Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
By William Cutting
Friday, September 27, 2013 - 07:00 p.m.
DISCLAIMER: Some content in this post is not suitable for some work environments
Let me tell you a story about a guy who would be right at home here in the Inland Empire — I mean…this guy puts San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris and his Measure Z sales tax fleecing of taxpayers to shame.
By William Cutting
Friday, June 21, 2013 - 04:30 p.m.
As a parent, I know how difficult it can be to think of an original idea for a kid’s birthday party. The other day I read an interesting article about a company that puts together exotic pet viewings/showings for parties featuring many fascinating creatures. The company is called “SoCal Jungle” and they are in the business of reptile parties — and the article specifically discussed a birthday party in Rancho Cucamonga.
By William Cutting
Monday, April 22, 10:30 p.m.
You all are undoubtedly familiar with the Harris Poll/Harris Interactive polling company. They have been around for over 50 years I believe and conduct numerous well known polls. From presidential elections and other assorted public policy issues to the weekly college football poll every fall, they do it all.
By William Cutting
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - 11:45 p.m.
When you have grown up and spent your entire life in the Inland Empire you sometimes forget how big it is. It doesn’t help that we lack our own media market and we constantly live in the shadow of moronic Los Angeles newscasters. Every now and then I come across a story and figure it is happening in some place hundreds and thousands of miles away.
Monday, June 13, 2011 - 05:00 a.m.
Congratlations to the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, who defeated the Miami Heat on Sunday 105 to 95.
By Capitol Weekly Staff | 03/18/10 12:00 AM PST
The U.S. Census Bureau has released estimates of state and local government employment, and the results may be surprising to those who believe California has too many government workers.
The Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy, an independent Palo Alto-based think tank, reported that in 2008 California had the third-lowest number of full-time equivalent state government employees relative to population among all 50 states.
Rich Beemer
10:00 PM PST on Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Press-Enterprise
San Bernardino County Undersheriff Richard Beemer will retire this month after 37 years of service, the last four as the department’s second in command.
Beemer, a decorated Vietnam veteran, has been credited with foreseeing the county’s declining tax revenues and making spending cuts that averted layoffs and returned millions to the general fund last fiscal year.
Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/18/2009 04:50:32 PM PST
San Bernardino area college students who struggled to get into much-needed classes in 2009 won’t have it any easier in 2010.
More class sections are being cut due to the budget crisis, which means a bleak winter across the board for everyone at the local community colleges and universities.
“One-time San Bernardino Community College District savings from the previous budget year allowed for section cuts to be minimal, but the demand for programs and services at both our colleges continues to climb without state funding to support it,” said Debra Daniels, president of San Bernardino Valley College. “And we are thereby forced to live within the reality of our budgets.”
By Dan Smith and Jon Ortiz
[email protected]
Published: Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 4A
The union that represents 30,000 correctional officers in California has ended its consulting contract with Don Novey, the one-time president of the organization credited with building its political muscle.
In an e-mail obtained by The Bee, Novey lashed out at Mike Jimenez, current president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, for terminating his three-year deal. Jimenez was Novey’s second-in-command until taking the reins in 2002.
By Andrew McIntosh
[email protected]
Published: Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
More than 12 percent of the 2,667 new vehicles that Caltrans has bought since 2007 are sitting unused and gathering dust on state lots, according to newly released data confirmed by the department.
Caltrans officials say that after they buy new vehicles and trucks, their department takes up to three years to assemble various components for their custom-designed light- and heavy-duty trucks in Sacramento before they actually hit the road.
The department also says state-mandated furloughs have cut the staff’s ability to complete orders at the Sacramento assembly plant by 15 percent.
10:00 PM PST on Friday, December 18, 2009
By GENE GHIOTTO
The Press-Enterprise
The Lake Elsinore City Council will consider a proposal Tuesday to establish a 45-day moratorium on legal marijuana-growing activities in the city so it can determine how the operations can be regulated.
The proposal is in response to a request for a business license and phone inquiries to the city about establishing operations to grow, dry, farm, package, process and distribute medical marijuana on a wholesale level, according to the staff report.
10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, December 15, 2009
By DAYNA STRAEHLEY
The Press-Enterprise
Two alternate proposals to cut $18 million for 2009-10 in Corona-Norco schools would either have all employees take five furlough days or lay off an estimated 280 people.
Corona-Norco Unified School District Superintendent Kent Bechler gave both proposals to the board Tuesday but said he won’t ask the board to vote on the cuts until February.
December 08, 2009 7:42 PM
By JENNIFER MUIR and TONY SAAVEDRA
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Three members of the Orange County Fair Board are abandoning a nonprofit foundation they formed to buy the fairgrounds — and two believe the rest of their colleagues should disband the group.
The resignations crack a shaky foundation, already accused by Orange County officials of breaking state open meeting and conflict of interest laws.
The opposition to the foundation’s bid – and to the state’s plan to sell the fair in general — has been deep and strong. The city of Costa Mesa and the county of Orange are lobbying to take the fairgrounds off the market, and a state assemblyman is pushing for the governor or the legislature to block the sale.
Decrease seen by San Manuels
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/10/2009 06:30:24 PM PST
Indian gaming experienced its slowest growth ever in 2008, but even the slumping economy couldn’t prevent the lucrative industry from posting positive year over year growth, according to a study released Thursday.
Nationwide, Indian gaming generated $26.8 billion in 2008, a 1.5 percent increase over the $26.4 billion generated in 2007, publisher Casino City reported in its annual Indian Gaming Industry Report.
School district looking to cut $8 million before Feb. 8
December 08, 2009 4:48 PM
BEAU YARBROUGH Staff Writer
With the state of California facing yet another budget deficit this year, up to 131 Hesperia Unified School District employees could be losing their jobs at the end of this school year.
Then-school board vice-president Lee Rogers read a prepared statement at Monday night’s meeting. (The board reorganized later that night, with board member Anthony Riley replacing her as vice-president.)
10:00 PM PST on Monday, December 7, 2009
By JOHN F. HILL
The Press-Enterprise
Already proposing to close one elementary school, Lake Elsinore Unified School District’s superintendent said the persistence of statewide financial problems meant he couldn’t rule out closing more schools as soon as next year.
“If it’s not going to get better, this is going to continue,” said Frank W. Passarella.
He said teacher layoffs were not imminent for the 22,000-student district, but were “definitely a possibility.”
Jesse B. Gill, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/03/2009 12:10:35 AM PST
By JESSE B. GILL
Staff Writer City to help with new Housing Authority project
REDLANDS - The San Bernardino County Housing Authority wants to build a new community in town and the Redevelopment Agency is going to help them do it.
The Housing Authority is planning a $75 millionmixed-income residential community including 189 rental units and 39 single-family homes. The project is slated for 19 acres on the northeast corner of Lugonia Avenue and Orange Street, where a complex of one-story apartments now occupies the property.
“It is to take out 115 units of distressed public housing that dates back to the late (19)40s or early 50s and replace (them) with 228 units of rental housing and home ownership opportunities,” said Susan Benner, the Housing Authority’s executive director.
10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, December 2, 2009
By JANET ZIMMERMAN
The Press-Enterprise
The state is combing old water records to determine whether highly contaminated groundwater — which now stretches for miles from an industrial site in Rialto — caused illnesses among residents in the many decades before it was discovered, health officials said during a community meeting Wednesday night.
In 1997, three wells were found to have high levels of perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel, and trichloroethylene, or TCE, an industrial solvent, which seeped into the soil and underground water. Water was not tested for perchlorate before then.
Albert Kelley
Posted: 12/02/2009 05:06:39 PM PST
A recent guest commentary authored by Sen. Bob Dutton, “A gun to our head: The environment or jobs?” (Nov. 28), was an attempt to blame the Legislature (Democrats) and their allies for their “job-killing” environmental extremism!
Sadly, Sen. Dutton’s first attack was against those who would limit TV sales when, in reality, the move away from energy-consuming flat screens is the motive of consideration for consumer savings, safety, and protection; can’t we live with smaller toys, senator?
The next flash of Sen. Dutton’s diatribe was against a “bunch of environmental lawyers making a living suing folks to advance an ideological agenda”!
Tuesday night’s meeting of the Victorville City Council ended with unexpected fireworks.
With reports of Grand Jury subpoenas flying, two council members initiated inquiries into multiple matters affecting the city’s finances.
Council Member Ryan McEachron pulled no punches. McEacron requested a item be brought to the council for approval of a forensic audit of all the “backroom deals”.
News comes to iePolitics this weekend that the expected and highly anticipated departure of County Counsel Ruth Stringer has been placed on a delay track pending the hiring of a new county administrative officer to replace Mark Uffer.
Uffer was recently dismissed by a 3-2 majority vote of the board of supervisors.
Over the past several months, Stringer’s status has risen to that of embattled in a backdrop of growing discontent among county supervisors, over her conduct related to closed session and attorney-client privilege matters.
10:00 PM PST on Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Press-Enterprise
Federal judges and state officials should recognize that dumping more inmates into jampacked county jails is not an acceptable way to ease the state’s prison crowding. Requiring counties to pick up the burden of the state’s prison neglect would provide the illusion of progress, not a practical solution.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest proposal for cutting the number of inmates in state prisons rests heavily on local jails, however. California this month handed federal judges a proposal that would trim the state prison population by more than 42,000 by 2011. But nearly 14,000 of that total would come from shifting state inmates to local jails.
By Liz Hazelton
Last updated at 4:57 PM on 27th November 2009
British banks were teetering on the brink of a fresh meltdown today after it emerged they had invested heavily in crisis-hit Dubai.
An $80billion debt default in the emirate has already reawakened the spectre of a global ‘double dip’ - that the first shoots of recovery could be wiped out by a second wave of recession.
But the level of exposure that the crippled British banking sector faces is now under renewed scrutiny.
A spokesman for the governor says the matter is related to a paperwork discrepancy and has nothing to do with the payment of taxes.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
November 28, 2009
Reporting from Sacramento - The Internal Revenue Service has filed a federal tax lien against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for nearly $80,000, public records show.
The lien was filed May 11 at the Los Angeles County recorder’s office for $79,064, according to a record in an electronic database that includes lien filings. The Read the rest of this entry »
Melissa Pinion-Whitt, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/27/2009 02:49:11 PM PST
HIGHLAND - There’s a conflict behind the razor wire, chainlink fences and towering iron gates of Patton State Hospital. Some say it’s a long-standing power struggle between the state and union corrections officers.
Others say it’s a byproduct of the troubled financial times.
But whatever the issue is, Patton officials say one thing is certain: Security is not in jeopardy due to the reduction of more than a dozen corrections officers at the facility for the criminally insane.
Michael Kane
November 12, 2009
RUTH STRINGER: Counselor from Hell
Who or what is “evil” or “venal” is obviously a matter of personal opinion. So let’s look at the dictionary definitions and set a yardstick to measure some of our more important appointed public officials:
EVIL. (Defined): morally wrong or bad; immoral due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character; the wicked or immoral part of someone or something; anything causing injury or harm.
VENAL. (Defined): willing to sell one’s influence; bribable, corruptible.
Now let’s look at some of those high-level County officials and see how they measure up to the challenge to demonstrate integrity, act honestly, perform competently and truly serve the public interest to the exclusion of their own.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Since I started blogging about 3.5 years ago, I have often lamented the fact that so many of the readers, even some members of the blog pen, and much of the public seem to have little knowledge regarding the rights, responsibilities and significance of the Constitution of the United States. I know a large percentage of those involved with this blog are younger than I and I often wonder if perhaps changes in school curriculum have something to do with it. It seems we have a generation or two with little or no concept as to the significance of our constitution or the importance of maintaining the rights it grants us.
When I attended junior high in order to graduate from the eighth grade we had to write out the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States verbatim from memory, discuss all seven Articles, and detail what powers/rights each of the 26 Amendments granted us (yes, there were only 26 then). We also had to learn basic legal terminology and understand the significance of court cases ranging from Marbury v. Madison to Dred Scott v. Sanford and Plessy v. Ferguson, Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona.
Bill Postmus
October 7, 2009
There have been so many questions of late as to the appropriateness of the Colonies decision that the County of San Bernardino settled out of court in 2006.
I have been reluctant to address or re-state the facts of the case over the past several months as I have focused on other matters.
But, with so much misinformation being disseminated in the press and with all the rumor-mongering, I cannot remain silent any longer.
It is time to set the record straight.
