It doesn’t seem to matter if we are discussing Jeff Burum, the Lewis Family, or any other of a number of successful, wealthy businessmen in our community, they are all “corrupt.” I don’t mean that they are really, truly corrupt, but they are “corrupt” in the minds of the less successful. The common thought seems to be that if one has money, then one has no integrity. Our community doesn’t allow for making an “honest” hundred million or so. Hard work, sacrifice, intellect, college education, and just plain good old-fashioned luck can all be damned. If one is successful, then one must be a crook.
I’m sure there is a term for this mentality, and with our current corruption scandal, that mentality has become very frustrating. Otherwise intelligent people seem to be more interested in finding blame than finding truth. The fact that so many have bought into Batman and Robin’s conspiracy theory is proof that logic and critical thinking have given way to hysteria and enjoyment in the fact that someone with power may be taken out, not for wrongdoing, but because they have power and wealth. I suppose the weak hope to bask in the demise of the powerful.
The current Colonies conspiracy theory is a perfect example. Other than Ramos’ hacks, I have yet to hear of a single attorney, who actually took the time to examine all of the documents available and compare them with the elements of the crimes being alleged, state they feel a crime took place. When one looks at how many things had to occur perfectly in order for this “crime of the century” to be a crime, it is simply not possible. So many who comment on these cases are doing so with emotion rather than accurate information and logic.
Am I saying that I believe there was no corruption involved in the Colonies situation? No, I am not. I absolutely believe there was corruption. But notice, I referred to the “Colonies situation,” not the “Colonies Settlement.” And there is a difference—a very big difference.
What prompted this posting was an interaction I had yesterday with another county employee. I knew before I ever called her that she had messed up. I also knew to have all my ducks in a row before I made the call. And that I did. When I finally got a hold of her, she was quick to put the blame on me and she copped a bit of an attitude. I knew I was right and I asked her to check something on her computer. That something could not have been changed without me finding out about it. Well she did, and then she had a 180-degree change in attitude.
I know the system inside and out and was able to get my situation resolved in minutes. But the average citizen does not. Instead of admitting mistakes, so often government workers (not just San Bernardino County) cover up, attempt to assign blame to the citizens they are supposed to be serving, and plant their feet firmly into the ground, refusing to admit error or correct the situation. Sometimes it is line staff, but it usually gets worse as one tries to go up the chain of command. And it is always about power and control.
We see this phenomena in the Transitional Assistance Department (TAD) frequently where former welfare clients are hired. The best case workers in the world are those who were once clients and remember the emotions and problems they had being on welfare and trying to deal with the system. The worst case workers in the world are those who were once clients and now look at their new positions as positions of power and a way to improve their low self-esteem by terrorizing their clients. You all have both kinds in every office and you all know who they are.
But we see it in every other government office as well. For example, have you ever had a code enforcement officer come out to your house? Some will bend over backwards to help you resolve your situation while others only want a way to punish you. They want you to know they are in control of your future and can make your life miserable. Animal Control and restaurant inspectors are the same way as is the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Social Security Administration and a host of agencies at the municipal, county, state and federal levels. Customer service is a lost concept on many government workers, and those of us who believe in it, pay for their sins.
Colonies Partners would have never had to sue and would not have been given a dime had county employees done their jobs. I don’t mean the Board of Supervisors. I mean the employees in Building and Safety, Flood Control, Planning, County Counsel, or whatever other departments were involved in this debacle. I bet if it were investigated, one would find one or more employees who wanted to show who was boss. I suspect they put up every roadblock conceivable, took their sweet time doing it, and dared anyone to knock that giant chip off of their shoulder. Does this sound like any middle or upper management types you have in your department? We all know the county is full of them.
That brings me to the last two of my points. When the Burums and Lewises of the world donate to political campaigns and otherwise involve themselves in politics, they generally are not buying illegal favors. What they are buying is the attention of elected officials. It is that attention of say, the chairman of the board of supervisors, that gets things done.
Have you ever had someone from the board of supervisors contact you about something you are working on? Does that not get your attention? You make sure you get it done right, don’t you? And timely?
And, this is where most of the problem is at. It is a small percentage of employees who are not doing their jobs, management that allows their favorites to get away with it, and a county administrative officer and board of supervisors who just don’t care because it is only affecting average citizens and not their campaign contributors.
We point out cases of malfeasance in county government every week on this blog. Much of it could be easily corrected by the county administrative officer and/or board of supervisors but it is instead ignored. The public defender, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, the Transitional Assistance Department, the Department of Children’s Services, Human Resources, County Counsel, and many others are rampant with problems that may not result in $102 million settlements individually, but then again they may. And no one cares because it is the taxpayers who will ultimately foot the bill, not our elected and appointed officials.
What makes our county’s administration corrupt is not a court of law deciding the county erred or businessmen fighting for what they are rightfully owed, but rather a dereliction of duty, an air of arrogance, and an attitude of apathy by our San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and County Administrative Office. Yes, corruption is alive and well in San Bernardino County, and until our elected and appointed officials take responsibility for running this county with integrity at all levels, it will remain that way. The buck stops with them.
Very well stated. Thanks.
This really is a very sophisticated, nuanced, and educated analysis. Gotta hand you credit for properly applying organization psychology. You have described sadistic narcissism and identified the results.
http://www.ptypes.com/sadisticpd.html
SADISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER ASSOCIATED BELIEFS:
I must dominate (Oldham, 346).
I must dominate in relationships, in the home, in all the groups to which I belong, and at work (346).
I must be in control (346).
I must be in charge (346).
I must direct all activities (346).
I must shape the environment.
Power is the most important thing in life.
I hate everything which is not in myself (Mailer, 164).
The interests and feelings of others cannot be allowed to interfere with the accomplishment of my goals (Oldham, 347).
I should always be the one to give the orders and establish the rules (347).
Everyone who is under me should always do things my way (348).
I have to be a strict disciplinarian (348).
I know the best for everyone 348).
If people under me don’t do things my way, they are being disloyal.
I’m used to being chief and I can’t tolerate any challenges to my authority (348).
If anyone challenges my authority, I must punish them for their disloyalty and reassert my control (349).
Parents should train their children to be tough, courageous, and ambitious (349).
I expect my children to obey me without question (351).
I am totally dedicated to my work and I won’t be deterred by family life or needs for health and recreation (352).
I require an intensely competitive, dog-eat-dog environment in which there can be only one winner (352).
You can’t be squeamish; you have to be ready to sacrifice others to accomplish your goals (352).
The end is always more important than the means (347).
Work (indeed, all of life) is strategic combat, a struggle to get and to keep power (353).
It’s always the objective that counts; whatever means are expedient are justified (353).
I’m less concerned with following the “right” or “honorable” course as with finding a practical, efficient, effective solution (354).
I should be the one to create structure and organization, and plan strategy, because I’m the only one who can see the big picture (354).
I focus on results, not feelings (355).
I must function at high stimulation levels at all times, otherwise I get bored and don’t know what to do with myself (355).
I cannot tolerate lack of power, serious competitive threats, or defeat or failure (355).
I must in all cases be working with and around other people (356).
I cannot tolerate submitting to a greater power (356).
NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER ASSOCIATED BELIEFS:
I am a very special person.
Since I am so superior, I am entitled to special treatment and privileges.
I don’t have to be bound by the rules that apply to other people.
It is very important to get recognition, praise, and admiration.
If others don’t respect my status, they should be punished.
Other people should satisfy my needs.
Other people should recognize how special I am.
It’s intolerable if I’m not accorded my due respect or don’t get what I’m entitled to.
Other people don’t deserve the admiration or riches that they get.
People have no right to criticize me.
No one’s needs should interfere with my own.
Since I am so talented, people should go out of their way to promote my career.
Only people as brilliant as I am understand me.
I have every reason to expect grand things.
The best of employees can and will be ordered to do things that are not within the realms of good customer service and correctly applied legal interpretations. A simple, “That’s not how I interpret that section” from a superior puts an employee in the untenable position of having to throw scruples to the wind to keep his or her job, or at least to curry favor from the people that will or wont allow future promotions and choice assignments. The buck stops with County managers, who in turn are in fear of the 5th floor (don’t you love what the word exempt does to scruples?) The system is rigged to provide the outcomes desired by those elected to serve us. And when, as is the case in the colonies and so many other SB County deals, the elected officials strive to curry favor from those with deep pockets, well, it all points easily back to that particular rich guy (see Ed Roski story on circumventing the EIR process for a football team So Cal does not want)
If an employee of the San Bernardino Superior Court, Assessor, Recorder, Tax-Collector, etc. fails to report illegal activity, they must be held accountable for their actions. Conspiracy, included.
Whooze Important… Sounds like a scary rendition of an addictive personality running amuck… Then again, seems to corelate with most on the 5th Floor.
Admin, very nice points well said. I think the next elections need to go the route of so many we are seeing across the country. Incumbant + re-election campaign = unemployent opportunity.
See, I knew you could play nice!
~And it is always about power and control.~
Excellent, and to begin with, Thank You for writing this article.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely and what most people outside of the politcal “scene” tend not to realize is that their “elected” representatives are only as good as the ENTIRE staff which manages the power they represent to the public.
However, that elected power is only to enforce what the public which has participated in the electoral process has put into law. That includes all the welfare programs, code ordinances on up the endless chain of laws that must be obeyed, etc.
Unfortunatly, what the typical 9-5 rat race running average joe citizen often DOESN’T understand is the power of the civil employee unions. Specifically union ability to “shift” around incompetent employees while they are protected from changes in political winds of ELECTED power. Personally, I don’t understand why we would EVER want to protect incompetent employees from changes in power by voters who think they have approved head honchos and enabled them to go in and get the attention of a civil servant to get a job done without the possibility of firing them for incompetence. Stupidly, I actually once thought that was WHY we elected these people in the first place. To elect officials to represent us so that we didn’t have to be big donors with clout to get their attention to get things pushed through our now union supported bureaucracy. Bureaucracy, that is not filled with “red tape” but rather the lack of a “president line item veto power” at our local levels due to the protection of civil employee unions who, after all, are only working for the public they are supposed to SERVE.
Now, correct me if I am wrong but the only conspiracy here that I can see is socialisim creeping into our governments via the civil employee unions. We are on a slippery slope that will soon have us operating like third world countries where you have to bribe governmental “officials” to advance to the front of the line to order a “official” copy of your very own birth certificate. Yes, I have actually seen this happen in person. While I was in another country after crossing the border into Mexico so my friend could get her legal papers to file for her American citizenship application. Married to an American, she was wealthy in comparison to many that I witnessed at their government building that day. It only took her $20 in bribes and she was out with her papers done in a matter of a few hours.
Ultimately, what I would love to see as a result of this “scandal” is an upgrade in our transparency of ALL government employees at every level. This can be done with technology. A systemwide database that can be accessed by every person involved in a civilian request accomplished at any level of government. In the case of the Colonies for example, a GIS based tracking of the project as it progressed through the land use department following it’s progression would have allowed for a simple, clear, chain of command on ALL aspects of this situation. It would have provided a documentable report of every single person who interacted or made a decision on the project from the moment it walked in the door. Accountabilty, would then be managed just like in the medical profession where each “dose” or procedure given to a client can be documented to protect them from any liability. Medical liability insurance issues demand this type of protocol and I see no reason not to apply the same logic to government. Especially when employees, who are in power over their clients have absolute power over someone who may be ignorant of the finer points of dealing with CUSTOMER service.
Mob hysteria calling for “rich guy” heads to roll, is something all to common throughout history. After all, this should not surprise anyone reading this article as most students of history already know lessons that are not learned from the past are often repeated.
Furthermore, “rich guys” in TODAY’S economy – are in some peoples opinions the tax fattened employees who make MORE then their non government equivilant workers could ever HOPE to aspire for the with same amount of responsibility/skill level MINUS all the perks, privledges, benefits, paid vacations, medical coverage, privledges and oh yeah… power over their neighbors regardless of whether it is a sign in front of their business, or what their neighbor builds in their backyard on property they personally own.
A good article on this “theory” can be found in a recent cover story of FORTUNE magazine, which tallys the “values” of all the perks and retirement bonuses which the TAXED people are forced to pay for…. and all good American Patriots SHOULD know what happened to the original people who wanted to overtax the very first Americans.
HHmmmm… Seems somewhere I recently heard a Tea Party movement was holding a party not to far from our local county offices chanting THROw the BUMS OUT. No wait, maybe.. that could be… a militia? OH, never mind. I forgot. Seems Americans now a days just fly their own personal planes straight into IRS buildings, where they collect all the INCOMPETENT government employees paychecks…. such as the guy in Texas did not too long ago.
OOps, sorry. This site is a bit more myopically focused than my usual forums. Connect the dots people. It is not just the 5th Floor that is going to be held accountable if mob confusion and hysteria starts to ‘rule’ the land. Governments DO collapse from structural rotting within and Rome is a’burning.
Again.
Can someone tell me, if it is normal procedure for a judge of the San Bernardino Superior Court to e-mail his Statement of Decision to the defendant?
A Statement of Decision is mailed to the attorneys of record of all parties to a lawsuit. If any of the parties are In Pro Per, then the Statement of Decision is mailed to those parties directly. Generally, they are not mailed directly to a party if they are represented by counsel. However, in most cases there is nothing wrong with it as a Statement of Decision is public record unless ordered sealed in some extraordinary situation.
Thanks. I was not Pro Per, and had to buy a new computer once this was done. At the end of his decision someone typed – Is this legal.
At least in this County, we only have the “potential” of a conspiracy to defraud the public of tax collected millions in a settlement over the Colonies.
In our neighboring Riverside County, in the Hemet area, they actually DID have a conspiracy based on the felony charges that HAVE Stuck. Usage of eminent domain and developers in collusion with the local government to steal private property to …. raise more tax revenue for the community. OOps, I mean the Mayor, his wife and business partners and other government employees that acted to support the process. Obviously, in that situation they clearly have forgotten the founding principals of the Government, for which they get paid to work. The resulting KAOS in that community – is a clear lack of respect for authority.
Hopefully, that is not the case here which only time will prove – in a Court of Law.
See the colonies “issues” are not the only things being questioned as far as Our County departments,chain of command,Board of Supervisors,C.A.O., D.A. Or any other County employee. The questions are coming from County Management not taking care of in house issues and corruption that are affecting the lives,and businesses of San Bernardino County. When there are proven cases that have judgment against both departments of the County and the County it’s self then the” blame game” stops and the Board of Supervisors need to step up to the plate and fix it! When I say fix it. I mean to take care of the in house”County” problem as well as the people the error/corruption hurt. Sorry we made mistakes no longer holds water when it has caused lively hoods to be lost. And ruins peoples life’s. Not every form of corruption has to even do with money in our government. Personally I don’t care if the people in our County have money or not! That doesn’t have anything to do with our County’s Officials being or not being corrupt. We are paying all of these leaders a lot of money to do right by the residents in this county,and for them to do their jobs… So if they are corrupt they need to be fired and held legally responsible. I guess bottom line no more excesses. The only way we are going to fix all of the issues is from the inside. The only problem I see is none of them want to do that. With saying that I guess we all as voters have our work cut out for us at election time!