will run for the lower house of the California Legislature if 40th Assembly District Assemblyman Mike Morrell is obliged to leave that post if he achieves success in his bid to succeed bill Emmerson, who resigned as 23rd District state senator effective December 1. That senate seat will be filled in a special election next year.
December 21, 2013 3:51 PM
Shea Johnson, Staff Writer
The average city worker’s salary was lower than the state average in four of five local cities and towns last year, according to data recently released by the California State Controller.
By Steve Scauzillo, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Posted: 12/21/13, 3:08 PM PST |
Los Angeles is slouching toward its driest year in history. But the dubious milestone won’t turn lawns in Beverly Hills brown or cause Angelenos to take military showers.
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: December 21, 2013
WASHINGTON — For most Americans, Monday is the deadline to sign up for health insurance that takes effect on Jan. 1. It was supposed to be a turning point in the troubled history of the new health care law, the moment when the spotlight would shift from the federal government’s online marketplace to the insurance companies providing coverage to hundreds of thousands and eventually millions of people.
By CHARLIE SAVAGE and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: December 21, 2013
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration moved late Friday to prevent a federal judge in California from ruling on the constitutionality of warrantless surveillance programs authorized during the Bush administration, telling a court that recent disclosures about National Security Agency spying were not enough to undermine its claim that litigating the case would jeopardize state secrets.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 12/20/13, 9:52 AM PST | Updated: 27 mins ago
SAN BERNARDINO >> Former Councilman Chas Kelley was sentenced Friday to five years probation and 90 days of weekend jail time served in a work-release program.
By Lesley Clark
McClatchy Washington Bureau
December 20, 2013 Updated 7 hours ago
President Barack Obama rejected the suggestion that 2013 — marked by the chaotic rollout of his signature legislative accomplishment — was the worst year of his presidency, as some polls suggest.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 12/20/13, 1:46 PM PST |
SAN BERNARDIN0 >> The California Supreme Court is set to release its opinion on San Bernardino County’s Colonies corruption case at 10 a.m. on Monday, according to the court’s website.
By Anne D’Innocenzio, The Associated Press
Posted: 12/19/13, 6:57 PM PST | Updated: 2 hrs ago
Target’s data-security nightmare threatens to drive off holiday shoppers during the company’s busiest time of year.
The nation’s second-largest discounter acknowledged Thursday that data connected to about 40 million credit and debit card accounts was stolen as part of a breach that began over the Thanksgiving weekend.
December 19, 2013
An attorney for the family of a Yucaipa man shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy June 29 says he will file a $10 million wrongful death claim Thursday, Dec. 19, with San Bernardino County.
To read story by Darrell Santschi in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 12/19/13, 6:50 PM PST |
RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> Lloyd W. Michael, a key former general manager of what is today the Cucamonga Valley Water District, passed away earlier this month at the age of 90.
By Brian Sumers, Daily Breeze
Posted: 12/19/13, 6:07 PM PST | Updated: 3 hrs ago
Los Angeles should work with Ontario to improve passenger traffic numbers at L.A./Ontario International Airport, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein charged in a letter this week sent to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti. The letter dated Wednesday did not address a lawsuit filed in June by the city of Ontario, which is seeking to regain control of the airport from Los Angeles, the facility’s manager since 1967. Earlier this month, the two sides agreed to put the suit on temporary hold as they work out a solution.
By Dan Walters
[email protected]
Published: Friday, Dec. 20, 2013 - 12:00 am
The powerful political forces that have been skirmishing for years over the direction of California’s public schools appear to be headed for a multi-front political and legal war next year.
Thu Dec 19, 2013 12:07pm GMT
(Reuters) - Facebook Inc founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will sell 41.4 million shares worth about $2.3 billion to pay a tax bill, as part of an offering by the social network of 70 million Class A common shares.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
December 19, 2013
Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, is experiencing a significant surge in enrollment, officials said Thursday.
Posted by Ezra Klein
December 19, 2013 at 9:15 pm
Today, the Obama administration announced that people whose insurance plans were canceled this year will “temporarily” be exempted from the law’s individual mandate. Here’s how they’re doing it — and what it means for the law.
Thursday, December 19, 2013 - 09:00 a.m.
The battle between a now-dissolved Upland-based law firm and a legal defense trust that caters to peace officers has entered the courtroom.
December 18, 2013
A Calimesa city councilman is the first non-Republican candidate in the race for the 23rd state Senate District.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The PE Political Empire Blog, click here.
December 17, 2013
At the Tuesday, Dec. 17 meeting — the council’s last meeting of the year — City Manager Stephen Harding announced that at the Thursday , Jan. 16 meeting — the council’s first meeting of 2014 — council members will be asked to authorize the filing of paperwork to start the process of disincorporation.
To read story by Sandra Stokley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
December 18, 2013; 09:17 PM
The California Judicial Council has voted to boost the number of new judges in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, but any increase is dependent on state funding being revived.
To read story by Richard K. De Atley in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Josh Boak, Associated Press
Posted: 12/19/13, 8:28 AM PST |
WASHINGTON — The number of people who bought existing U.S. homes in November declined for the third straight month. Higher mortgage rates have made home-buying more expensive, while the lingering effect of the October government shutdown might have deterred some sales.
City, SCLAA attorney says it’s a ‘waste of time’
December 18, 2013 9:50 AM
Shea Johnson, Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES • An attorney for the city of Victorville and Southern California Logistics Airport Authority called it a “waste of time” Tuesday for the Securities and Exchange Commission to argue ill-gotten gains right now in the case revolving around an allegedly fraudulent 2008 municipal bond offering.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/18/13, 5:50 PM PST |
It was not only the Sheriff’s Department that absorbed troublesome officers from Los Angeles County’s now defunct police force despite knowing about their previous misconduct - several other county agencies did the same, including those charged with public safety.
By Samantha Gallegos
Posted 12.18.2013
California Republicans face tossups in areas of the state that for years were considered strongholds and easy wins for GOP contenders. The reason: demographics.
By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 12/17/13, 10:08 AM PST |
RIVERSIDE >> San Bernardino Councilman Robert Jenkins pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to criminal charges in an Internet stalking case.
By Christopher S. Rugaber, Associated Press
Posted: 12/18/13, 6:33 AM PST |
WASHINGTON — U.S. builders broke ground on homes at the fastest pace in more than five years, strong evidence that the housing recovery is accelerating despite higher mortgage rates.
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 12/17/13, 8:22 PM PST |
SAN BERNARDINO >> After six years, San Bernardino County is finally on its way to overhauling its antiquated public safety radio system, and will be getting a state-of-the-art digital system at a cost of more than $158 million.
By Dan Walters
[email protected]
Published: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013 - 12:00 am
California’s housing market is rebounding sharply from the worst recession since the Great Depression, with fast-rising sales and prices.
December 17, 2013
The state controller’s office has updated its website on public employee compensation to reflect 2012 salaries and benefits.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The PE Political Empire Blog, click here.
December 16, 2013; 05:47 PM
A Detroit judge’s ruling that public employee pensions can be modified just as other contracts can in bankruptcy sent shockwaves through San Bernardino.
To read column by Cassie MacDuff in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
December 16, 2013; 06:12 PM
As part of a lawsuit settlement, Riverside officials agreed in April to pay back $10 million to the city’s water utility over three years, but they didn’t know until now where they would get the money.
To read story by Alicia Robinson in The Press-Enterprise, click here.
By Liset Marquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
and Sandra Emerson, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 12/16/13, 9:57 PM PST |
Montclair and Upland city councils Monday night each approved the final agreements merging the the city’s fire administration and the eventual drop of boundary lines.
Paul Glickman | December 16th, 2013, 3:56pm
Covered California said Monday that two of the numbers it had released regarding October health insurance enrollment were wrong. The agency said it had mistakenly transposed the numbers in two categories: the people who bought plans with federal subsidies, and those who bought unsubsidized policies.
By Dan Balz and Scott Clement
December 17, 2013
President Obama is ending his fifth year in office matching the worst public approval ratings of his presidency, with record numbers of Americans saying they disapprove of his job performance and his once-hefty advantages over Republicans in Congress eroded in many areas, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Monday, December 16, 2013 - 09:00 a.m.
Pension costs continue to escalate in Southern California’s San Bernardino County.
The county’s adoption of a two-tier system fostered by a new January 1, 2013 law hasn’t stemmed the red, at least not yet.
By Dan Walters
[email protected]
Published: Monday, Dec. 16, 2013 - 12:00 am
The release last week of detailed plans for building water tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta touches off a legal and political battle that could take years to resolve.
By John Howard
Posted 12.15.2013
For the followers of California politics, non-election years usually are yawns. Not so 2013: One would be hard pressed to find a year with more hot-button events fraught with statewide political ramifications, and even local stories — the trials in Bell, for example — capturing wide attention.
Fourteen percent said coverage for spouses is being restricted or eliminated. | AP Photo
By ASSOCIATED PRESS | 12/15/13 2:07 PM EST
WASHINGTON — Americans who already have health insurance are blaming President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul for their rising premiums and deductibles, and overall 3 in 4 say the rollout of coverage for the uninsured has gone poorly.
Sunday, December 15, 2013 - 09:30 a.m.
San Bernardino County pension pressures aren’t getting any better.
But they aren’t worsening either!
December 15, 2013
All but one of the Inland congressional delegation voted for the two-year bipartisan budget deal Thursday, Dec. 12.
To read post by Jeff Horseman in The PE Political Empire Blog, click here.
By Ryan Hagen, San Bernardino Sun
and Sandra Emerson, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 12/14/13, 9:56 AM PST |
Like a financial Paul Revere, City Manager Stephen Dunn keeps warning Upland’s City Council that the red ink is coming.
By Kelly Goff, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/14/13, 1:11 PM PST |
Several of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies named in federal indictments last week are also named defendants in civil lawsuits that could end up costing the county millions of dollars.
By Christina Villacorte, Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/14/13, 1:00 PM PST |
Hours after the FBI rounded up 18 of his officers for various alleged crimes, ranging from beating inmates to obstruction of justice, Sheriff Lee Baca tried to project the image of someone who had the situation under control.