Results tagged “Board of Supervisors” from Behind the Story

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to give $2.5 million to a fledgling corporation with the hope that something can be done to stanch the flood of foreclosures in San Bernardino County.
"Because of the magnitude of the foreclosure crisis there are so many different things that need to be done," said Supervisor Paul Biane.
The Inland Empire Economic Recovery Corp., which was formed in December by the county, would rely on public-private partnerships to assist first-time homebuyers and buy foreclosed houses in the region in bulk, fix them up and resell them. Two supervisors sit on its board of directors.
Concerns had arisen about transparency and the safety of allocating taxpayer money to the corporation. Supervisor Paul Biane, who proposed forming the corporation, has steadfastly defended his plan.
"The idea is that it's going to be local people making local decisions," Biane said.
Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, a member of the corporation's board, said the proposal was a step toward stopping the bleeding.
"We are one entity that has unique abilities to help to solve the problem," Mitzelfelt said.
He spoke in favor of the corporation collaborating with Riverside County and cities in San Bernardino County.
Supervisor Josie Gonzales addressed concerns about the involvement of local developer Jeff Burum. The corporation could partner with an investment group known as CARE - Community Asset Recovery Enterprise - of which Burum is an investor.
Burum benefitted from a $100 million lawsuit settlement with the county concerning the Colonies development in Upland.
"Let me tell you, there are other very good and dedicated and vested private agencies, companies, that are part of this also," Gonzales said, "and you can't deny one person or exclude one person from participating."
Several real estate agents criticized the proposal during the meeting, saying the number of homes purchased with the $2.5 million would be a drop in the bucket and that the county may not be able to recoup the money spent purchasing the foreclosed houses because home prices are continuing to spiral downward.

Retiring Sheriff Gary Penrod has recommended Assistant Sheriff Rod Hoops fill the remaining two years of his term.

This morning, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors heeded Penrod's advice and voted to circumvent the interview process for finding an interim replacement for Penrod.

Because the position of county sheriff is an elected office, Penrod's replacement would be an appointee who would only serve until the 2010 election.

The board plans to vote Jan. 23 on appointing Hoops, a 30-year veteran in charge of operations,  to the position. If the vote goes through, Hoops would be sworn in on Feb. 3.

Normally, the board would collect applications from interested candidates and hold a public hearing to interview them. That process will not be conducted, the supervisors decided Tuesday.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote Tuesday on Chairman Paul Biane's recent proposal intended to help stop home values in San Bernardino County from plummeting farther.
The plan involves the county contracting with the newly formed Inland Empire Recovery Corporation, which would buy foreclosed properties in bulk, rehab them and resell them.
Biane is asking the board for $2.5 million to get the program rolling.
Supervisors Josie Gonzales and Neil Derry have previously expressed concerns about the proposal.
Gonzales said in December that she had questions about "full transparency of procedure" regarding the corporation and fiscal controls to protect the investment of taxpayer money.
The board voted Dec. 16 to hold off on contracting with the corporation and allocating $2.5 million. The issue will return before the board this morning.
On Monday, Derry said some of his concerns remain.
A number of guidelines were supposed to be added to the contract, including a rule that the county would only purchase residential units and indemnifications for the county, he said.
"As far as I know what has been proposed is still the same contract," Derry said. "If the contract doesn't change, I won't support it as it stands. My real issue is I don't have enough information to make a decision. I have a lot of questions still."
Biane has said the corporation could receive both local and foreign investment.
"Everyone has shown interest, but they have said show me the program," Biane said.
More than 42,000 houses in San Bernardino County are bank-owned, scheduled for auction or have received notices of default, according to a county report.
The concern is that the number of foreclosures will lead to blighted neighborhoods and will continue the spiral of declining home values, officials have said.
Biane maintains that his proposal's goal is to resell existing homes, not redevelop them.
He said some homes that are beyond repair could be torn down, but the focus is on helping first-time homebuyers acquire property.

With the outlook of a bleak budget looming, Supervisor Neil Derry is calling for San Bernardino County to reconsider and possibly put a stop to the benefits it gives to Superior Court judges.

"This has been a concern, just nothing has been done about it," Derry said. "Now, we've got legal reasons for looking at it as well."

The board's decision this week to pursue hiring a prosecutor to gather evidence of misconduct by Assessor Bill Postmus is seen as one of a number of strategies to remove the elected official from office and improve the county's image.

Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, said the decision appears to be an attempt by the Board of Supervisors to mend disintegrating public opinion in San Bernardino County.

He also gave restrained praise to board for initiating proceedings to unseat Postmus, who has been the center of a protracted political scandal and a criminal investigation by the district attorney.

"I suppose the county has been discredited for so long anything that they're doing on something like this is obviously a positive sign," Stern said. "I'm sure they feel it's hurting the reputation of the county, and they hope to turn things around."

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to start proceedings to remove embattled San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus from office.

The board directed county counsel to look into hiring an independent special prosecutor who would gather evidence of misconduct by Postmus, who is an elected official. The evidence would be used for a trial over which the board would preside.

Postmus' spokesman Ted Lehrer issued a response late Tuesday afternoon.
"Assessor Bill Postmus has no comment specifically related to today's action by the Board of Supervisors," Lehrer said. "However, Assessor Postmus would like to clearly state that he remains clearly committed to working on behalf of county taxpayers and that the assessor's office will continue to operate and function by providing excellent service to residents of the county."

As to speculation that Postmus would step down from office, Lehrer said, "At this point, there are no plans to announce a resignation."

The spokesman for Assessor Bill Postmus released this response today after the Board of Supervisors voted to start the procedure to remove Postmus from elected office.

"He's not in the office today unfortunately," Ted Lehrer said. "Assessor Bill Postmus has no comment specifically related to today's action by the Board of Supervisors. However, Assesor Postmus would like to clearly state that he remains clearly committed to working on behalf of county taxpayers and that the assessor's office will continue to operate and function by providing excellent service to residents of the county."

As for Postmus stepping down from office, Lehrer said, "At this point, there are no plans to announce a resignation."

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved today a request by 3rd District Supervisor Neil Derry to finalize the takeover of the Arrowhead Manor Water Company. 

A total of $1,220,520 -- allocated from the Special Districts Revolving Loan Fund, 3rd district discretionary funding and county contingency reserves -- will repay loan debt to the California Department of Water Resources in the amount of $910,520, and $310,000 in closing costs and other related charges to acquire the water company. 

The Arrowhead Manor Water Company will change to the Cedar Glen Water District upon completion of escrow.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this afternoon to start proceedings to remove embattled San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus from office.

The board directed county counsel to look into hiring an independent attorney and investigative staff to gather evidence of misconduct in office. The evidence would be used for a trial over which the board would preside.

A hearing could be held as early as May, said Ruth Stringer, county counsel.

"It could be a little earlier, it could be a little later," Stringer said. "It all depends on what the investigatory process produces."

During the hearing, the supervisors would have the power to subpoena witnesses and to require the assessor to appear before them. The  witnesses would also give sworn testimony.

The overall process of removal could take up to two years and cost anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million.

San Bernardino County is the only county in California whose charter gives the board of supervisors the power to remove an elected official.

The Needles Unified School District will continue to have the services of a Sheriff's Deputy who works directly with students, teachers and parents thanks to $50,000 in funding approved today by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

From the county:

The Board of Supervisors approved the expansion of San Bernardino County's Women, Infant and Children Nutrition Program to a new location in Victorville. 

The new office will be the third location in the Victor Valley and will supplement current offices in Adelanto and Hesperia.

Former Supervisor Dennis Hansberger said Wednesday that he disposed of official records before his term expired Nov. 30.

He also said he could not speak to a county policy he approved as Board of Supervisors chairman in 2004 that provides for the retention of public documents when a supervisor leaves office.

"We cleaned out the documents appropriately," Hansberger said. "Every day people dispose of documents. I don't keep documents in my office which are departmental in nature, and 99 percent of what we do is departmental in nature."

Supervisor Neil Derry reported Tuesday that files containing such items as project reports and contracts were missing when he took office just more than a week ago. Derry replaced Dennis Hansberger, who represented the 3rd district for 20 years.

"It comes across as meanspirited in a way that you would hope that officials entrusted with the public trust would put aside petty personal feelings and make decisions for the public good," said Jessica Levinson, political reform director for the Center for Governmental Studies. "It smacks of personal vengence."

Hansberger said Derry could obtain the records by requesting them from county departments where copies have been filed. He said he was greeted with a similar situation when he returned to office in 1996 and that he thought Derry might find it helpful to start from scratch.

"Everything he needs is there in some fashion or form," Hansberger said. "We only got rid of those things that were very old, out-of-date files."

Peter Scheer, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, said it is problematic if documents were disposed of that can't be replaced.

"If they actually have been destroyed, that's very unfortunate because the records belong to the public," Scheer said. "We don't know what they were or may have contained, but they may have been an important source of information of all the actions taken by the board in the recent past."

A number of county and state provisions have been put in place to guard against the loss or destruction of public records

The county policy states: "Any County officer or employee having custody or control of any County records shall, at the expiration of their term of office, appointment, or employment, deliver custody and control of all records kept or received by them to their sucessors or supervisors."

Two state codes also address the destruction of public records. One law states states that documents must be retained for at least two years and cannot be disposed of or destroyed without county board approval.

Another states that any official who allows documents to be stolen, removed, destroyed, altered or falsified can be charged with a criminal offense, resulting in up to four years in jail.

Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt said he encountered a similar situation as chief of staff for Bill Postmus when in 2000, Postmus replaced outgoing Supervisor Kathy Davis.

Lewis Cope, the head of the district attorney's Public Integrity Unit, said no complaints concerning the disappearance of the 3rd district documents have been submitted to his office.

Typically, investigations are only initiated after the district attorney receives a formal complaint.

From the county:

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors today approved the addition of a Trauma Systems Specialist to the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency (ICEMA) to oversee the region's trauma system and to assist a consultant selected by the County to prepare a study of the region's trauma system.
 
"Bringing a trauma center to the High Desert is something I believe is critical to the health and safety in our region," said Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. "With today's hiring of a trauma specialist, we're taking one more step toward that goal."
 
Supervisors earlier in the year approved a plan to perform a countywide assessment of the County's existing trauma system. A request for proposals (RFP) was developed and sent to experts in emergency medical services and trauma fields. Supervisors are expected to enter into a formal agreement with the Abaris Group on January 6 to complete the study. The study is expected to be completed by April 1.
 
The scope of work to be included in the study will include:
 - Evaluation of current volume and projected volume, by geographic region,
 - Evaluation of individual transport protocols and trauma triage practices,
 - Evaluation of patient care capacity, including capacity specific to the hospital's medical/surgical intensive care unit, operating rooms, and emergency departments,
 - Evaluation of medical and hospital staffing practices and needs, including recruitment, coverage and retention practices,
 - Evaluation of financial viability, and
 - On-site hospital visits
 
"This countywide assessment will show what the current needs are based on our existing trauma system and the expanding population," added Supervisor Mitzelfelt.  "It will also show where changes should be implemented in order to best serve the needs of the public, which could support my goal of bringing a trauma center to the High Desert."
 
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors serves as the governing board for ICEMA. The agency oversees emergency medical services in San Bernardino, Inyo and Mono counties.

From the county:

A local health clinic with a mission to serve the homeless and underserved population will receive financial assistance from San Bernardino County 5th District Supervisor Josie Gonzales.
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors yesterday approved Supervisor Gonzales' allocation of $10,000 that will enable the H Street Clinic to continue to provide medical care to needy residents living in the City of San Bernardino and nearby unincorporated areas.
"I fully support the work Rev. David Kalke and the staff do at the clinic and the Central City Lutheran Mission," said Supervisor Gonzales. "Aside from providing quality health care, meals, and shelter for many who have nowhere else to turn, Rev. Kalke is a constant advocate for the homeless members of our communities."
H Street Clinic is a full service community clinic that offers primary care as well as prevention education and screenings for treatable diseases. Its staff works in partnership with St. Bernardine Medical Center, Loma Linda University, and the County Public Health Department to provide low-cost or no-cost family based health services for the homeless, at-risk youth, and other underserved residents.
H Street Clinic is located at 1329 North H Street, San Bernardino. For more information about the clinic, including hours of operation and a detailed list of services they provide call (909) 381-0803 or visit website www.cclm.org.
The 5th District includes the unincorporated areas of Bloomington, Muscoy and Arrowhead Farms, the City of Rialto, major portions of the cities of Colton and San Bernardino, and a segment of the City of Fontana.

After a mere seven days in office, Neil Derry boldly beseeched his colleagues Tuesday morning to rescind millions of dollars in projects initiated during his predecessor's last days in office.

The problem? All the documents pertaining to those projects have gone missing.
"When I took office just over a week ago the files on the fifth floor were empty," Derry told the board.

To prove the point, Derry held up a binder that was supposed to contain plans for the Moonridge Zoo relocation project. It was empty.

Whether the files were destroyed by outgoing Supervisor Dennis Hansberger, who held the position for 20 years, remains unconfirmed. Calls to Hansberger's cell phone were not returned.

Destroying the public records stored on the fifth floor of the county government center, where the supervisors' offices are located, does not appear to have been illegal.

"We do not have any policy that addresses the retention or destruction of documents," said David Wert, county spokesman.

After the meeting, Derry said by telephone that he was not accusing anyone of a crime.

A transitional team had been formed to help smooth over the transfer of the 3rd district seat from Hansberger to Derry.

That team, which was hired to assist Derry at the end of the summer, was housed on the second floor of the government center, and staffers would have had no way of knowing what was occurring on the fifth floor regarding the documents, Derry said.

"We were being very careful not to intrude on Dennis Hansberger's territory," he said. "He was the supervisor and deserved the respect of that office."

Shortly before leaving office, Hansberger submitted a number of costly projects before the board for approval. Derry said the cost of the projects, which were all unanimously approved, constituted 80-90 percent of 3rd district money outside of his staff budget.

"There was a concerted effort to spend all 3rd district discretionary funds money as quickly as they could, so that it would not be there when I arrived in office," he said.

Derry said he was concerned about the funding sources of some of the programs which caused him to ask the board to rescind the funding. For example, the nearly $1 million committed to the Arrowhead Manor Water Company to repay a state loan should have come out of redevelopment agency money that had been set aside for Cedar Glen, Derry said.

In total, the money for seven projects was rescinded Tuesday. Among them was $500,000 for a traffic signal in Fawnskin for which no traffic study had been conducted. Another was $250,000 for landscape improvements at the Mentone Senior Center and Library. A $500,000 allocation for the Mountain Preservation Program in the San Bernardino Mountains was also repealed. Representatives from two local environmental groups that manage land in the mountains had said previously they were entirely unaware a program to merge sub-substandard lots had been in the works.

Derry expects that most of the projects will receive funding in the near future, but from different, more appropriate, sources.

Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt said during Tuesday's meeting that he encountered a similar situation when he ascended to his post.

"Starting from nothing when there are no files is no fun," Mitzelfelt said.

He suggested the board institute a policy to prevent the destruction of documents.

At his first public meeting as 3rd district supervisor this morning, Neil Derry beseeched his colleagues to rescind millions of dollars in projects initiated during his predecessor's last days in office. The problem? All the documents concerning those projects have gone missing.

"When I took office just over a week ago the files on the fifth floor were empty," Derry told the board.

To prove his point, he held up a binder that supposedly contained the plans for the Moonridge Zoo relocation project. It was empty.

Whether the files were destroyed by outgoing Supervisor Dennis Hansberger, who held the position for 20 years remains unconfirmed. A call to Hansberger's cell phone was not returned. It also remains unclear if destroying the public records stored on the fifth floor, where the supervisors' offices are located, constitutes a crime.

Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt said he encountered a similar situation when he ascended to his post.

"Starting from nothing when there are no files is no fun," Mitzelfelt said.

He suggested the board institute a policy to prevent the destruction of documents. 

 

Details remain scarce surrounding San Bernardino County's latest program to staunch the flood of foreclosures sweeping through cities and unincorporated areas.

On Monday the Board of Supervisors voted to enter into a contract with the Inland Empire Economic Recovery Corporation, which would use a public-private partnership to address the foreclosure problem.

The board also named Supervisors Paul Biane and Brad Mitzelfelt to sit on the corporation's board of directors.

But the non-profit corporation has yet to be officially formed, a search of the secretary of state's business database found. The names of the businesses that would be involved in the "private" side of the partnership also have yet to be divulged.

Paul Herrera, spokesman for the county's Economic Development Agency, said although the agency will be administering approximately $23 million from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program to help ease the foreclosure crisis, it is not involved in the latest move by the board.

"The two programs don't talk to one another," Herrera said. "It's different groups."
The board could approve committing $2.5 million to the corporation in the next two weeks, according to a county report.

With the median home value in San Bernardino County having plummeted to approximately $200,0000, that money would only be enough to purchase approximately 10 homes.
More than 42,000 houses in the county are in various stages of foreclosure.

The board also indicated Monday that it would like to partner with the Riverside County by means of the corporation.

Lys Mendez, Riverside County spokeswoman, said there is support for "unified efforts" with San Bernardino County to address foreclosures. But no date has been set for when Riverside County may enter into a contract with the corporation, she said.

"It's my understanding the corporation hasn't been formed yet," Mendez said. "We're waiting to see how things develop."

In September, the two counties issued a joint statement urging the federal government to create contracts with regional public-private partnerships to oversee the disposition of mortgage assets acquired by the treasury from floundering banks.

Even with the declaration of a fiscal emergency in California and the looming threat of a cash shortage by February, state lawmakers in San Bernardino County said Tuesday an agreement must be reached but hesitated to say exactly what compromises will be made.

Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto, expressed frustration with Republicans for balking at a proposal for spending cuts and a tax increase put forward by the governor and Democrats.

The Republicans are opposed to the proposal, but they have yet to submit an alternative, she said.

"If we had something else to look at other than what we're putting on the table, it would be different," Carter said. "I was so hoping our particular caucus from the county would step up since our county is suffering the most. ... I have one more opportunity to be optimistic."

Carter was referring to a special session of the Legislature called by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger when he declared the fiscal emergency on Monday. A date for the special session has yet to be announced.

Assemblyman Paul Cook, a Republican whose district includes much of the Morongo Basin, said now is the time for "radical" ideas.

He has suggested cutting pay to legislators if they can't reach an agreement and said he would support forming an independent committee completely separate from the political arena that could make budget reform recommendations. Cook also called for the governor to keep lawmakers in

The Board of Supervisors rolled out another program Monday aimed at stemming the foreclosure crisis in San Bernardino County.

"Most likely, we're probably looking at another wave of foreclosures that are going to happen in the next few years as people recognize they are upside down in their equity," said Supervisor Paul Biane.

Earlier in November, the board adopted a plan to use millions of dollars in federal money to help homebuyers purchase foreclosed homes and enable government agencies to acquire and either resell or rent foreclosed houses in the county.

The ceremony will be followed by a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

There are several items on the agenda:

- Discussion of a contract with the Inland Empire Economic Recovery Corporation, a non-profit started to help the county negotiate the foreclosure crisis

-Discussion of appointing Supervisors Paul Biane and Brad Mitzelfelt to serve on the corporation's Board of Directors

-Discussion of the county providing a $500,000 match if an economic-stimulus grant is given by the state

Background: Incoming supervisor Neil Derry and current supervisors Brad Mitzelfelt and Josie Gonzales will be sworn in to four-year terms today.

The ceremony will be held at noon in the Covington Chambers at the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino.

The ceremony can be viewed live at this link. It will be archived and available for later viewing beginning Tuesday.