Admin: For those who don’t know, Kieran Brennan is the original proponent of Measure R. Kieran Brennan Posted: 10/29/2012 06:34:47 PM PDT On Nov. 6 voters have a choice between two local initiatives to cap the pay of the members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. Only one of those measures provides real reform that will save taxpayers millions of dollars. That initiative is Measure R. Measure R is the only local ballot measure that was initiated and supported by a grassroots coalition of average citizens: Democrats and Republicans; tea party patriots and employee union members; animal welfare volunteers and hunting enthusiasts; and community activists and citizens seeking elected office for the first time. It is also the only local measure that more than 73,000 county residents signed to qualify for the ballot. As the original proponent of the “Elected Officials Pay Reduction Act,” now known as Measure R, I can tell you we have put forth a proposal that scares entrenched and unethical elected officials. Measure R not only reduces the pay and benefit packages of board members from a high of $308,000 to $60,000 a year, it requires that the board meet at least twice a month and it reduces staffing across the districts from $6 million to $1.5 million a year. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorExaminer today started giving us our stats in comparison to other Examiners. They are based on page views. There are something like 85,000 Examiners. I was happy to learn that at the local level — Palm Springs — my animal welfare column and my government column are ranked No. 2 and No. 4 respectively. Bill has already made it to No. 5 for San Bernardino and Riverside.
by AdministratorWell the Orduno case did not go today. Why did it get continued? Because the arbitrator decided to go to the World Series instead. In the meantime, while he’s enjoying the game, the deputy is trying to figure out how to put food on his table. Remember, he was found not guilty in a court of law.
by AdministratorToday there have been 16 hits on Examiner articles. That equals .08. The blog will not survive on this.
by AdministratorSome may wonder about my “Focus on California’s 8th Congressional District: ‘Tax Fraud Phil’ (Part Four)” post. I thought I would take a few minutes to explain. A few days before the election, Kenneth Nowicki, one of three sons of Paula and Dennis Nowicki, posted a comment on one of the Tea Party Facebook pages accusing me of working for Brad Mitzelfelt and being paid to write positive articles about him, among a number of other crazy things. I wrote two positive articles on Brad about his military service and apparently that means Brad and I are suddenly allies. I wrote positive articles on a number of candidates that I did not support, but that wasn’t figured into the accusations.
by AdministratorThe race for California’s newly created 8th Congressional District heated up over the weekend with a contentious letter submitted to a local newspaper by one candidate’s former staffer. Paula Nowicki, who served in both the offices of former chairman of the Board of Supervisors Bill Postmus and as Chief of Staff for First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, submitted the letter accusing Mitzelfelt of malfeasance, an accusation about which she previously denied having any knowledge. Over the past three years, county officials have been subjected to at least four ongoing county, state, and federal investigations resulting in numerous criminal charges being filed and arrests made. Mitzelfelt is one of the few elected officials who has remained unscathed despite intense scrutiny of all elected officials by several agencies. He is not currently accused of any wrongdoing nor is he known to be under investigation. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorThe concept of “stolen valor” is being argued in the courts and there are strong emotions on both sides of the issue. At this point, lying about military honors has been ruled to be a First Amendment issue, but there is something oh-so-slimy about someone who claims he is a war hero when he is not. That “slimy” feeling is what I got when I saw Phil Liberatore’s “war hero” political mailer. No, he did not claim he is a hero, but the intent to send that subliminal message and that he saw active combat was clear from the design of the mailer. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorSome of Brad’s medals We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies. ─Moina Michael (1915) Memorial Day is a national day of remembrance of those who have died in service to our nation. Although there were various local traditions held in years prior, it was General John Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, who proclaimed “Day of Decoration” on May 5, 1868. It did not become officially recognized as “Memorial Day” by the federal government until 1967. In his proclamation Logan wrote, “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” On May 30, 1868, during the first official celebration, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery and 182 other cemeteries throughout 27 states. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorAdministrator’s Note: How much ya wanna bet a positive story won’t get a single comment? On Friday San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt announced he allocated $100,000 of his discretionary funds to Operation Desert Heat again this year. Desert Heat has been a successful effort initiated by law enforcement during the summer months to conduct sweeps and saturation patrols throughout the Victor Valley to suppress gang activity. Mitzelfelt joined San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos and Sheriff Rod Hoops at a press conference in Hesperia, California to make the announcement. In a press release issued by his office, Mitzelfelt noted, “There are approximately 2,000 identified gang members in the Victor Valley and more than 17,000 countywide as members of 750 gangs. In addition, burglaries and vehicle thefts have increased significantly in the past year. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorSome say it is a mental illness acquired from being out in the sun of California’s Mojave Desert without a hat on for too long. Others think it is due simply to the “small government” mentality of people who forsake the big city and choose to live in desolate places without sidewalks, sewers or streetlights. Whatever the reason, neither Daniel Defoe nor Benjamin Franklin ever visited the high desert or they would have known there are actually three things certain in the Victor Valley: death, taxes AND political sign wars. Almost every campaign in the country includes accusations of improper signage, sign theft, sign vandalism and the like. Candidates, and those who support and oppose them, get testy and deceitful in the heat of battle. But not every campaign has anti-campaign signs plastered about to the extent it happens in the Victor Valley or with the level of bitterness and acrimony. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorMany of the 13 candidates in California’s 8th Congressional District are spending some big dough on fancy mailers, radio and television spots, signs in every conceivable location and the ever-annoying robo calls during dinner. Political consultants say that is the way to win an election . . . spend, spend, spend. Well these highly paid consultants may very well be right. It is a tried-and-true formula that has been used for decades with great success. But there are a few of us who think those political mailers are perfect cat box liners and nothing more; political signs make an area look trashy; switch channels when political ads pop up; and hang up on robo calls. Politics in cyberspace, however, is new and not nearly as boring. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorThe 8th Congressional District in California was created through the redistricting process last year. It is the largest district in California and one of the most conservative. San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt made the decision to run for California’s new 8th Congressional District after Congressman Jerry Lewis announced his intention to retire. This decision made him ineligible to run for another term as a county supervisor. As an elected county supervisor, Brad Mitzelfelt represents the largest county district in the contiguous United States. He is the only candidate in this election who represents more than 50 percent of the population in the newly formed 8th Congressional District. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by Administrator(Victorville, CA) – Eleven candidates vying for the newly created Eighth Congressional District attended the Americans for America Tea Party debate held at the Victorville First Assembly of God Church Friday night. Americans for America is a Judeo-Christian-based Tea Party group. Less than 200 people attended the event despite heavy radio and newspaper advertising in the Victor Valley, which is home to close to a half million residents. Even Sharron Angle, best known nationally for her run as the 2010 Nevada Republican nominee for the United States Senate against Tea Party nemesis Senator Harry Reid and who moderated the event, did not draw a crowd. Thirteen candidates are in the race but Barstow resident, Jackie Conaway, who is endorsed by the Democrats, did not attend. Assemblyman Paul Cook was also absent due to a fundraiser that had been planned before the debate was scheduled. To read the rest of the story, click here.
by AdministratorAs I will tell you about in an Examiner.com article, the first Federal Elections Commission complaint has been filed in the Congressional District 8 race. It was filed against Victorville city mayor Ryan McEachron. And now we have been told that McEachron’s website is proving to be interesting as well. It seems that endorsements are disappearing.
by AdministratorBrad Mitzelfelt sits at his desk in the Government Center and worries about keeping his name out of the limelight when there are issues that make the County accountable. Anyone who believes Brad knew nothing of Bill’s struggles is smoking the same substance that Brad allegedly partakes in. Brad not only knew , but covered it up. Brad was aware where Bill was during the Yucca Valley fire when no one could reach Bill. Brad was aware that Bob Smith and Adam were driving Bill to get help and were out of State. Brad lied to his peers, lied to Uffer, and lied to his constituents. It was Brad that panicked when the press came calling and forced Bill to re appear.
by AdministratorCounty Employees have had enough of the Board of Supervisors and their total lack of caring about the rank and file staff. Every day these employees are on the front lines trying to provide services to the residents of the County. Current leadership has absolutely no clue as to what goes on in the daily life of a County employee. Many employees disliked the former CAO but at the same time many knew that he understood what they did each day.
by AdministratorThe story below brought to mind something that occurred over a year ago. Barb Stanton posted a story on her site regarding property she and her family owned up at the river they were developing with one of the Hitt brothers . . . Chet, I think. Now we hear this. And Barb and Brad have become quite cozy. Perhaps the two developments are not related at all. Perhaps they are. It shall be interesting to see how this story turns out.
by AdministratorRule No. 1 Brad: When you direct policy at any cost people get angry. When they know your motives are personal, they get angry. When they find out what you have done, they tell. Oh I bet all of the readers thought this burial ground was an imaginary place where Brad hides his fallen staffers and people that he has no more use for. Brad has another issue that he has carefully hidden from the County taxpayers for more than a year. When pressed by local reporters, even County Staffers lied. What some people won’t do to save their skin! No story because the wagons are all circled.
by AdministratorAs Mark Uffer’s case against the County of San Bernardino moves to trial on February 27, we can expect to hear information that will once again show all of use what a dysfunctional Board of Supervisors looks like. One can only wonder what anyone on the Board of Supervisors or Greg Devereaux is thinking. The County was keenly aware that it was likely to lose the Elizabeth Sanchez case and settled it. There were fireworks there that would have made Board members and their staff uncomfortable. Once the County fired Uffer it was likely he would team up with Sanchez. Now here we are with less than a month to go, $900,000 later, and explosions coming soon. One would think that with three members of the Board are up for election that they really can’t afford the negative publicity that is coming. Oh sure, Brad is running for Congress so he won’t be around and will once again think his Teflon coating has saved his reputation. Not so quick Brad!
by AdministratorI had a bit of an odd occurence yesterday. On Wednesday I went to the library to get some work done on the blogs and websites and, lo and behold, all of my blogs and websites had been completely blocked on library computers. I called GoDaddy, which verified that everything was okay and checked all of my sites from two different servers to be sure. I called several friends who check from Blackberrys, iPhones, and regular PCs. Everything was fine. I refreshed numerous times on the library computer and then several hours later switched to a different computer. I still kept getting messages that my sites could not be accessed on library computers.
by AdministratorThere is a story in today’s Daily Press about the lack of DSL and WiFi in areas of the First District. I would post that article, but I can’t. Why? Because the library’s internet connection is so freaking slow, I can’t pull it up. But the story highlights yet one more of Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt’s failures. It specifically discusses his current hometown of Wrightwood where those who do not already have DSL cannot get DSL and what it is doing to the local economy. The same goes for Phelan, Pinon Hills, Lucerne Valley, and other areas of his current or former district. Brad can’t even take care of his homies.
by Administrator