From iepolitics.com
According to reports on KFI 640’s John and Ken show, it turns out San Bernardino County Kari Verjil’s invalid signature figures are not quite accurate. As Mike Schroeder, coordinator for the recall effort has said all along, signature gatherers registered unregistered voters at the same time the petitions were signed, which is legal. According to reports, Verjil negated those signatures.
I am told that recall coordinators have begun an audit of the rejected signatures. Of the first 40 rejected signatures reviewed, 25 have in fact been determined to have been valid after all. This is a disgrace. Once again, one of our county officials has made our county look like its run by a bunch of incompetent hicks.
And it may be. A little over a year ago, I met with Joy Chadwick, now-Deputy Chief of Staff for Chairman of the Board Gary Ovitt. During that meeting Joy chastised me for exercising my rights as a United States citizen when I filed a formal complaint with Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s office over the incompetence and favoritism shown towards certain candidates by Registrar of Voters Kari Verjil. She suggested that part of the reason I was having problems on the job was because I was outspoken about official misconduct. And like most of the rest of the officials I have dealt with on the Fifth Floor, she failed to conduct the investigation she promised me and, as usual, my complaints to her office about official misconduct was swept under the rug.
Now, here we are over a year later, and Joy is working for the Chairman’s office and her boss is up for re-election. And the county continues to sweep official misconduct under the rug. So, I’d like an answer. Does Supervisor Ovitt support this kind of incompetence? Does he care about the election process? Based on what his deputy Chief of Staff said to me, he supports this incompetence. And that is shameful. I hope Joy is wrong.
I know from my investigation last year that Kari Verjil plays favorites, making sure certain elected officials are immediately aware of anything their opponents file with the Registrar of Voter’s office. She also aids those that protect her to the detriment of other candidates as she did for Supervisors Dennis Hansberger and Brad Mitzelfelt last year.
It’s hard to say if the current fiasco is Verjil’s doing or was done on behalf of an official who supports Anthony Adams. It does not matter in the end if it changes the outcome or not. What matters is that it was done to begin with. The Registrar of Voters office should be above reproach. Today, instead, it is wrought with accusations of fraud and incompetence.
If the firing of Mark Uffer is not just a fluke but a serious effort at cleaning up San Bernardino County, then this Board of Supervisors needs to act immediately to restore the integrity of the elections process in this county. Kari Verjil is a Mark Uffer appointee and was protected by Mark. It’s time for her to go and its time for the Board of Supervisors to show its constituents its serious about restoring integrity to the elections process. And Supervisors Ovitt and Mitzelfelt need to be the loudest voices demanding Verjil’s resignation.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Another day, another editorial in the Press Enterprise
www.iepolitics.com
Shocking. Another day, another editorial in the Press Enterprise blasting the constitutional rights of politically-charged defendants Bill Postmus and Jim Erwin.
In a wholly-unsubstantiated editorial the PE criticizes former county official Jim Erwin and former county elected official Bill Postmus for exercising the rights granted them by the legal system. The PE called a perfectly acceptable court motion by Jim Erwin an "assault" on that legal system, and praised the ruling's outcome that resulted in a setback for Erwin.
The PE continues its unrelenting campaign against Bill Postmus and those associated with his former office. In the eyes of the Riverside Press Enterprise, Postmus, et al, are not innocent until proven guilty, they are guilty. Period.
In the PE's opinion the guilt of Postmus - and Erwin - is assured because the elected district attorney says it is. Case closed.
One would think that prosecutorial supremacy would be relegated to the annals of history, as seen in South America under right-wing military juntas or in the former USSR.
Sorry, PE editorial board. It doesn't work that way in the United States.
Bill Postmus and his "cronies" (their word, not ours) have every right to exercise the legal tools available to them. That means filing court motions, requests for information, issuing court pleadings, and seeking resolution via the proper process.
We have these rights because the founders realized that, by it's nature, the government has far more resources than an individual can ever hope to have. Even so, an individual can be charged without merit, and when the individual is a public figure, being charged is as bad as being convicted.
What Postmus and Erwin are doing is nothing different from the actions of hundreds of defendants in courtrooms across this country in every criminal case.
But the case against Postmus is different. It was launched by a political officer against other political officers. There is an obvious conflict, yet the PE continues to stick their head in the sand and ignore obvious facts.
District Attorney Mike Ramos is a controversial politician, and his investigation should be questioned and analyzed, so that the public can be assured the investigation's conclusions are 100% accurate.
This ambitious politician has already cost county taxpayers $350,000 for illegally firing a potential political rival. He is currently under two investigations for malfeasance. He has raised and accepted contributions from convicted money launderers.
Youthful politician Bill Postmus and former street deputy sheriff Jim Erwin are an embarrassment to the county after being charged by a district attorney with Ramos' baggage?
The Riverside Press Enterprise's blatant and shocking refusal to launch their investigations into the public life of Mike Ramos and his actions and conduct is a gross dereliction of duty. Edward Murrow and Walter Cronkite would be appalled.
Rushing to judgment and accepting a prosecutor's version of events means the PE would be right at home in Videla's Argentina or Stalinist Russia.
The PE needs to end this double standard in their treatment of Ramos' prisoners versus the reported ethical shortfalls of Ramos himself.
Shocking. Another day, another editorial in the Press Enterprise blasting the constitutional rights of politically-charged defendants Bill Postmus and Jim Erwin.
In a wholly-unsubstantiated editorial the PE criticizes former county official Jim Erwin and former county elected official Bill Postmus for exercising the rights granted them by the legal system. The PE called a perfectly acceptable court motion by Jim Erwin an "assault" on that legal system, and praised the ruling's outcome that resulted in a setback for Erwin.
The PE continues its unrelenting campaign against Bill Postmus and those associated with his former office. In the eyes of the Riverside Press Enterprise, Postmus, et al, are not innocent until proven guilty, they are guilty. Period.
In the PE's opinion the guilt of Postmus - and Erwin - is assured because the elected district attorney says it is. Case closed.
One would think that prosecutorial supremacy would be relegated to the annals of history, as seen in South America under right-wing military juntas or in the former USSR.
Sorry, PE editorial board. It doesn't work that way in the United States.
Bill Postmus and his "cronies" (their word, not ours) have every right to exercise the legal tools available to them. That means filing court motions, requests for information, issuing court pleadings, and seeking resolution via the proper process.
We have these rights because the founders realized that, by it's nature, the government has far more resources than an individual can ever hope to have. Even so, an individual can be charged without merit, and when the individual is a public figure, being charged is as bad as being convicted.
What Postmus and Erwin are doing is nothing different from the actions of hundreds of defendants in courtrooms across this country in every criminal case.
But the case against Postmus is different. It was launched by a political officer against other political officers. There is an obvious conflict, yet the PE continues to stick their head in the sand and ignore obvious facts.
District Attorney Mike Ramos is a controversial politician, and his investigation should be questioned and analyzed, so that the public can be assured the investigation's conclusions are 100% accurate.
This ambitious politician has already cost county taxpayers $350,000 for illegally firing a potential political rival. He is currently under two investigations for malfeasance. He has raised and accepted contributions from convicted money launderers.
Youthful politician Bill Postmus and former street deputy sheriff Jim Erwin are an embarrassment to the county after being charged by a district attorney with Ramos' baggage?
The Riverside Press Enterprise's blatant and shocking refusal to launch their investigations into the public life of Mike Ramos and his actions and conduct is a gross dereliction of duty. Edward Murrow and Walter Cronkite would be appalled.
Rushing to judgment and accepting a prosecutor's version of events means the PE would be right at home in Videla's Argentina or Stalinist Russia.
The PE needs to end this double standard in their treatment of Ramos' prisoners versus the reported ethical shortfalls of Ramos himself.
iePolitics: Runner-ing away from the San Bernardino County Republican Party
From iepolitics.com
In a long and expansive news article on the collapse of the San Bernardino County Republican Party that appeared this past Sunday in the San Bernardino Sun, one quotable source is none other than Drew Mercy, longtime political consigliere to the husband-and-wife team of GOP State Senator George Runner and Assembly member Sharon Runner.
The Runners have occupied legislative seats in San Bernardino County’s High Desert region for nearly a decade. Sharon Runner first won election in 2002, and George Runner entered San Bernardino County as a state senator in 2004.
In the San Bernardino Sun article, Mr. Mercy is on record as stating “The fallout from the Postmus scandal has thrown everything for a loop,” in regards to GOP underwhelming performance in 2008,
specifically in the region where the Runners have long reigned supreme.
Drew Mercy goes on to state that a legislative campaign in the High Desert utilized its own resources to scrape out a victory in a Victorville-area State Assembly seat that was won by a much narrower margin than expected. Mercy managed the campaign of GOP nominee Steve Knight, who barely prevailed in what had been Sharon Runner’s district, for whom Mercy also carried water.
Oddly, Campaign Manager Mercy publicly stated that he opted to be involved in a Ventura County state legislative contest many miles removed from San Bernardino County.
Therein lies another identifiable problem with the San Bernardino County Republican Party: Absolutely ZERO support from the politically powerful Runner couple or their chief aide, who admitted that he abandoned San Bernardino County campaigns, rather than work to ensure the election of county Republicans. That’s not just irresponsible, that’s borderline malpractice, considering Mr. Knight’s close result.
If Drew Mercy or the Runner Duo were seriously interested in rebuilding the San Bernardino County Republican Party, they would act and not just talk. Neither Runner have contributed any significant resources towards voter registration, a communications program, or a financing plan.
Like the singer of the song “Paper Planes,” the Runner faction is MIA in supporting an effective Republican Party, and Mercy’s own admission that he and the Runners utilize support independent of the County Party illustrate the intentional separation between the two camps that existed before Postmus, during Postmus, and after Postmus’ chairmanship.
This absence and lack of direct involvement means no one from the Runner apparatus is fit to constructively criticize the local party.
Oh sure, they offer criticism, but not a plan for construction.
Until the Runners and Drew Mercy can walk the walk and back up their words with action, they are in no way, shape, or form fit to criticize previous effective leadership of the local GOP.
Ironically, as criticism of the Republican Party is offered, each termed-out Runner instead is busy trying to figure out the next rung on the political ladder for which to aim…or at least find a do-nothing government commission on which to sit.
Both when the San Bernardino County Republican Party flourished and when it began to flounder, the High Desert husband-wife tag team Runner-ed away and were nowhere to be found. Same as today.
At least they’re consistent.
In a long and expansive news article on the collapse of the San Bernardino County Republican Party that appeared this past Sunday in the San Bernardino Sun, one quotable source is none other than Drew Mercy, longtime political consigliere to the husband-and-wife team of GOP State Senator George Runner and Assembly member Sharon Runner.
The Runners have occupied legislative seats in San Bernardino County’s High Desert region for nearly a decade. Sharon Runner first won election in 2002, and George Runner entered San Bernardino County as a state senator in 2004.
In the San Bernardino Sun article, Mr. Mercy is on record as stating “The fallout from the Postmus scandal has thrown everything for a loop,” in regards to GOP underwhelming performance in 2008,
specifically in the region where the Runners have long reigned supreme.
Drew Mercy goes on to state that a legislative campaign in the High Desert utilized its own resources to scrape out a victory in a Victorville-area State Assembly seat that was won by a much narrower margin than expected. Mercy managed the campaign of GOP nominee Steve Knight, who barely prevailed in what had been Sharon Runner’s district, for whom Mercy also carried water.
Oddly, Campaign Manager Mercy publicly stated that he opted to be involved in a Ventura County state legislative contest many miles removed from San Bernardino County.
Therein lies another identifiable problem with the San Bernardino County Republican Party: Absolutely ZERO support from the politically powerful Runner couple or their chief aide, who admitted that he abandoned San Bernardino County campaigns, rather than work to ensure the election of county Republicans. That’s not just irresponsible, that’s borderline malpractice, considering Mr. Knight’s close result.
If Drew Mercy or the Runner Duo were seriously interested in rebuilding the San Bernardino County Republican Party, they would act and not just talk. Neither Runner have contributed any significant resources towards voter registration, a communications program, or a financing plan.
Like the singer of the song “Paper Planes,” the Runner faction is MIA in supporting an effective Republican Party, and Mercy’s own admission that he and the Runners utilize support independent of the County Party illustrate the intentional separation between the two camps that existed before Postmus, during Postmus, and after Postmus’ chairmanship.
This absence and lack of direct involvement means no one from the Runner apparatus is fit to constructively criticize the local party.
Oh sure, they offer criticism, but not a plan for construction.
Until the Runners and Drew Mercy can walk the walk and back up their words with action, they are in no way, shape, or form fit to criticize previous effective leadership of the local GOP.
Ironically, as criticism of the Republican Party is offered, each termed-out Runner instead is busy trying to figure out the next rung on the political ladder for which to aim…or at least find a do-nothing government commission on which to sit.
Both when the San Bernardino County Republican Party flourished and when it began to flounder, the High Desert husband-wife tag team Runner-ed away and were nowhere to be found. Same as today.
At least they’re consistent.
iePolitics Commentary: Local newspapers display arrogance, Part 2
From iepolitics.com
The ink wasn’t even dry on the this evenings earlier commentary, when hot out of the Riverside Press Enterprise editorial board comes another gem titled Enough evasion.
Last time I heard, the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights just might lead one to believe that citizens of this great country were entitled to due process under the law and to be judged by a jury of their peers.
Not the editorial board of a local newspaper.
I could be mistaken though, since newspapers seem to know everything about everyone and every subject.
The Press Enterprise, which is known for its cutting editorial titles such as “John Smith needs to go”, “Time for Arnold Ziffle to resign”, or “Fire Huckleberry now” couldn’t resist this one.
I expected to see a column like this yesterday, on a day when the paper has it’s highest readership.
Unless something has happened without me being present, Friday was the first substantive proceeding in “my case”. With obviously more to come.
The editorial board of this local paper says don’t appeal the denial of a motion to recuse. Amazing! I never knew these newspaper folks had law degrees.
During my time in politics I’ve never been a doll of the newspapers, especially the Press Enterprise. The paper knows it and the editorial shows it. Heck, if the paper had its way the four indicted members of the San Jacinto City Council would have been executed by lethal injection last week. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not defending the indicted council members.
I guess a dying publication has to try and delay the inevitable as best it can.
A little tip. It’s not working.
Maybe instead of the name of the paper being The Press Enterprise, the name should be changed to The Riverside Oracle.
After all, when things don’t go the way the paper believes they should, we are subjected to phrases like, miscarriage of justice, idiot jurors, technicalities, and bad law.
The papers display of pompous arrogance is unbecoming any newspaper.
The ink wasn’t even dry on the this evenings earlier commentary, when hot out of the Riverside Press Enterprise editorial board comes another gem titled Enough evasion.
Last time I heard, the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights just might lead one to believe that citizens of this great country were entitled to due process under the law and to be judged by a jury of their peers.
Not the editorial board of a local newspaper.
I could be mistaken though, since newspapers seem to know everything about everyone and every subject.
The Press Enterprise, which is known for its cutting editorial titles such as “John Smith needs to go”, “Time for Arnold Ziffle to resign”, or “Fire Huckleberry now” couldn’t resist this one.
I expected to see a column like this yesterday, on a day when the paper has it’s highest readership.
Unless something has happened without me being present, Friday was the first substantive proceeding in “my case”. With obviously more to come.
The editorial board of this local paper says don’t appeal the denial of a motion to recuse. Amazing! I never knew these newspaper folks had law degrees.
During my time in politics I’ve never been a doll of the newspapers, especially the Press Enterprise. The paper knows it and the editorial shows it. Heck, if the paper had its way the four indicted members of the San Jacinto City Council would have been executed by lethal injection last week. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not defending the indicted council members.
I guess a dying publication has to try and delay the inevitable as best it can.
A little tip. It’s not working.
Maybe instead of the name of the paper being The Press Enterprise, the name should be changed to The Riverside Oracle.
After all, when things don’t go the way the paper believes they should, we are subjected to phrases like, miscarriage of justice, idiot jurors, technicalities, and bad law.
The papers display of pompous arrogance is unbecoming any newspaper.
Republicans trail Democrats by 21,000 in county Republicans retain slim lead in Victor Valley
From vvdailynews.com
A year after Democratic voters surpassed Republican voters in San Bernardino County, the blue party’s lead has swelled to 21,397 more voters registered as Democrats than Republicans, according to the county Registrar of Voters.
The countywide swing toward Democrats represents a dramatic shift in the county, where two years ago Republicans outnumbered Democrats by more than 34,000. In the Victor Valley, however, Republicans still slightly edge out Democrats — by a slim 1,660 voters — with Republicans comprising 39.3 percent of registered voters in Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville.
In Victorville and Adelanto, Democrats outnumber Republicans by 10 to 24 percentage points, while the GOP has the majority in Hesperia and Apple Valley by 5 to 17 percentage points, respectively. “We’ve been lucky in the Victor Valley, no matter how you cut it we’ve stayed fairly consistent in most of our nonpartisan races, school boards, city and town councils, they are predominately dominated by Republicans,” said Pat Orr, 1st District caucus chair of the San Bernardino County Republican Party. “That’s the way people prefer it because they want their hometown government to be conservative.” The Democratic Party declared the county blue for the first time in more than six years when Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 2,800 voters in October 2008.
Democrats secured a 20,000-voter lead over Republicans by August. “If you look at the demographics of the county, there is no reason for San Bernardino to be a red county, and it’s not anymore,” said Carol Robb, chair of the San Bernardino County Democrat Party. “It’s working people, it’s people with color, there aren’t that many really rich people or even semi-rich people in San Bernardino County. It’s just made up of good hard-working ordinary people and the Democrat party appeals to them.”
This month Republican leaders are embarking on an aggressive registration campaign to gear up for the June primaries. They have attributed their party’s local decline to a faltering voter registration program, while Democrats set up new local clubs and focused on registration drives and booths at public events.
President Barack Obama’s election attracted swarms of new Democratic voters, said Robb, who said last year she helped county residents in their 50s and 60s register for the first time. However, Orr said the 2008 election was driven by “droves of people that probably won’t come out to vote ever again.” The shift to a blue county also follows a wave of corruption allegations in county offices. Former 1st District Supervisor, Assessor and Republican Party Chair Bill Postmus is facing nine felony charges related to embezzlement and drug possession. In a separate civil suit, county supervisors allege Postmus used his post as county Assessor to run a political operation and raise funds for the Republican Party.
Registration has shifted to favor Democrats in the 2nd and 4th districts, where Republican county supervisors Paul Biane and Gary Ovitt are up for re-election. All six countywide elected offices are up for election, including district attorney, auditor controller recorder-clerk, sheriff, treasurer-tax collector, assessor and superintendent of schools. “ We also have a real shot at a couple of Assembly seats where there’s been dramatic shifts in voter registration,” Robb said, such as the 36th District currently held by Assemblyman Steve Knight, Palmdale, who represents Victorville and Adelanto.
The deciding factor in 2010 local, state and federal elections could be independent voters, according to Orr. Just over 18 percent of voters in the Victor Valley are registered as nonpartisan. “I’m not sure the registration really matters a hoot,” Orr said, with more than 140,000 voters registered as nonpartisan countywide. “It’s who you put up.”
A year after Democratic voters surpassed Republican voters in San Bernardino County, the blue party’s lead has swelled to 21,397 more voters registered as Democrats than Republicans, according to the county Registrar of Voters.
The countywide swing toward Democrats represents a dramatic shift in the county, where two years ago Republicans outnumbered Democrats by more than 34,000. In the Victor Valley, however, Republicans still slightly edge out Democrats — by a slim 1,660 voters — with Republicans comprising 39.3 percent of registered voters in Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville.
In Victorville and Adelanto, Democrats outnumber Republicans by 10 to 24 percentage points, while the GOP has the majority in Hesperia and Apple Valley by 5 to 17 percentage points, respectively. “We’ve been lucky in the Victor Valley, no matter how you cut it we’ve stayed fairly consistent in most of our nonpartisan races, school boards, city and town councils, they are predominately dominated by Republicans,” said Pat Orr, 1st District caucus chair of the San Bernardino County Republican Party. “That’s the way people prefer it because they want their hometown government to be conservative.” The Democratic Party declared the county blue for the first time in more than six years when Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 2,800 voters in October 2008.
Democrats secured a 20,000-voter lead over Republicans by August. “If you look at the demographics of the county, there is no reason for San Bernardino to be a red county, and it’s not anymore,” said Carol Robb, chair of the San Bernardino County Democrat Party. “It’s working people, it’s people with color, there aren’t that many really rich people or even semi-rich people in San Bernardino County. It’s just made up of good hard-working ordinary people and the Democrat party appeals to them.”
This month Republican leaders are embarking on an aggressive registration campaign to gear up for the June primaries. They have attributed their party’s local decline to a faltering voter registration program, while Democrats set up new local clubs and focused on registration drives and booths at public events.
President Barack Obama’s election attracted swarms of new Democratic voters, said Robb, who said last year she helped county residents in their 50s and 60s register for the first time. However, Orr said the 2008 election was driven by “droves of people that probably won’t come out to vote ever again.” The shift to a blue county also follows a wave of corruption allegations in county offices. Former 1st District Supervisor, Assessor and Republican Party Chair Bill Postmus is facing nine felony charges related to embezzlement and drug possession. In a separate civil suit, county supervisors allege Postmus used his post as county Assessor to run a political operation and raise funds for the Republican Party.
Registration has shifted to favor Democrats in the 2nd and 4th districts, where Republican county supervisors Paul Biane and Gary Ovitt are up for re-election. All six countywide elected offices are up for election, including district attorney, auditor controller recorder-clerk, sheriff, treasurer-tax collector, assessor and superintendent of schools. “ We also have a real shot at a couple of Assembly seats where there’s been dramatic shifts in voter registration,” Robb said, such as the 36th District currently held by Assemblyman Steve Knight, Palmdale, who represents Victorville and Adelanto.
The deciding factor in 2010 local, state and federal elections could be independent voters, according to Orr. Just over 18 percent of voters in the Victor Valley are registered as nonpartisan. “I’m not sure the registration really matters a hoot,” Orr said, with more than 140,000 voters registered as nonpartisan countywide. “It’s who you put up.”
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