The Barb Stanton Show

Assessor Postmus takes Medical Leave!

2008-07-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Strange how Postmus is hardly mentioned and all the ink is on his replacement...guess there isn't much you can say about Postmus. I believe that this is Postmus way of delaying or possibly stopping the recall that has been started and the removal actions beginning by the supervisors.

Postmus should resign today and save us all the trouble of removing him...You can't run from your troubles Bill... Medical leave? Is he losing his mind? He rambles and studders and makes no sense....is reality setting in?

The reality is that the people of this county have lost all faith in Assessor Bill Postmus.

Here is the press release issued today at 4:30PM

County Assessor Bill Postmus Takes Medical Leave of Absence, Temporarily Assigns Responsibilities To Assistant Assessor For Operations Harlow Cameron

SAN BERNARDINO – San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus today announced that he is taking a medical leave of absence. As part this announcement, Postmus is transferring all duties and responsibilities to a thirty-five- year -veteran of the department, Assistant Assessor for Operations Harlow Cameron.
Based on the recommendation of his physician, the leave of absence will be for ten weeks.
As is customary in all San Bernardino County matters pertaining to absences related to medical considerations, the reasons for Assessor Postmus’ leave of absence will remain confidential.
“Harlow Cameron is an invaluable and longtime member of this department,” Postmus stated. “Under Harlow Cameron’s stewardship, I know the office will be in outstanding hands while I am away from the office,” Postmus stated.
Assistant Assessor for Operations Harlow Cameron is a 35-year veteran of the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office. Harlow Cameron was born and raised in Upland. He is a graduate of Upland High School in 1968 and the University of Redlands 1972.
Harlow Cameron began his career with the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office as a real property appraiser in 1973. He was promoted to Supervising District Appraiser in 1977 and served in that capacity in four different field offices for twenty years. Many sweeping changes that drastically changed the business functions of property tax valuation and administration occurred in those years. The most significant of these was the Proposition 13 initiative and subsequent legislation. Cameron helped in the planning, transition, and practical implementation of the succession of property tax law changes. In 1997, Harlow was selected to serve as the Chief of Assessment Services to oversee the valuation support functions of the department. As the manager of the Assessment Services Division he was the Assessor team leader on the Property Information Management System database rewrite project and the department Y2K coordinator.
Cameron was appointed to his previous position of Chief Appraiser in 2001. In this role he was responsible for the administration of the Valuation Division which appraises all locally taxable real and personal property in the County. He directed staff in nine Real Property field offices, the Business Personal Property section, the Special Properties unit, and Assessment Appeals in the valuation of over 800,000 parcels totaling $182 billion on the assessment roll and the performance of valuation related public service. Harlow Cameron actively supports technological development and utilization of data resources that improve the accuracy of appraisals and the efficiency of the valuations staff.

Since his appointment as assistant assessor for operations in early November 2007, Mr. Cameron has overseen approximately 200 employees and he worked with his staff in completing the 2008 Annual Assessment Roll, as he has done in several previous years in his various roles in the Office of the County Assessor.
Harlow Cameron enjoys family, church, outdoor recreation, and small construction projects. He served on the board of elders of the Twin Peaks Community Church for twenty years.
Cameron will assume the responsibilities as acting assessor beginning Thursday July 24, 2008.

# # #

SAN FRANCISCO ATTORNEY UNDERSTANDS POSTMUS

2008-07-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

FROM PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Karl is right on with this one!

By KARL OLSON

Some government officials view members of the public as mushrooms, to be kept in the dark and covered with manure.

San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus is surely one of those officials. Postmus waged a pitched battle, at county expense, last year to resist turning over calendars and e-mails from his time on the Board of Supervisors in 2006.

Now, his aide, Adam Aleman, has been criminally charged with destruction of public records. The district attorney's office says Aleman deep-sixed the hard-drive of a laptop computer that belonged to his boss when Postmus was a supervisor. Postmus has not been charged with a crime.

The same day Aleman was arrested, June 30, the county Grand Jury issued a scathing report saying the assessor's office had been widely used for political purposes, with staffers engaging in Republican Party activities at county expense.

The Grand Jury found that when Postmus took office in January 2007, he hired an "executive support staff" that "lacked experience or training directly associated with assessor work." Most of the "executive support staff" had been with Postmus when he was on the Board of Supervisors or Republican Central Committee chairman.

While dedicated career employees who'd been on the job before Postmus was elected did the day-to-day work, Postmus' people did "public image" work and "engaged in political activities for various national, state and local political candidates during normal working hours." In other words, Postmus harnessed your tax dollars to the service of his own large political ambitions, whether you liked it or not. That's called taxation without representation.

County lawyers resisted turning over e-mails and calendars belonging to Postmus and Supervisor Paul Biane because, they claimed, disclosing those e-mails would supposedly interfere with these honchos' ability to do their jobs. The recent events expose this argument as a smoke screen.

Last year, the state Supreme Court ruled that the release of public employee salary records can expose "corruption, incompetence, inefficiency and favoritism." The recent events involving Postmus show just how right the court is and why good citizens shouldn't let public officials like Postmus keep them in the dark.

Karl Olson, an attorney in San Francisco, represented the California First Amendment Coalition in its open-records lawsuit against Bill Postmus and San Bernardino County last year.

Dan Seagondollar announces run for Apple Valley Council

2008-07-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Apple Valley Architect Dan Seagondollar announced his intention to run for Apple Valley council today on the Barb Stanton Show.

Seagondollar has a long history in the town. He just completed service on the General Plan Advisory Committee and has served on the planning commission from 1994 to 1998 representing Councilman Bob Berchfield.

Seagondollar ran for council in 2006, coming just short by 200 votes of being placed on the council.

More on this soon...

Assistant Assessor Aleman resigns!

2008-07-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

ALEMAN
POSTMUS

After the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisor's intensely discussed the irregularities in the Assessor's office Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman resigned today.

Board Chairman Paul Biane called for his termination for continuing to collect his $119,000 salary while facing six felony counts related to destroying public records.

“The taxpayers of San Bernardino County should not be paying Aleman’s salary while his criminal case works its way through the courts,” stated Biane during the weekly
supervisor's meeting. “I call on the Assessor to terminate Adam Aleman immediately,” Biane said.

“These are things that if any other county officials admitted to, they would no longer be employed,” Biane added. Biane went on to say that it’s pretty clear when looking at the sworn affidavit regarding the investigation that Aleman openly admits to altering documents.

Biane looked stern and weary during his pronouncement regarding Assessor Bill Postmus and the activities within his offices.

Aleman,was arrested on June 30, at 10:45 in the morning at his home in Rancho Cucamonga. Aleman is charged with six felony counts - three counts of preparing false evidence; one count of offering forged or altered documents as evidence; one count of destruction of public records; and one count of vandalism over $400. Aleman posted his $150,000 bail on the same evening as his arrest.

Tuesday evening, San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus issued a statement that Adam Aleman, had tendered his resignation via letter. Aleman's finale becomes effective on Friday.

Postmus responded to Aleman’s resignation, “It is with tremendous sadness that I accept your letter of resignation,” Postmus wrote. “For over three years, you have been an invaluable key member of my staff. I thank you for all you have accomplished for the people of San Bernardino County.” The letter went on to ask the public to withhold judgment of Aleman as he focuses on the charges against him, despite the information in the affidavit.

On an interim basis, the responsibilities of Aleman will be conducted by Assistant Assessor for Operations Harlow Cameron, a 35-year employee of the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office.

NOTE: It continues to baffle me that Bill Postmus carries on the charade and goes beyond the 'normal' thank you for your service, letter. In my opinion (and many others) for three years the people of this county had paid for the services of an unqualified and political activist employee. Too bad Postmus can't explain precisely what Aleman has done for the people of San Bernardino County. Maybe it should have said - thank you for what you had DONE TO the people of San Bernardino County. But he (Postmus) wasn't lying when he stated that Aleman had been an invaluable key member of his staff. Sure he was, and maybe will continue to be - although it looks like the people of this county will not be footing the bill.

Ron Wilson former CEO of DCB opens bank in Louisiana

2008-07-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Ron Wilson former CEO of DCB is in Louisiana ..
I spoke with Ron and he is doing well...although his step-son was killed in a motorcycle accident in June...sad news.

Chief Executive Officer Ronald Wilson said South Louisiana Business Bank had a goal of raising at least $12 million before its initial stock offering ends on Aug. 31.

The bank began operating at its headquarters on July 1st, Wilson explained to me, and will hold a grand opening when the stock offering is complete.

South Louisiana Business Bank is the first locally chartered bank to open in Ascension Parish since United Community Bank opened in 1998, according to the state Office of Financial Institutions.

Wilson said the South Louisiana Business Bank began forming in April 2007. It was organized by about 25 people, all of whom have business interests in Ascension and Livingston parishes and several of whom have experience in the banking industry.

“We need a business bank here to choose from, one that’s here in our own backyard,” Wilson said.

Postmus continues games of deception with the people

2008-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors have asked prosecutors to investigate possible illegal political activity in San Bernardino County Asessor Bill Postmus office. This request following the scathing report issued by the grand jury regarding the activities within the confines of the assessor's domain.

It has become clear that Postmus wanted to remain a political player within the Republican party. It reveals how documents were modified, which has come to light by the recently released search warrant. And ultimately how the county grand jury's report led to the arrest of Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman.

The district attorneys office raided the assessors office on April 10th investigators seized documents and computers during the raid.

Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman, 25, was arrested on six felony charges, including presenting false evidence to the grand jury and destroying public records. The district attorney states that the investigation is ongoing.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul Biane said that County employees began receiving political e-mails from full-time members of the assessor's staff during regular work hours. He asked the staff to inspect e-mails sent and received by Mike Richman, a consultant whom Postmus hired in 2007.

Chairman Biane has indicated numerous times that he is surprised and concerned by the alleged political activities in the assessors office. He has also stated that Bill Postmus has been a longtime friend. To have his office investigated by the district attorney was a very serious decision made here by myself and county counsel, Biane explained to local media representatives.

Many insiders have stated that Biane's staff is also guilty of politicking on the time clock.

Postmus has made statements alleging 'shock' about the activities within his kingdom. Which I find laughable...who does Postmus think he is really kidding?

In my past relationship with Bill Postmus and staffers, when he was Supervisor, it was considered within the bounds of a normal work day to spend time on republican issues. His top staffers in his office talked about and maneuvered in the political arena - it was all politics...interaction I had with staffers was about the GOP and the republican movement.

When will Aleman be terminated or quit? How long will public money pay his $58 per hour?

The following is a partial news report by Mr. Gang for the Press Enterprise.

Postmus spokesman Ted Lehrer said there is no evidence in a separate grand jury report released Monday or in the charges against Aleman to suggest the assessor was aware of any improper political activity.

"It's becoming clear to the public and to the assessor that this is and has been a politically motivated witch hunt conducted by those with politically motivated agendas," Lehrer said.

The grand jury criticized the assessor's office for using county e-mail systems for political activity. The grand jury reviewed thousands of e-mails as part of its investigation.

The content of the e-mails included "arranging political meetings, solicitations for campaign contributions, instructions to move campaign monies from one campaign fund to another, solicitation of political proxies" and political discussions on a Republican blog, the grand jury found.

According to copies of the e-mails, Richman asked longtime Postmus campaign treasurer Betty Presley in May 2007 to forward contributions to Assembly and state Senate candidates.

Richman sent the e-mails at Postmus' request, according to copies of the e-mails.

Biane in a statement said he raised the issue with Postmus.

"This was most concerning because then-Supervisor Postmus and I had both had County Counsel train our offices on ethical standards, specifically on the prohibition against the use of county resources for political activities," Biane said.

"After Mr. Postmus became assessor, County Counsel and I both admonished him on what we believed was happening in his office," Biane said. "Despite this, the activity continued."

Lehrer said Postmus never received any admonishment and demanded Biane's office produce copies.

In an interview earlier this week, Richman said his Blackberry was inappropriately set up with a county e-mail address.

According to the affidavit, Jim Erwin, a former assistant assessor for operations, told the grand jury that Richman was a political ally of Postmus.

"Erwin said that Postmus still wants to be a 'political player' but that he no longer has the political power he had as a member of the Board of Supervisors," according to the affidavit.

"Mike Richman ... retains a reputation in the 'political arena,' which caused Postmus to want Richman to be 'on his team,' and enhance Postmus' political standing."

According to the affidavit, Erwin told the grand jury that Richman walked around the office talking about political campaigns, raising concerns from other employees that little work for the county was being done.

In an interview, Erwin said he stands by his testimony. He said the political activity is why he quit the assessor's office last year.

Richman called Erwin's accusations false.

Richman's Role

To date, no arrests have been made over illegal political activity in the assessor's office or the misuse of county e-mail.

The move from a complaint filed about e-mails to an arrest on charges of falsifying documents appears to stem from attempts to make it look like Richman did more work than he might have actually done, according to the affidavit.

Richman and his MPR Strategies firm received a $49,200 no-bid contract to create community outreach events, to promote a monthly newsletter and to forge ties with the state Board of Equalization.

Aleman ordered a secretary to change minutes of executive staff meetings, according to the affidavit.

For instance, meeting minutes from June 18, 2007, show that Rex Gutierrez, the assessor's director of intergovernmental affairs, had been "unable to get a response from Matt Cunningham regarding progress on the Annual Report. Adam (Aleman) will contact Matt and request an update."

The altered minutes, according to the affidavit, put Richman's name in place of Aleman's.

Aleman told the grand jury he was simply correcting errors, the court records show. But he made the changes between the time when the grand jury asked for the documents and the deadline for turning them over, the affidavit contends.

Richman told investigators that he did not know exactly why Aleman might have changed the documents, other than to "attempt to bolster my involvement in something that wasn't even contractually mine to deal with anyway," the affidavit shows.

In an interview, Richman said he stands by what he told investigators.

Appeal Denied

Superior Court Judge David Cohn signed the search warrant in April and initially had it sealed at the request of the district attorney's office. Prosecutors argued that releasing the document could jeopardize their investigation.

The Press-Enterprise successfully challenged an original order to have the warrant sealed, and the state Court of Appeal sided with the newspaper on Tuesday.

Cohn ordered the documents released on Wednesday after denying a last-minute appeal by prosecutors to redact some names and other references to the grand jury investigation.

Baine said the release of the documents prompted him to acknowledge his role in filing the complaint with prosecutors.

He said he has traded e-mails and phone messages with Postmus since Monday but has not had an opportunity for an extensive discussion on the affidavit and the grand jury report.

Past county leaders have made ethical missteps before, most notably in the 1990s, when former top officials were prosecuted for taking bribes.

Biane said people will look back at the 1990s and see efforts by supervisors to cover up misdeeds.

"Here, it was brought to my attention and immediately turned over to the district attorney," Biane said by telephone. "There is definitely a different culture here."

High Desert Home Prices for June 2008

2008-07-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Median price per square foot for sales of existing single-family homes in June.

Listed by zip code - the price per square foot - the number of units sold - and the percentage change from one year ago. Prices provided by Data-Quick

ADELANTO: 92301 / $ 90/ 40/ -43.4%
APPLE VALLEY: 92307 / $109/ 55/ -31.0%
APPLE VALLEY: 92308 / $113/ 35/ -37.3%
BARSTOW: 92311 / $ 95/ 21/ -36.4%
HESPERIA: 92344 / $ 96/ 36/ -46.7%
HESPERIA: 92345 / $110/ 86/ -37.0%
HINKLEY: 92347 / $ 59/ 1/ -11.8%
LUCERNE VALLEY: 92356 / $115/ 2/ - 8.4%
PHELAN: 92371 / $103/ 8/ -51.1%
PINON HILLS: 92372 / $113/ 5/ -35.6%
VICTORVILLE: 92392 / $100/ 100/ -40.8%
VICTORVILLE: 92394 / $ 88/ 46/ -44.4%
VICTORVILLE: 92395 / $ 98/ 35/ -43.7%

2007-2008 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report

2008-06-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

Report on San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus direct from the Grand Jury

AUDIT/FISCAL COMMITTEE

The Assessor Subcommittee performed a thorough review of the Assessor function. As
part of this process, 25 subpoenas were issued and 29 interviews were conducted. Thousands of documents were reviewed.
The Audit/Expense Subcommittee did extensive work in reviewing expenses and credit
cards. Many interviews were conducted and thousands of expense records were reviewed.
The committee wishes to thank the many dedicated county employees who aided in our
investigations. Their many hours of extra work are sincerely appreciated.
The following reports give a summary of our findings.

ASSESSOR
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR FUNCTION
BACKGROUND
The current Assessor took office in January 2007. Before assuming the Assessors
position, while he was still Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, that body approved
several new positions for the Assessors Office and additional budget amounts to fund
them. The new positions included Communications Officer, Intergovernmental Relations
Officer, Two Special Assistants, Facilities/Safety Manager, Project Administrator,
Executive Secretary and Office Specialist.

According to the 2006-2007 San Bernardino County Final Budgets, The Board
approved an appropriation increase of $1,803,900 for 28.0 positions and their
corresponding services and support costs.

The final approved 2006-2007 San Bernardino County Budget and the 2007-2008
San Bernardino County Budget for the Assessors Office show the increases in salaries
and personnel for the Assessors Office:

Under the current Assessor, the Assessors office was reorganized to absorb a
portion of the newly created positions in a new administrative level called the “Executive Support Staff”. These positions were not found in the previous Assessors organization charts. The resulting structure is a two-tiered bureaucracy: The Operations staff, managed by a newly appointed Assistant Assessor with 200+ employees, that does the property valuation function, and the Executive Support staff, managed by a second newly appointed Assistant Assessor with 8+ employees that reports directly to the Assessor.

INVESTIGATION
The function of the Executive Support staff was the main focus of our investigation.
The Grand Jury interviewed 17 current employees and former employees of the Assessors Office, an Assessors Office consultant, and the current Assessor. The Grand Jury reviewed several thousand emails from the Assessors Office; Executive Support staff expense records; Executive Support staff weekly meeting minutes; Executive Support staff payroll records; educational reimbursement records for university attendance; a separation agreement between the former Assistant Assessor in charge of Operations and the Assessors Office; and Purchase order # Z3073, dated July 13, 2007 for consulting services.

The Grand Jury also reviewed San Bernardino County policies for Purchase Order
agreements; use of County email systems; separation agreements and tuition
reimbursement. Any references to “Assistant Assessor” within the report refers to
individuals originally appointed to those positions when the current Assessor was elected and does not refer to individuals who were subsequently appointed to the position of Assistant Assessor as the result of changes in office personnel.

FINDINGS
The reorganization of the Assessors Office created two distinct management
groups within the Assessors office. The Grand Jury found striking contrast in the level of management expertise, technical knowledge, and productive contributions to the duties and responsibilities between the two management groups. The Grand Jury found that these two management groups had very little interaction.

The Operations managers oversee the day-to-day operations of the Assessors
Office. These managers are currently career employees who provide departmental
competency and expertise. They have high levels of experience, training and education
and are indispensable to the everyday operations of the Assessors Office. These
managers report directly to the Assistant Assessor for Operations.

As part of the reorganization, the current Assessor reclassified key operational
management positions from “civil service protected” to “at-will.” Testimony from
Assessor’s employees indicated career employees may be reluctant to give up their civil service status for an “at will” political appointment. The reclassification of these top positions from “civil service protected” to “at will” threatens the professionalism and competency of those positions. These reclassifications could make these positions vulnerable to political cronyism or undue influence from administrative political
appointees.

The Executive Support staff was created when the current Assessor took office in
January 2007. In contrast to the Operations managers, the individuals appointed to the positions in the Executive Support staff lacked experience or training directly associated with assessor work. The lack of management and assessor function experience of the two Assistant Assessors originally appointed by the Assessor caused the Grand Jury great concern. According to the Revenue & Taxation Code, within 30 days of appointment,the Assistant Assessor must hold a valid temporary appraiser’s certificate issued by the Board of Equalization. A four-year college degree or a high school degree and relevantwork experience is a requirement for receiving a temporary appraiser’s certificate. The Assistant Assessor for Executive Support did not meet these requirements, but a waiver was obtained from the Board of Equalization.

Most of the Executive Support staff is made up of individuals with previous
associations with the Assessor when he was on the Board of Supervisors and/or was
Republican Central Committee Chairman.

In order to determine the purpose and work activities of the Executive Support
Staff, the Grand Jury elicited testimony from employees of the Assessors Office
regarding their own projects and their knowledge of tasks assigned to other employees.

The Grand Jury also reviewed the minutes from the weekly meetings held by the
Executive Support Staff. Based on this information, the Grand Jury determined that staff members used considerable time on planning and implementing such projects as
completing and publishing the annual Assessors Office report, creating website links, and planning outreach meetings. Such projects are at best “public image” work and
determined to be generally peripheral to the core activities of the Assessors Office. This assessment was confirmed by the testimony of individuals from the Assessors Office that the Executive Support Staff had little impact on the everyday operations of the office.

The increase in personnel and funding to staff the new bureaucracy group appears
unjustified based on the contribution of this group to the office in terms of expertise, education, training and work product. It is important to note the former Assessor did not have a two-tiered management staff. Under the previous assessor, the operations staff and two executive secretaries performed many of functions listed for the current Executive Support Staff.

During the investigation, the Grand Jury reviewed thousands of emails sent and
received in the County email system by the Executive Support staff members. There is
evidence from emails and testimony that the Executive Support Staff members have been
engaged in political activities for various national, state, and local political candidates during normal working hours.

Numerous emails were political in content. Examples of such content were
arranging of political meetings, solicitations for campaign contributions, instructions to move monies from one campaign fund to another, solicitation of political proxies, and activity on and discussions of a Republican Party website called redcounty.com.

A sampling of email received by the Assistant Assessor for the Executive Support Staff over a two-week period in the year 2008, on the county email system, revealed 91 emails sent by campaign organizations for national political candidates. The use of the county email system to send or receive messages with political content violates County Policy #14-01 on email use by county employees.

In July of 2007, the Assessors Office entered into an agreement, in the form of a
purchase order, for consulting services. According to San Bernardino County policy, a
purchase order of $50,000 or more must receive Board of Supervisors approval. The
valuation of the purchase order just below the amount requiring Board of Supervisors
review raised concerns that the Assessors Office intended to circumvent policy and avoid board review. The purchase order was originally valued at $49,992. This was later reduced to $49,200. By valuing the purchase order $800 below the value requiring Board of Supervisors review, the Assessors Office circumvented county policy in the hiring of the consultant.

When interviewed, the current Assessor could not explain how the original amount of $49,992 was determined or why the amount was later reduced to $49,200. The consultant was never asked to make a proposal specifying fees, hourly rates or projects. The Assessors Office did not solicit for consulting services through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process, which would have allowed for competitive bidding by qualified consultants.

The consultant was not required to provide detailed invoices to show work done
but was instructed to submit monthly invoices for $4100. Under the purchase order, the consultant was to provide the Assessors Office bi-weekly reports. The Grand Jury found no evidence that written reports were ever generated. The consultant was not on the distribution list for the “executive” staff’s weekly meetings, and did not regularly attend them. While in the Assessors employ, the consultant continued to perform political work for a number of Republican candidates in California. The most significant work produced by the consultant was assisting others in producing the annual Assessors Report, created a program to hand out certificates when the Assessor and taxpayer advocates attended events, and tracking all legislation that affected the Assessors Office.

The Grand Jury found very little results from this contract that benefited the Assessor’s function and that the work product failed to justify the cost of the contract.

Article 7 of the County Employee Exempt Compensation plan provides for two
educational benefits for exempt employees regarding tuition reimbursement. The first
benefit allows employees to be compensated up to $1,000 per fiscal year for tuition
expenses incurred for job-related education or career development. The second benefit
allows for department heads, within their discretion, to reimburse employees for expenses related to obtaining advance degrees which will advance the employee’s career in service to the county. Such advance degrees must be obtained outside regular work hours.

Pursuant to Article 7, the current Assessor used his discretion to reimburse the
tuition expense of the Assistant Assessor for Executive Support in the amount of $8,280. The reimbursement covered tuition for classes the employee attended while pursuing an undergraduate degree. The term “advance degree” is generally defined as degrees conferred upon the completion of a master’s or doctorate program, not a degree conferred upon completion of an undergraduate program. Furthermore, the total amount of tuition reimbursement far exceeded the amounts provided to other county employees.

The Assessors Office’s use of discretion to reimburse an employee in the amount
of $8,280 for undergraduate classes violated the spirit and intent of Article 7. Such
expenses related to classes taken for an undergraduate degree may only be reimbursed up to $1,000 per fiscal year and must be incurred for job-related education or career
development.

The Assessors Office also approved tuition reimbursement for another employee
for undergraduate classes. The reimbursement for this employee was limited to $1,000
per fiscal year. However, the reimbursed expenses were for history classes unrelated to the employee’s county job. The approval of reimbursement for classes not job related violated Article 7.

Review of this employee’s payroll and school records indicated that he was
allowed to use absence without pay and other leave time to facilitate his attendance at scheduled classes. The use of such leave time regularly reduced the employee’s work attendance to almost half a forty-hour work week. A review of the class schedule
indicated that these classes were scheduled during county work hours.

Although Article 7 only addresses the attendance of classes outside regular work
hours for advanced degrees, the intent of the policy is plain on its face and should have been applied to undergraduate degrees. The Assessors Office approval of extensive employee leave of absence for the purpose of class attendance during work hours was an abuse of managerial discretion.

The former Assistant Assessor for Operations resigned his position after a
disagreement with the Assessor. Soon after, the current assessor entered into a separation agreement that allowed the employee to be placed on a six-month paid administrative leave. This separation agreement, amounting to more than $63,000 plus benefits was agreed to by the Assessors Office for the employee after only 10 months of employment.

The interested parties of the separation agreement were unable to justify the contractual terms. The Grand Jury was unable find an instance in the County of a separation agreement longer than 4 months. The separation agreement was excessive for the time served in the position.

RECOMMENDATIONS

08-01 Review Executive Support staff requirements in the Assessors Office for
potential consolidation of positions to increase efficiency.
08-02 Reclassify Operations management positions to civil service protected.
08-03 Enact policy that requires competitive bidding for consulting services.
08-04 Revise the education reimbursement policy to limit discretionary
reimbursement for exempt employees. It is ambiguous and open to broad
interpretation. Require employees receiving tuition assistance while
working towards a college degree, guarantee the county that they will
remain in its employ for a fixed period after graduating.
08-05 Enact policies for separation agreements of County employees that link
the length of employment with terms of severance.
08-06 Require that County email system have automatic firewalls in place to
preclude all political email from being accessed on the County email
system and equipment.

Assistant Assessor Aleman still on PAID Suspension

2008-06-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

San Bernardino Assistant Assessor Adam Alemam has been on paid suspension from his duties since April 17, 2008.

Aleman has enjoyed a 'vacation' at the expense of the tax paying citizens of the County at a time when citizens are losing their jobs and the cost of survival is climbing daily.

Aleman enjoys blogging and consulting work while receiving about $58 per hour for a forty hour work week....while he has not set foot in the Assessor's office. Nice work when you can get it.

San Bernardino County Assessor, Bill Postmus and Assistant Aleman must chuckle at the absurdity of this situation.

Computers, lap tops and blackberrys were seized in a raid on the assessors office in April. The San Bernardino County Grand Jury has been reviewing the information from the seized articles since.

It is alleged that Assessor Postmus has made a practice of hiring his cronies to do political consulting and Republican campaign work while on the public payroll.

Aleman was blogging on a Friday afternoon during the Republican Convention in California recently about the activities at the convention - seemingly while he should have been at work in San Bernardino.

Was Aleman being paid at the by the citizens of San Bernardino County at the time?

Aleman was campaign manager for Postmus successful election as Assessor for the County.

Aleman is unqualified for the job he received from Postmus. At the request of Postmus, Aleman received special waivers from Michelle Steele, State Board Of Equalization,to retain his high paying job with the County.

Aleman also received thousands of dollars from the hard working citizens of the county to pursue a college career at La Verne University. Aleman received 8 times more college subsidized funding than any other county employee.

Postmus plays the nice guy and Aleman is the guy with the hammer. Postmus has shown who he truly is during his past two campaigns for office. He takes no prisoners and does not seem to be concerned with the 'whole' truth. He parlays partial truths into a barrage of self promoting while dredging the muck for any speck of impropriety against his opponent....and he has done this successfully - with the help of Aleman.

The muck in the San Bernardino County Assessors office should be cleaned out....Hopefully the Grand Jury will come to a satisfactory end to the real activities in the Assessors office.

The many hardworking employees in the Assessors office are due respect for the good work they do. It is a sad situation that Postmus in his greed to obtain Republican recognition and status has actually hurt the Republicans that he claims to respect so much.

Respect is earned - it can not be bought. Postmus and Aleman are a disgusting example of the bad winning....but this will not continue for ever. The mistakes will be made and the most glaring example of what they have done to the party is the number of San Bernardino County citizens leaving the Republican party...it didn't have to be that way...they can thank themselves for citizens abandoning the party.

Riding high for awhile...but the same muck they used against others will stick to the wall and it may be on the wall of the Assessor office.

Oh, by the way, Aleman was elected to the Republican Central Committee recently - strange for a guy who may be cooling his heels in a jail cell...

CAMPAIGN FINANCE FRAUD....

2008-06-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Mark Leggio at Arraignment
on 37 Counts of Campaign Money Laundering

San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos recused himself from the case "because Mr. Leggio has been a political contributor, a longtime political supporter and a personal friend" to Ramos, said Susan Mickey, a spokeswoman in Ramos' office.

FROM PAVE ROADS FIRST...

It's a hurry up and wait time for the citizens who want to see if San Bernardino County government will be investigated by the State or Federal government. And/or, if the citizens who question the obvious widespread corruption in San Bernardino County government are wasting their time and energy. Let's hope that some form of action or decisions are made before the end of June so everybody can move on with their lives. I will be running for Hesperia City Council this fall and will start posting my ideas and plans here, starting in July. Only one term if I get elected, and changing the priorities and direction of the City of Hesperia will be the main goal of my campaign. The people who live here now and the quailty of life in Hesperia need to be the priority for the City. The big "down the hill" developers and the BIA will be trying to buy this election too. Getting ready for the next real estate and housing boom in the High Desert by controlling all of the local governments and eliminating any resistance to their agenda. Follow the money and you will see who the candidates really work for, its not that difficult to understand.

State Charges Inland Empire Fundraisers With Felony Campaign Money Laundering

RIVERSIDE--California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Riverside District Attorney Rod Pacheco today announced a 37-count indictment against Mark Anthony Leggio, James Lloyd Deremiah, and father-son team Nicola Cacucciolo, and Nick Vito Cacucciolo, for exceeding $3,300 Senate and Assembly campaign contribution limits by laundering money through various friends and associates.

“Leggio contributed $50,000 in excess of campaign contribution limits to six candidates for Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization by filtering money through friends and associates,” Attorney General Brown said. “Today’s charges send a strong message that the state will crack down on those who try to exceed California’s campaign finance limits.”

In November 2006, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation into possible campaign money laundering, in violation of Government Code Section 84301, in a Riverside County State Assembly race for the 65th District. The timing and pattern of campaign contributions suggested that various individuals were being reimbursed for contributing to Leggio’s candidate of choice, in violation of the Political Reform Act.

“Democracy is the foundation of our society. The process by which we citizens elect our leaders and representatives must be honest and free from all corruption. Money laundering in elections hides a candidate’s true support. When it is of this significant magnitude a fraud is perpetrated on the public,” Riverside District Attorney Rod Pachecho said.

Investigators found that Leggio funneled money through various friends and employees of the Mark Christopher Auto Center in Ontario and Mountain View Chevrolet in Upland. Nicola Cacucciolo and his son Nick Vito Cacucciolo assisted with the illegal campaign donation scheme, as did James Llloyd Deremiah.

The alleged fraud involved contributions to six state campaigns for Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The prosecutor from the Riverside District Attorney’s Office, who launched the original investigation, was granted the status of Deputy Attorney General which allows him to prosecute violations in other counties.

The accusations in today’s indictment include: 11 felony counts of perjury, filing false statements, conspiracy, and 26 misdemeanor violations of campaign contribution limit and reporting laws. The indictment was unsealed in San Bernardino Superior Court and the arraignment is scheduled for July 11, 2008. If convicted of the most serious charges, Leggio faces up to 6 years in state prison and the other defendants face up to 3 years.

The indictment, which was filed under seal on June 11, 2008 and made public today, is attached.

In 20 days, a full California State Grand Jury transcript including all other findings in this case will be made public. Until that transcript is unsealed, no additional details of this case can be released.

For more information, please contact Michael Jeandron at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office: (916) 955-9215

Anthony Adams was one of the campaigns that got money from Leggio and his crew.

Names of witnesses examined by the Criminal Grand Jury on finding of the foregoing Indictment: Dana Hopkins ,Sylvia Bojorquez ,Jeanette Rexford ,Lyn Greene ,Betty Presley- (Brad Mitzelfelts Treasurer), Richard Broad ,Ariel Riccitelli ,Brenda Salas ,Joseph Engkraf ,Bruce McKillop ,Greg Heath ,Julie Reynolds ,David Gould (Mitzelfelts Treasurer before Presley in 2007) Steve Kirby ,Robert Dutton ,Michael Mitchell ,Diego Santia ,Loretta Holtz ,Anna MacDonald ,Joseph Dingman, William Lenkeit ,Susan Ovitt- ( County Supervisor Gary Ovitt's wife)

Food for Our Oil Please

2008-06-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

DUBAI - Saudi Arabia's emergency energy meeting next week brings together Western consumer countries threatened by soaring oil prices with Arab producers worried about scarce food supplies.

Record oil prices and their impact on the industrialized world will no doubt dominate the agenda, but food security could also feature as arid Middle East states worry about affordably feeding their rapidly growing populations.

Poor harvests, low stocks and rising demand have sent food prices to record highs, stoking protests, strikes and violence in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Dwindling water makes the issue more dramatic for the Gulf Arab region.

"We are entering a new arena here," said chief economist John Sfakianakis at Saudi-based SABB bank.

"Just as Saudi Arabia is saying to the world, we will supply you with enough oil, they want the world to say to them, we will supply you with enough food."

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in Jeddah on Sunday ahead of the summit, linked the issues seamlessly and called on participants to address the issues together.

"The issues of food prices, fuel prices and climate change should be addressed in a comprehensive manner," Ban said.

While the pursuit of food security is nothing new to the Middle East -- a region that enjoys less rainfall and imports more food than anywhere on earth -- the stakes are higher this time because of the role of oil.

High oil prices and the fact that they are likely to remain high means that the region is on a sustainable growth path in financial terms, its populations can expand and the level of wealth and overall economic growth can rise further still.

The high price of oil also means that the pursuit of food self-sustainability will fall from fashion, as the physical limits of the region, particularly in terms of water, make it unwise to grow wheat in the desert.

NEW TIES

Instead, with foreign currency pouring in and with the likelihood that it will continue for the foreseeable future, food security for the Middle East means new ties to countries that are able to produce food affordably.

The Saudi government this week said it was in talks with Sudan, Egypt, Ukraine, Pakistan and Turkey to allow Saudi companies to establish projects for wheat, barley, soya bean, rice and animal fodder.

Bahrain is also said to be seeking to invest in rice farmland in the Philippines in a move to boost food security. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has held strategic talks with Pakistan over a framework for investment in agriculture.

"A lot of these countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to become more food independent, so they are trying to strike bilateral agreements in order to secure the import of food items," Sfakianakis said.

Food security no longer equates to self-sufficiency as population growth and the natural limits of the land -- due partially to drought, disease and conflicts -- have in many cases been surpassed.

Indeed, there is a consensus among economists that food self sufficiency is folly, leading to wasteful use of resources.

Witness Saudi Arabia's decades-old effort to grow wheat in the desert irrigated from deep and often irreplaceable aquifers; it recently announced plans to phase out the project.

Security for the Saudis has also long meant ensuring sustainable, steady demand for oil -- soaring oil prices could knock major economies into recession and depress demand.

"Saudi Arabia is interested in moderate oil prices because they have the largest proven oil reserves and they can continue to pump oil for a long time, so it is not in their interest to make the other energy alternatives economically feasible very soon" said Khalid Al-Dakhil, professor at King Saud University.

"They are not interested in high oil prices at all. In the long run it works against their interests."

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS Governor Schwarzenegger Proclaims State of Emergency

2008-06-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Governor Schwarzenegger Proclaims State of Emergency for Central Valley Region and Takes Action to Address Urgent Water Needs

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today proclaimed a state of emergency in the following nine Central Valley counties due to severe water shortages: Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern.

When the Governor issued his Executive Order last week declaring a statewide drought, he directed his state agencies and departments to take immediate action to address the serious drought conditions and water delivery reductions that exist in California, and today's announcement builds on those actions.

"Just last week, I said we would announce regional emergencies wherever the state's drought situation warrants them, and in the Central Valley, an emergency proclamation is necessary to protect our economy and way of life," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "Central Valley agriculture is a $20 billion a year industry. If we don't get them water immediately the results will be devastating. Food prices, which are already stretching many family budgets, will continue to climb and workers will lose their jobs-everyone's livelihood will be impacted in some way."

The Governor's emergency proclamation today is based in part on an assessment of the full impact that additional, unexpected cuts recently made by federal water officials to San Joaquin Valley farmers have had in the middle of the growing season. As a result, the Governor's proclamation directs the Department of Water Resources to work with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to deliver more water now through the State Water Project when it's needed most. It also orders his Department of Water Resources to transfer groundwater through the California Aqueduct to benefit farmers in the affected counties and the State Water Resources Control Board to review water transfers as quickly as possible.

"We would not be talking about any of this if over the last 40 years California had invested in our water infrastructure. Today we are taking aggressive action to address an immediate crisis, but a comprehensive solution is the only answer to addressing our drought situation in the long term," Governor Schwarzenegger said.

Beginning with the first Strategic Growth Plan in 2006, the Governor called for a comprehensive plan to address California's urgent water needs. The Governor renewed that call in his 2008-09 budget by proposing an $11.9 billion water bond for water management investments that will address population growth, climate change, water supply reliability and environmental needs. Specifically, the bond includes:

* Water Storage: $3.5 billion dedicated to the development of additional storage.
* Delta Sustainability: $2.4 billion to help implement a sustainable resource management plan for the Delta.
* Water Resources Stewardship: $1.1 billion to implement river restoration projects.
* Water Conservation: $3.1 billion to increase water use efficiency.
* Water Quality Improvement: $1.1 billion for efforts to reduce the contamination of groundwater.
* Other Critical Water Projects: $700 million for water recycling, hillside restoration for areas devastated by fire and removal of fish barriers on key rivers and streams.

The Governor is committed to gaining consensus on a bipartisan legislative solution for California's future.

* In February, Governor Schwarzenegger sent a letter to Senators Perata, Steinberg, and Machado clarifying the administrative actions under consideration as part of a comprehensive solution in the Delta.
* Also in February, the Governor hosted a meeting with Senator Feinstein, legislative leaders and key stakeholders to discuss rebuilding California's water infrastructure.
* In December 2007, the Governor applauded the work of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force and committed to continuing to work with legislative leaders on a comprehensive water solution.
* In September 2007, the Governor introduced a comprehensive water infrastructure proposal during the legislative special session, building off of the plan he introduced in January 2007 as part of the 2007-08 budget.
* In July 2007, the Governor directed DWR to take immediate action to improve conditions in the Delta, to help restore its natural habitat and protect the Delta smelt and other species.

HOME SALES IN CALIFORNIA

2008-06-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

California Sales For April 2008

There were 31,150 new and resale houses and condos sold statewide last month. That was up 26.8 percent from 24,565 in March and down 10.9 percent from 34,949 for April last year. While last month's total made for the slowest April since 1995 when 27,625 homes sold, it was the first month since August last year that wasn't a record low in statistics, which go back to 1988.

Southern California home sales surged last month to the highest level since August as bargain shoppers took advantage of price slashing. Although some higher-end costal markets also posted gains, the swell in transactions mainly reflects more sales of homes under $500,000 in inland areas where depreciation and foreclosures have been greatest.

Another Jump in California Foreclosure Activity

The number of California homes going into foreclosure jumped last quarter to its highest level in more than 15 years, as the market continued to works its way through declining home values and a pool of at-risk mortgages that were originated in 2005 and 2006.

Listed are prices for sales of existing single-family homes. The price is per square foot and only single-family home sales and does not include attached garages.

ADELANTO 92301 $ 93
APPLE VALLEY 92307 $116
APPLE VALLEY 92308 $111
BARSTOW 92301 $114
BIG BEAR CITY 92314 $208
CRESTLINE 92325 $185
BIG BEAR LAKE 92315 $252
HELENDALE 92342 $121
HESPERIA 92344 $ 97
HESPERIA 92345 $113
LAKE ARROWHEAD 92352 $252
LUCERNE VALLEY 92356 $ 87
PHELAN 92371 $121
PINON HILLS 92372 $140
VICTORVILLE 92392 $ 99
VICTORVILLE 92394 $ 97
VICTORVILLE 92395 $111

Prices, provided by DataQuick Information Systems in La Jolla, are drawn from official county records and are determined on the basis of the documentary transfer tax.

ANOTHER COMPLAINT FILED WITH STATE ON REGISTRAR

2008-06-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

June 3, 2008

Honorable Debra Bowen
California Secretary of State
1500 11th Street
Sacramento, California 95814

FAX: (916) 653-4795

Dear Ms Bowen,

The attached pamphlet details partisan actions by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, Ms Kari Virgil, which have the potential to adversely effect the June 3, 2008 First District Supervisor election.

First, without cause, she denied my request for a waiver of the pay in advance requirement set by the board of supervisors for the $5,497 charge, also set by the board, for printing my candidacy statement in the voters pamphlet. My income, from Social Security, is several hundred dollars below the federal poverty level set in 2006 and this charge represents 60 percent of my annual income.

Second, she told three news reporters that the reason she denied the waiver was that I owned property worth over $1 million dollars and so did not qualify as an indigent “unable to pay in advance the requisite fee” as provided for in Election Code section 13309 (a).

Being a millionaire land investor is scarcely the image likely to attract votes for county supervisor. And in fact, as the registrar knew, I own no property. What I own is 8 shares of stock given to me years ago by my mother, of 385 shares outstanding, in a family-held close corporation which has never paid a dividend since forming in the 1950s, and whose sole asset is a 100 acre ranch that has been our family home since the 1920s. This is not a land investment but an investment in a family heritage.

And since my campaign has focused on the unhealthy influence wealthy land investors, developers and builders have had on our county’s land use policies since the 1950s, the registrar’s lie makes me a hypocrite... a cheap hypocrite millionaire land investor who tried to get out of paying a fee in advance by claiming he couldn’t afford to pay for it.

Exacerbating the harm done by the registrar’s lie, none of the three newspapers which printed her lie about me owning property worth over $1 million dollars chose to print my letter of rebuttal.

With four candidates running for this office, votes lost due to the registrar’s unwarranted refusal to print my candidacy statement in the voters pamphlet, plus more votes lost due to her telling the media I was a millionaire land investor, which under the circumstances inferred I was a cheap hypocritical land millionaire land investor, could make a substantive difference in this election outcome by allowing the winner the majority vote thus avoiding a runoff election.

Voiding the election is an extreme measure. However a registrar of voter taking sides in an election by telling the media a serious and disparaging untruth about a candidate knowing it was untrue is an extreme abuse of the registrar’s office. And the unjustifiable denial of his 200 word candidacy statement in the voters pamphlet makes any claim that this is a “fair and open” election ring hollow.

I believe nothing less than a rescheduling of this election will restore the voter’s confidence in this election process. Whatever action you take, however, must be sufficiently strong to dissuade registrars of voters in future elections from such gross abuse of power by the gatekeepers of democracy.

Attached is my Ephemeral Press pamphlet of June 3, 2008 detailing the gross misconduct of our registrar of voters in today’s election, including quotes from the three newspaper articles.

Bob Nelson, Candidate for First District Supervisor
Hesperia, CA 92345

Request for Investigation & Recount

2008-06-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

THIS IS AN EXACT COPY OF COMPLAINT FILED BY CANDIDATE FOR 1ST DISTRICT SUPERVISOR
AND BARSTOW ATTORNEY:

Robert D. Conaway
Post Office Box 865
Barstow, CA 92312-0865

June 4, 2008

Ms. Debra Bowen

Secretary of State

1500 11th Street

Sacramento, CA 95814 fax (916) 653-3214

Re: Request for Investigation & Recount - San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters

Dear Secretary Bowen:

On election night this June, I was observing the counting machines on the paper ballots (or at least trying to).

With the recent remodel of the San Bernardino County Voter Registrar, the view window immediately opposite from the voting machines was moved to a 90 degree angle from the public observation area. Rolling stacking trays were put in front of the closest voting machines (making observation of the first 4 machines impossible), viewing machines numbered 5-6 possible, and the balance of the machines, impossible.

The paper ballots were not put into the machines until approximately 11:00 am. At about 11:20 am, machine No. 6 (which took me thirty minutes to get the number of) was jambing, feeding in clumps (e.g. three or four out of a stack of 50 ballots came out, a 5-10 second pause, and then a group of ballots spurted out, jambed & forcing the machine to be cleared and refed or they came out overlapping each other two at a time). The jambing was being observed by a number of observers (Mike Curran and John Putko). I believe there were undercounts as a result of the machine malfunction and the unwillingness of the registrar's staff to intervene. Machine number 5 appeared to be operating correctly with none of the overlapping ballots coming (when I say overlapping, one ballot was an inch behind the lead ballot and both were coming out at the same time)

I complained to James Hakala through a sheriff observer left in the room.

Hakala in an elevated tone of voice and confrontive tone said what I was describing coming out of machine No. 6 was not possible, despite visual observation of same. Despite the low turn out, and the availability of other machines, machine No. 6 was not taken off line.

What makes this even more remarkable, is that knowing the ballot count process was being questioned, the ballots that had been fed on machine No. 6 with the problems, were not separately stacked or segregated, but were returned to bins with the ballots from the other machines and no other record was made of the precincts that were fed through that machine, making an isolated recount of the output of that machine impossible (a nice way to frustrate a subsequent investigation).

Letter to Secretary of State Deborah Bowen - Page 2 of 2

Undercounting might be suggested by looking at a number of odd number outcomes. In the race my wife was in, in the piece of the 25th Congressional District that is in San Bernardino County she had 3,598 votes as of 1:00 am on June 4, 2008– in an area that
was roughly three time larger, I received a grand total of 2,173 in a non-partisan race. While I note the numbers, I am not suggesting the outcome on those limited facts would change the outcome for me–for another candidate, perhaps (e.g. Rita Vogler). I mention them as evidence of potential undercounts occasioned by a malfunctioning machine and the registrar's refusal to take the machine off line.

In the 41st Congressional District, the final vote margins between three top democratic candidates was roughly 1,500. A machine undercounting ballots could have made the difference.

In addition in prior elections, as the registrar knows, the registrar reported false counts–that might also explain the undercounts.

I think this registrar's office needs to be (1) investigated for the alleged continued use of an obviously malfunctioning machine and counseled as to appropriate mitigation and evidence preservation steps in the event of a future repeating circumstance, (2) that the tabulation software needs to be checked again and the ballots re-run to make sure the vote drop off is not machine read-related, (3) that the voting area observation window should be moved so that all machines can be monitored for future elections and (4) the Secretary of State should put their own monitor in place for the upcoming November election.

Respectfully submitted,

BOB CONAWAY

cc: Kari Virjil
San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters
777 East Rialto Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0770
Fax (909) 387-2022

SCOTTY'S BEEN BEAMED AWAY!

2008-06-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Where has Councilman, err - former Adelanto Councilman Scott McCauley gone?

According to a neighbor of McCauley's he moved out Memorial Day Weekend. McCauley told the neighbor that he was moving to Apple Valley! His Adelanto home sits empty and many questions are left unanswered.

The Adelanto City Council announced yesterday that Councilmember Scott McCauley has abruptly left his position on the council and stated that applications will be available to fill his seat on June 12th.

A letter of resignation was submitted last week by McCauley who stated he had better opportunities in another community.

Adelanto faces numerous problems within the city and citizens are wondering if McCauley leaving so abruptly has any implications.

This is the second vacant seat on the council. Former Mayor Jim Nehmens resigned just days prior to being found guilty or pleading guilty of stealing more than $20,000 from the Adelanto Little League Fireworks Fund. Officials say, "It’s bad timing for the city."

McCauley's term has six months before it expires. The council according to state law must appoint a replacement within 30 days or the seat will remain open until the November election. McCauley was first elected to City Council in 2002 and won again in 2006.

Mayor Charley Glasper,who assumed Mayoral position after Nehman's resigned, is on medical leave. McCauley filled the third council seat required to hold the council according to state law.

McCauley, is a maintenance worker with the City of Apple Valley.

Vogler uses own monies for 1st District Supervisor Campaign

2008-05-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hesperia Councilwoman Rita Vogler's campaign documents show she has not received any cash contributions.

Voglers campaign filings show her campaign has been funded with $52,000 worth of loans from her campaign manager and husband Al Vogler.

Rita Vogler has long stated that she believes San Bernardino County needs campaign finance reform.

Rita Vogler's campaign has been outspent at about eight to one by the 'regime' or as I like to call this brand of politician the 'Postmus-ites'.

Only one canditate has gathered almost a million dollars to win this seat at all costs.

Is anyone surprised that appointed 1st District Supervisor Mitzelfelt has out spent the other three candidates in the race for 1st District Supervisor?

Money has poured in from unions and groups (in my opinion) that has something to gain...and in some cases lots to gain.

The election is Tuesday and campaign finance forms show the tremendous imbalance in fundraising among candidates vying for the seat of San Bernardino County 1st District Supervisor.

Appointed San Bernardino County 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt raised far and away more then his foes. Campaign information states that this guy has gathered $126,474 in contributions between March 18 and May 17, and shows he has approximately $362,139 remaining.

Since January, Mitzelfelt has spent just under a half million dollars on his campaign. It will be the first time Mitzelfelt is seeking election since his appointment to the position in January 2006.

Mitzelfelt received hefty contributions from the San Bernardino County Public Employees Union and the San Bernardino County Public Attorney’s union.

Bob Conaway, has $684 in cash contributions this year. Conaway's total contributions from March to May equal $4,202, and almost $10,000 this year.

Bob Nelson, from Hesperia, was not required to file a campaign finance statement because the amount he has spent on his campaign does not exceed $1,000.

S B County Registrar Kari Verjil Ethics Questioned

2008-05-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

S B COUNTY REGISTRAR KARI VERJIL ETHICS AND INTEGRITY BEING QUESTIONED!

Concerned citizens have joined together - Protect The Vote - This group is asking Secretary of State Debra Bowen to investigate several incidents in the registrar's office.

WILL THE CITIZENS OF SB COUNTY GET A FAIR ELECTION?

CAN WE TRUST THE RESULTS?

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE REGISTRAR HAS BEEN QUESTIONED...REMEMBER BERNADETTE McNULTY AND HER CONCERNS THE LAST ELECTION CYCLE?

May 16, 2008

Ms. Debra Bowen

Secretary of State

1500 11th Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

Re: Request for Investigation - San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters

Dear Ms. Bowen:

I am writing to request that your office investigate the following allegations against San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Kari Verjil:

1. Violated Elections Code section 13107(a)(4) by not requiring “appointed” be included in the designation of the elected office held by incumbent Brad Mitzelfelt.

2. Harassed non-incumbents by challenging campaign statements that required candidates to travel to Needles, California to defend.

3. Misspelled last name of candidate Rita Vogler resulting in a FPPC filing by opponent that caused a great deal of negative publicity for Rita Vogler.

4. Failed to approve request of candidate Bob Nelson under Elections Code section 13309 et seq., without cause or explanation.

5. Violated the Registrar of Voters Standards of Conduct by writing a letter to the editor of the Daily Press, taking a position on the FPPC complaint, as well as various other violations.

I will now address each of these issues in detail.

1. Violated Elections Code Section 13107(a)(4) by not requiring “appointed” be included in the designation of the elected office held by incumbent Brad Mitzelfelt. [Exhibit A]

Elections Code section 13107(a)(4) states in pertinent part:

(4) The phrase "appointed incumbent" if the candidate holds an office other than a judicial office by virtue of appointment, and the candidate is a candidate for election to the same office, or, if the candidate is a candidate for election to the same office or to some other office, the word "appointed" and the title of the office. In either instance, the candidate may not use the unmodified word "incumbent" or any words designating the office unmodified by the word "appointed."

Brad Mitzelfelt, San Bernardino County First District Supervisor, was appointed by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on January 10, 2007, to fill the position left vacant by Supervisor Bill Postmus upon his election to the position of Assessor. Brad Mitzelfelt has never been elected to the position of county supervisor.

According to Bob Nelson he received an advanced copy of the sample ballot given to all candidates for review before the final ballot is printed. Nelson, a candidate for San Bernardino County First District Supervisor, states,

Ms. Debra Bowen

May 16, 2008

Page Two

“The next day I faxed back an objection to Brad being listed as ‘San Bernardino County Supervisor’ without the qualifying word “appointed” as mandated by section 13107(a)(4). The Registrar ignored my complaint.”

Failure to require Brad Mitzelfelt to abide by this section misleads voters and provides Brad Mitzelfelt with an unfair advantage. It also highlights Kari Verjil’s flagrant disregard for the Elections Code. Please also refer to Allegation No. 2 below regarding candidate Neil Derry’s challenge of Election Code Section 13107, which also did not receive a response from Ms. Verjil.

2. Harassed non-incumbents by challenging campaign statements that required candidates to travel to Needles, California to defend.

Rather than try to explain it myself, here is what was written on the Red County San Bernardino blog http://www.redcounty.com/sanbernardino/. SB Veritas is alleged to be Jim Erwin, also alleged to be Neil Derry’s campaign manager. Neil Derry is the candidate that is challenging Third District Supervisor Dennis Hansberger.

Kari Verjil also challenged First District Supervisor candidate Rita Vogler’s campaign statement requiring Rita to make a court appearance in Needles. Needles is 213 miles away from the county seat and, for all intent and purpose, requires an overnight stay in order to make a morning court date.

Regarding Allegation No. 1 above, please note the excerpt below indicates that candidate Neil Derry also brought Elections Code Section 13107 to Ms. Verjil’s attention to no avail.

BOS 3 Update: Were County Resources Being Used to Support Supe?

Posted by: SB Veritas | 03/30/2008 5:49 PM

The week before last was very interesting in the race for the Third Supervisorial District.

It seems that the County Registrar of Voters challenged San Bernardino City Councilman Neil Derry's ballot statement on the grounds that the first paragraph by "default" refers to Incumbent Supervisor Dennis Hansberger. So the Registrar, using the Office of the County Counsel filed an immediate ex-parte request for a temporary restraining order and request for declaratory relief in the San Bernardino County Superior Court.

The story becomes interesting at this point.

The case is assigned to a Judge in Needles. That's right Needles, as in Colorado River. It seems allegedly that the Needles Court has a lighter caseload and could easily handle the issue. So, Derry through the Sacramento based firm of Olson, Hagel, and Fishburne, opposed the action by teleconference on Wednesday, March 19th. The Court hears the case and rules in Derry's favor, striking only three words.

Interestingly, the Derry campaign brought to the attention of the Registrar's Office the fact that Hansberger is using the ballot designation "Businessman/County Supervisor" and according to Hansberger's FPPC Form 700 has no business-related interests, and lists his only income-generating activity as that of a San Bernardino County Supervisor.

Ms. Debra Bowen

May 16, 2008

Page Three

A check of the Secretary of State's website shows the status of the Supervisors only known business entity, Hansberger and Associates as suspended, with a annotation "Resigned 07/30/98".

Derry himself apparently brought Elections Code section 13107 to the attention of a representative of the Registrar. It appears Elections Code section 13107, states that a candidate must use as their ballot designation, only their occupation/vocation from the calendar year prior. At this point, Derry was then told the matter was being referred to County Counsel for review.

The response Derry received afterwards was classic San Bernardino County-ese, commonly known as "Deafening Silence".

3. Misspelled last name of candidate Rita Vogler resulting in a FPPC filing by opponent that caused a great deal of negative publicity for Rita Vogler. [Exhibit B]

When entering First District candidate Rita Vogler campaign information into their system, the Registrar of Voters misspelled Ms. Vogler’s last name. This is how it appeared on their website:

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Viewing all filing activity between 04/14/2008 to 04/14/2008 ( 2 found )
Filed By Filing Date Form Covers Period View Filing
Rita K. Volger (For Supervisor 1st Dist) 04/14/2008 FPPC Form 410 Visit office
Rita K. Volger (For Supervisor 1st Dist) 04/14/2008 FPPC Form 460 Visit office

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This error resulted in First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt filing a Fair Political Practices Commission complaint against Ms. Vogler for not filing her campaign documents nine days after her campaign documents had been properly filed. The filing of this complaint resulted in a great deal of negative publicity for Ms. Vogler, costing her votes as well as public ridicule as evidenced in the attached exhibits.

Ms. Verjil did nothing to correct her mistake so that voters would see that it was a mistake by the Registrar of Voters and not by the candidate. Additionally, the San Bernardino County Public Information Officer was quoted in an article about this incident in what appears to be an attempt to cover up Ms. Verjil’s error. The damage from this error alone may be irreparable and could cost Ms. Vogler enough votes to lose the election.

It should be noted that although the FPPC complaints against Ms. Vogler have been dismissed by the FPPC, this information has NOT been reported to the public. Many voters still believe that Ms. Vogler is incapable of meeting basic campaign requirements, which is an embarrassment to someone running on a platform of campaign reform.

Ms. Debra Bowen

May 16, 2008

Page Four

4. Failed to approve request of candidate Bob Nelson under Elections Code section 13309 et seq., without cause or explanation.

Elections Code section 13309, et seq., reads as follows:

13309. (a) Notwithstanding Section 13307, if a candidate alleges to be indigent and unable to pay in advance the requisite fee for submitting a candidate statement, the candidate shall submit to the local agency a statement of financial worth to be used in determining whether or not he or she is eligible to submit a candidate statement without payment of the fee in advance.

(b) The statement of financial worth required by this section shall be submitted by the candidate together with his or her candidate statement in accordance with the deadline specified in Section 13307. The statement of financial worth form shall be furnished by the local agency, and may include questions relating to the candidate's employer, income, real estate holdings, tangible personal property, and financial obligations. The candidate shall certify the content of the statement as to its truth and correctness under penalty of perjury. The candidate shall also sign a release form of the candidate's most recent federal income tax report.

(c) Upon receipt of a statement of financial worth, a determination shall be made by the local agency of whether or not the candidate is indigent. The local agency shall notify the candidate of its findings.

(d) If it is determined that the candidate is not indigent, the candidate shall, within three days of the notification, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays, withdraw the statement or pay the requisite fee. If the candidate fails to respond within the time prescribed, the local agency shall not be obligated to print and mail the statement.

(e) If the local agency determines that the candidate is indigent, the local agency shall print and mail the statement.

(f) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the elections official from billing the candidate his or her actual pro rata share of the cost after the election.

Bob Nelson, a candidate for San Bernardino County First District Supervisor, was able to pay the filing fee of $1313.11 to run for this position. However, the fee for the candidate statement was an additional $5497.00, which represents approximately 60 percent of Mr. Nelson’s annual income. Mr. Nelson’s request under Elections Code Section 13309 was denied with no reason given. When Mr. Nelson requested information as to who made the determination, he was simply told that it was Registrar of Voters staff. How can a registrar of voters make that determination and still be considered neutral in an election?

By refusing Mr. Nelson’s request, voters have been deprived of additional information that could otherwise aid them in making an informed decision. It was not the intent of our founding fathers that only wealthy citizens could be elected to public office. This decision by Ms. Verjil is a slap in the face to the democratic process as well as to those citizens who take their privilege to vote seriously.

Ms. Debra Bowen

May 16, 2008

Page Five

5. Violated the Registrar of Voters Standards of Conduct by writing a letter to the editor of the Daily Press, taking a position on the FPPC complaint, as well as various other violation. [Exhibit C]

The following Standards of Conduct were taken from the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters website at http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/rov/general_info/code_of_ethics.htm. Underlining has been added to those standards that Kari Verjil has violated:

Standards of Conduct For

Elections and Registration Officials

My Personal Pledge to Freedom, Democracy and My Profession:

I uphold the Constitution of the United States and the laws, policies and court decisions of federal, state and local jurisdictions;

I commit to excellence and competence by maintaining the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the elections process through continuing education and self evaluation;

I am accountable for maintaining public confidence in honest and impartial elections which I conduct in a fair, efficient and accurate manner;

I dignify voters by providing equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process;

I am responsible for just and equitable treatment of the general public, elected officials and members of my profession;

I manifest a positive role in community relations by being accessible and receptive to both individuals and groups;

I have the courage and stamina to protect the public's interest from manipulation for personal or partisan gain while respecting the rights of all;

I am flexible and innovative within the framework of the law in carrying out my duties on behalf of the public's interest;

I conduct all fiscal responsibilities with wisdom and integrity, and I am accountable for all funds and resources committed to my charge;

I maintain a productive and efficient operation through a well managed elections environment;

I endeavor to maintain the highest level of integrity in performing all duties of my profession.

Ms. Verjil went so far as to write a letter to the editor of the Daily Press, which was printed on April 17, 2008, suggesting that the Vogler campaign was not telling the truth. This clearly shows her lack of partiality in this election and especially in the First District Supervisorial race. The fact that the letter was written by the Registrar of Voters in our county will lead many voters to believe that what she says is true. The tone of the letter toward Rita Vogler can only be construed as negative.

Ms. Debra Bowen

May 16, 2008

Page Six

As stated above, at least two sections of the Elections Code have been violated and/or interpreted to give an advantage to appointed incumbent Brad Mitzelfelt in the election process. Ms. Verjil has done little to maintain voter confidence that elections will be held with honesty and impartiality. Many of us are questioning the integrity of the election process in San Bernardino County. Those of us who vote by absentee ballot are especially concerned about our votes being accurately counted.

In Conclusion [Exhibit D]

Additionally, I have attached a variety of newspaper articles, some recent and some from past elections that Ms. Verjil has overseen, indicating that there have been nothing but problems in this county with the election process. It also appears that incumbents may be receiving special attention and preferences that their challengers do not receive.

Considering the history of corruption in the county of San Bernardino by both our elected and appointed officials, it is more important than ever to assure that our elections are conducted with utmost integrity with great concern given toward the appearance of impropriety. Unfortunately, when taken as a whole, one can only suspect that the election process in the county of San Bernardino is instead wracked with incompetence at best or, more likely, downright fraud.

I again ask that your office conduct an investigation into the actions of Registrar of Voters Kari Verjil so that the citizens of the county of San Bernardino may go to the polls on Election Day with the confidence that their votes will be counted accurately.

Thank you for consideration of this matter. I am requesting that this complaint be made an official document in your agency’s records. If you have any questions, I can be reached at (760) 954-0280. Bob Nelson can be reached at (760) 217-9713.

Very truly yours,

Sharon R. Gilbert

Complaint filed against Mitzelfelt Campaign

2008-05-10T21:03:00.001-07:00

This article was hidden on page A5 of the Desert Dispatch...not a front page story like the ones we saw against Rita Vogler when Mitzelfelt's crew filed....go figure. All complaints against Vogler have been resolved and dropped by the way. (you wouldn't read this in the Daily Press either.) Notice that the last paragraph states that the official from Young Homes was out of the office on MONDAY...apparently Ryan Orr or no one else from the Daily Press attempted to reach this 'official' from Young Homes the rest of the week...

by Ryan Orr

APPLE VALLEY - A complaint has been filed against the campaign of San Bernardino County 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt alleging that a developer has set up phony corporations to make contributions. The complaint, filed by concerned Apple Valley citizen Sharon Gilbert, states that "it appears that Young Homes has set up phony corporations to make campaign contributions so that it does not appear that those contributions are coming from a developer."

Two business that have made contributions to Mitzelfelt's campaign for supervisor list their address as that of Young Homes, but Gilbert - who even included pictures - says no such businesses exist at the location.

"It does not appear these businesses exist for any reason other than to make campaign contributions to Brad Mitzelfelt," she states in the complaint.
The representative from Young Homes that could comment on the situation was out of the office Monday.

Dr. Ralph Baker says what!

2008-05-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

Since George Air Force Base closed it seems that there has been more than just the closure of the base to think about.

More than a dozen years ago the school population at the Victor Elementary School District were those children of military personnel stationed at the base.

Today: The majority of the children belong to parents who are affiliated with the prisons in the high desert and not as employees but as inmates!

Dr. Ralph Baker referred to the children as 'clients' as he discussed major changes in the school.

“The well-disciplined and orderly part of our population has been replaced with a percentage of our population that are either attached to somebody within the prison, or that person has been released from a prison to this area,” Baker said. “They tend to be more anti-authoritarian." Baker explained this to Daily Press reporter, Rachel Byrd.

In the Hesperia school district, there are more than 5,000 'English language learners' and 56 percent of the population is Hispanic.

The times they are a-changin my friends....