Dr. Stephen A. Colangelo, Pastor shares his inspiring Prayer

Many of you requested I post Pastor Steve's Prayer...Thank you Pastor, you are so inspiring!

Prayer Given at the Board of Supervisor’s Meeting on September 22, 2009

Lord, we come to humbly to ask you to guide this great Nation. Lord, please hear our prayers this morning. In a nation that is losing her way, a land that has forgotten you, a nation that turned away from that which is right; Lord, please forgive us.

May we never be guilty of making moral wrongs civil rights. May we never be found guilty of making what is evil seem right and making what is right seem evil. Forgive our nation that has abandoned what is right and has bowed down at the altar of political correctness. May you give us the courage to always elect leaders that would rather be statesmen rather than politicians.

Lord we ask that you place people in positions of authority who will recognize that America is great because America is good. Help us to remember that you are the Author of freedom and that In God We Trust is not just something that is stamped on our currency but should be stamped on the hearts of all true patriots.

Lord we seek your guidance in these darkened times. May your light shine brighter than ever before, for we need to see it more clearly than ever before. Lord, rescue this nation from ourselves and return her to her former glory, that if we would seek Your face, repent of our ways, and remind the government that they work for the people and not the other way around, that we would do well to remember that our laws and constitution were founded on Your precepts, then we shall prevail over the darkness that threatens to engulf this great land.

We thank you for these servants gathered here today who believe in something greater than themselves and have dedicated their lives to public service. Lord, we thank you for those that seek to lead instead of follow the crowd. We thank you for your abundant blessings. You have showered us with more blessing than we truly deserve. You have raised us up as the most powerful nation on this planet. You have raised us up from humble beginnings to towering heights. You have made us the agent of freedom to those enslaved by tyranny; and the vanguard of hope to the hopeless.

Lord, we ask for your blessings, not because we believe we are deserving of such blessing, but because we are unworthy. We need to feel your presence in a way we have never felt before. If you would shine down upon us with the grace of Your love; if You will awaken this nation of ours; if You would bring us godly men and women afraid of nothing except failing You, then we are confident that we can look toward the future and see that the greatest days of America are not behind us but are still lie ahead.

We thank you O, Lord that you are a loving and kind God, and may we as a nation remember your loving kindness throughout all generations. Lord, guard and protect these servants of our County, that your precepts shall guide their decisions. May you guard and protect this great body, and guard and protect the United States of America. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!

Dr. Stephen A. Colangelo, Pastor
Lucerne Valley Bible Fellowship

CLERK OF BOARD BECOMES DIRECTOR OF LAND USE SERVICES FOR SB COUNTY

MEMO SENT TO SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY EMPLOYEES FROM MARK UFFER, COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER STATES:

The past few weeks have been difficult for the dedicated and talented people in the Land Use Services Department. That’s why it’s my pleasure to announce that I have appointed Dena M. Smith to serve as Director of Land Use Services.

Dena, who currently serves as Clerk of the Board, is one of the county’s most talented managers, which makes her the best choice to lead Land Use Services at this time. She brings with her a proven track record of healing and revitalizing organizations, and developing leadership.

Dena is not a Land Use professional, although, in her role as Clerk of the Board, she has developed a great deal of experience dealing with Land Use issues, documents, and processes. Land Use Services has many people who are rich in talent and experience in the areas of planning and building and safety who can assist her in these areas. What the department needs most at this time in the top position is someone who can rebuild an organization fiscally and foster unity. And, there is no one within the county who can do a better job of that than Dena Smith.

Dena was born and raised in the Bronx, holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in biology, and has succeeded in a vast array of fields here in the county. Prior to becoming Clerk of the Board, Dena was the county’s Chief Learning Officer. She has also served as Human Resources Manager for the Superintendent of Schools, a labor representative for SBPEA, and has served as a Human Resources professional in the private sector.

Dena has also been a key leader in several important countywide projects including Service FIRST and the ExCL Program. As Clerk of the Board, Dena implemented the state’s first system for on-line posting of Form 700s and the webcasting of Board meetings. As Chief Learning Officer, Dena oversaw the successful design and operation of the county’s first centralized training unit, the Performance Education and Resource Centers (PERC).

I have no doubt Dena will do an excellent job as Director of Land Use Services, that the people of the department will respond well to her leadership, and that she will make the department a better place, as all managers should in their respective assignments.

Dena will begin transitioning into her new role immediately. Please join me in wishing Dena much success in her newest assignment, and offering her our full support and cooperation.

ACORN EMPLOYEE SAYS; "I KILLED MY HUSBAND"

Undercover investigation featuring corruption and murder at ACORN in San Bernardino. View video on right and hear Acorn employee Teresa Kelke.

James Okeefe comes to San Bernardino and posed as an up and coming politician who wants to use illicit money to fund his campaign. This is unbelievable!

ROCK FALLS…ALMOST!!

Julie Rynerson-Rock Land Use Services Director has been locked out of the Land Use building and sent home too enjoy a three month vacation.

Word on Rynerson-Rock is that she will be working from home until September 29th and then begin the extensive three month vacation - and many believe she may be sent on a permanent vacation.

Will Rock return?

After the shakeup within her department that showed more than six million dollars in shortfall and caused the layoff of 61 people it appears that Rynerson-Rock is being pushed out – or off the cliff…we will be listening for the thud!

On Aug. 13, County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer placed the department's administrative manager, Ruth Rice, and the heads of two divisions within the department -- Randy Rogers, deputy director for code enforcement, and Henry Roe, deputy director for building and safety -- on paid administrative leave, the trio has since returned to work. Uffer is expected to present a budget report to the Board of Supervisors with possible adjustments in the next few weeks.

San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department provides land use planning, building and safety, and code enforcement services to property owners within the unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. The Department also performs weed abatement activities on behalf of fire districts throughout San Bernardino County.

THIS JUST IN...

Julie Rynerson Rock, director of land use services, announced her retirement today, September 16, 2009, county spokesman David Wert said. Her last day of work was not known, but Wert said she would leave by Sept. 30.

OPEN MIC BRINGS DOWN ASSEMBLYMAN

DUVALL POSTERBOY FOR ETHICS COMMISSION.
Duvall makes my point that Ethics should be under the jurisdiction of The Public Integrity Unit or the Grand Jury in San Bernardino County.
ETHICS = Each Time Honor Is Challenged Scram!




Shame on Assemblyman Mike Duvall who quit his post Wednesday after tape recordings showed the married father of two shared intimate details about having sex with and spanking one of two mistresses.

Duvall will be investigated by the Assembly Ethics Committee,the same committee he served on prior to his resignation. Alledgely one mistress is a lobbyist for the utility industry that Duvall was assigned to help regulate.

Using gutter talk and bravado including the F-word, Duvall's salacious intimate details could be herd clearly during a break in a Capitol hearing during which he apparently didn't realize a microphone was live.

"She wears little eye-patch underwear," Duvall told a Republican colleague, Corona Assemblyman Jeff Miller, while the two were at their seats, waiting for business to resume at a July meeting of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Miller can be heard chuckling and was engaged in the 'sharing.'

The audio is difficult to understand in some places and very clear in others. Duvall says, "So, the other day, she came here with her underwear. … And so, we made love Wednesday – a lot!" Duvall talked of sexual game-playing with "Eye Patch" but does not mention her name.

"So, I am getting into spanking her," he said. "Yeah, I liked it. I like spanking her. She goes, 'I know you like spanking me.' I said, 'Yeah, because you're such a bad girl.'"

The 54 year old former assemblyman mentioned on the tape that his mistress had just celebrated her birthday and was 18 years younger than he. "I said, 'Now you're getting old, I am going to have to trade you in."

The Orange Country Weekly identified her as Heidi DeJong Barsuglia, a lobbyist for the energy firm Sempra Energy.

Sempra has denied the affair and says it is investigating the matter “to ensure not only that our policies on employee conduct are adhered to, but also that our employee is treated fairly.”

Duvall served as vice chairman of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee, which decides which energy-related issues reach the Assembly floor.

As vice chairman of the committee and a Republican, Duvall had little power moving bills through the Democratic-dominated Legislature. Of the 24 bills he authored this session, only one related to utilities, and it never got a committee hearing.

Duvall, in his tape recording, also referred to a second mistress he called "Shar."

"Oh yeah, Shar, Shar, Shar," he said. "Oh, she is hot! I talked to her yesterday. She goes, 'So, are we finished?' I go, 'No, we're not finished.' I go, 'You know about the (other mistress), but she doesn't know about you."

Within hours of the salacious tape being aired, Duvall was removed from two committees by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, then apologized on his Web site for "comments I made in what I believed to be a private conversation."

Shortly thereafter, Duvall announced his resignation on his Web site, without speaking to the media. His "inappropriate comments" had become a "major distraction" to the Legislature, he wrote. he described the incident as "story-telling."

"I have come to the conclusion that it would not be fair to my family, my constituents or to my friends on both sides of the aisle to remain in office," Duvall wrote. "Therefore, I have decided to resign my office, effective immediately, so that the Assembly can get back to work."

But the Assembly Ethics Committee is now investigating whether there were also serious ethical failings that would have influenced his legislative decisionmaking. Some watchdog groups suggest laws could have been broken, too.

Already, watchdog groups are calling it an example of the all-too-close relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers in Sacramento.

“The blatancy and the arrogance of this instance is a wake-up call to get much tougher limits on lobbying,” says Judy Dugan of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group. “It’s not a new problem.”

If it turns out that Duvall was having a relationship with a female lobbyist – and that relationship had any influence on his committee votes – then ethics rules were probably violated, says Derek Cressman of Common Cause, a government watchdog group.

One group, the progressive Courage Campaign, wants the California attorney general to investigate to see if Duvall can be “prosecuted for selling his votes.”

Common Cause said that Sempra was lobbying on 170 pieces of legislation in California and, at least in once case, Duvall voted no on a bill that Sempra campaigned against. Sempra has donated more than $822,300 to a variety of California legislatures since January 2009.

The group noted that there have been other instances of energy companies using unorthodox methods to win influence.

“There is a track record of energy sector lobbyists using sex, drugs, and alcohol to unduly influence decision-makers,” it said in a statement, citing a 2008 Interior Department report that found that Chevron, Shell, and other energy lobbyists had provided gifts as well as sex and cocaine with 12 employees of the Minerals Management Service.

The probe into Duvall’s comments may be broadened to look into other alleged affairs between lawmakers and lobbyists, says California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D).

Assemblyman Miller stripped of Ethics Committee spot

The legislator who lent an open ear to ex-Assemblyman Mike Duvall's graphic descriptions of sexual trysts has been removed from the Assembly Ethics Committee, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass' office has confirmed.

Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona, was taken off the committee, which is investigating Duvall's actions. T

Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, has replaced Miller on the panel

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has 14 days to call a special election to fill Duvall's Orange County Assembly seat, representing Brea, Fullerton, Placentia, and parts of Anaheim, Orange, Yorba Linda and La Habra.

The earliest that a primary election could be held is Nov. 3, with a runoff, if necessary, on Jan. 5, officials said.

Each
Time
Honor
Is
Challenged
Scram

IF THE SHOE FITS....

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY ELIMINATES 61 JOBS!

In an early morning meeting,lead by Gerry Newcombe and Jessica Brown from the CAO's office, officials in the San Bernardino County Land Use Division handed out the bad news, laying off 61 employees. Building and Safety lost 47; Code Enforcement lost 7; Weed Abatement lost 7.

A stunning turnaround for the county which has professed they have been able to meet their budget cutbacks while maintaining staffing levels.

Last month three high placed employees from the planning department were placed on administrative leave. Randy Rogers, Henry Roe and Ruth Rice were unexpectedly removed from their desks, Rogers and Roe have returned while Rice remains missing in action.

Julie Rynerson-Rock the department head is rumored to be leaving her post in some sort of squeeze play, that scenario is yet to be played out.

The shakeups continue within San Bernardino County government. Unfortunately for those line employee's who most likely have done nothing more than 'their jobs' they today find themselves looking for other jobs. There is the possibility that employees with seniority can bump others with less seniority and from other departments so the final shakeout is undetermined.

Employee's are assuming that the insult to injury will be those being replaced by those with seniority may have to train the person who is sending them to the employment line!