San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos at his office in San Bernardino, Calif. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Ramos, who served since 2002, is seeking re-election. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The San Bernardino Sun/SCNG)
By Joe Nelson | [email protected] | San Bernardino Sun
Published: May 15, 2018 at 5:37 pm | Updates: May 15, 2018 at 7:14 pm
San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos calls his challenger in the June 5 primary election a “puppet” — handpicked by his deep-pocketed adversaries he says are trying to “buy his office.”
Ramos’ opponent, former county prosecutor-turned-criminal defense attorney Jason Anderson, says he’s not for sale. What’s more, Anderson has said he has had no dealings with Ramos’ adversaries — real estate developers Jeff Burum and Jim Previti — since he announced his candidacy in February.
That said, documents show Burum and Previti are among the biggest contributors to Anderson’s campaign and among the most active players in the campaign against Ramos, who has been the county’s top prosecutor for 16 years.
“He can say what he wants about me,” Anderson said of Ramos. “This is a political response to a wrongful political prosecution, and I don’t know why anybody would expect anything less.”
Defense attorney and former San Bernardino County prosecutor Jason Anderson is challenging incumbent Mike Ramos for District Attorney in this year’s election.(Stan Lim, San Bernardino Sun/SCNG)
The alleged “political prosecution” Anderson is referencing is the Colonies public corruption case. The nine-year legal war ended last year with acquittals of Burum and two co-defendants and the exoneration of a fourth defendant, former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin. The other two vindicated defendants are former county Supervisor Paul Biane and Mark Kirk, former chief of staff to former county Supervisor Gary Ovitt.
The vindicated defendants and their supporters are now fighting to replace Ramos in one of the most aggressive campaigns to unseat an elected San Bernardino County official in recent memory.
They have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for their cause. Erwin and Kirk formed a political action committee with the lengthy title, Business Leaders for Fair and Ethical Government to Support Anderson and Oppose Ramos for DA 2018. As of Tuesday, the PAC raised more than $754,000, and Erwin said he anticipates his PAC will receive another contribution of more than $30,000 this week.
Some anti-Ramos campaign money has already been used on hit mailers that accuse him of being a sexual predator (for allegedly having adulterous affairs with his subordinates), violating state campaign finance reporting laws (Ramos has been fined three times by the state Fair Political Practices Commission), and blaming him for an 18 percent decline in criminal case filings.
“Let’s set my horrific experience aside and focus on the numbers,” Burum said in a statement Tuesday. “Voters should be alarmed by the fact that although violent crime rates are up 27%, Ramos’ criminal filings are down by 18%….
“He’s great at chasing headlines, but he’s not protecting the people of San Bernardino County. These statistics only embolden criminals and underscore the fact that Mr. Ramos is failing at the job he was elected to do.”
Ramos denies the affairs (he was cleared of a sexual harassment accusation by one former employee), has acknowledged his campaign finance reporting mistakes, and says the reason criminal filings are down is because of Proposition 47, a law passed by California voters in 2014 that converted many nonviolent offenses, including drug and property crimes, from felonies to misdemeanors.
Ramos said he is worried by what the potential ramifications could be if Anderson is elected, saying Anderson would be indebted to his major donors.
“What scares me is to go backwards. These people – Jeff Burum, Jim Erwin – they want to buy and take over the District Attorney’s Office. And I don’t care what people say, Jason Anderson is their puppet. They selected him,” Ramos said during a recent interview at his office.
“I truly believe the people want an elected DA, not a selected DA,” Ramos said.
Ramos released a political mailer of his own last week warning voters that an “Upland developer” was spending $1 million to replace him. He said Burum and his former co-defendants were seeking $250 million from taxpayers in damages they incurred from the Colonies litigation.
Come June 5, the voters will decide whether Ramos will retain his post as District Attorney or if San Bernardino County will swear in a new top prosecutor. There is no third candidate, so whoever wins the June primary wins the election.
To read expanded article, click here.
Ramos in incredibly desperate. He can’t raise any money because no one will donate to him and sully their own names by being connected with a pathetic scum bag. Everyone in the Redlands crowd knows ALL of the hits are true. They won’t even put up yard signs anymore…LOL
Mike Ramos says he “can’t leave yet” because he has to “finish that stuff.”
But leaving that “stuff” unfinished is precisely what he tried to do when he tried to run for Attorney General.
One he realized how futile that was, he’s back trying to be DA again, and acting like he never tried to leave.
Just one more example of what a disgrace to the profession Mr. Ramos is.
The Stop Ramos Facebook postings have become very interesting.
It’s obvious most of the posters have no real clue of what’s happened and we see the Mike has done a excellent job with no explanation of what that is.
The best one yet is SEBA endorsed Ramos. Liked by three others. You know if SEBA said so it must be so.
Then we had a retired Sheriffs Captain try and take a stab at supporting Ramos. That didn’t work out to well either.
Then there were a couple it’s Jerry Brown’s fault not Mike Ramos.
Sounds like they were suggesting Mike Ramos is a puppet of Jerry Brown’s?
I do appreciate those folks are using their real names in a futile attempt to support what they really don’t know.
We will see June 5.
Ramos should be upset at himself for not having former military people in his inner circle and actually planned for this serious counter offensive he is now facing.
To do the Colonies case and not have a Plan B in case they lost was a epic failure.
I’d of fired David Ellis and hired me a combat vet as a strategist.
Plan B turns out to be extreme whining with a group of unknowing cheer leaders.
Signs not in people’s yards? I see them all over. Suggest you look again. I have seen very few for the challenger.
Raise money? He don’t need to raise money. He knows it. Landslide win coming.
Planned for the serious counter offensive? Lmao. A few hit piece propaganda mailers are hardly a serious set back.
June 5 you will see. God bless and have a blessed day.
James Mills, making stuff up just like Mike Ramos. Self-induced hallucinations are necessary when you are being crushed.
James, Ramos still has a serious lawsuit pending that will cost all of us eventually.
Now when Mike Ramos kicks that elephant in the ass I’ll buy him a box of nice cigars.
Best I can do for talking my trash. How about you?
Another eloquent comment from James mills, this one informing us that Mike Ramos “don’t need to raise money.”
I guess that’s one way to spin the fact that Mr. Ramos has minimal financial support.
Ramos also has minimal voter support…
Like Mike Ramos isn’t a puppet. What a laugh. How does a San Manuel tribal member get off scott free in a murder for hire conspiracy? How many other San Manuel tribal members have been let go because they are Mike Ramos’ number one “Band” of contributors?
Answer, probably dozens.
I love it Ramos denies having affairs. Mikey, Mikey, Mikey. And next you will denying creating a position for Ms. Ashley. Sure Mike we all know that she was promoted because of skills…………………………
@10 in the murder for hire defendants didn’t get off Scott free they received the minimum in order to keep serious heat off Ramos and his cousin James Ramos. Probation as I recall.
Should they have received serious prison time? Yes.
But look at it this way there would have been ZERO done if the DEA hadn’t picked up the conspiracy on a wire and reported it to the DA. Some haven’t figured out that ONLY when outside agencies are involved or could get involved does Ramos do anything that could cause him serious heat in the media.
The Floyd Tidwell prosecution is another fine example of that. Look at what was reported and the end result. The POST scandal is another one.
Anyone noticed that SERIOUS RICO style gang activity isn’t being targeted or prosecuted by Ramos???
Heard of any cartel or Mexica Mafia groups being nailed by SBSD or Ramos???? MS-13 types????
The 17 year old poo butts in your neighborhood doesn’t rate.
I’am talking about Mike Ramos and Sheriff McMahon NOT working with the Feds doing a high profile months long investigation in involving complex criminal activity?????
We already know of a couple Joint Task Force operations that died quietly after much media hoopla.
Reptilian. Thats all i can say