Uffer Era Ends on a 3-2 Vote

Mark H. Uffer’s five-year tenure as the county’s top administrative officer drew to a close this week with a 3-2 vote of the board of supervisors.
The sacking of Uffer, who was named interim county administrative officer in March 2004 and then given the official title as CAO in September 2004, [...]

County Extends Contract with Corruption Figure’s Firm

The county has extended by one year the contract it has with its Sacramento lobbyist, Platinum Advisors, despite a scandal involving the company and its simultaneous representation of the county and a company from whom the county purchased the Adelanto jail for $31.2 million in 2005.
After whispers of the double [...]

Stout needs to rethink strategy

Dennis Stout, San Bernardino County’s former district attorney, wants his old job back and says he will see whether he can rally enough enough support to run against District Attorney Michael A. Ramos.Over the next couple of months, Stout said, he will reach out to former supporters.
This page counted [...]

Former Corrupt San Bernardino County DA says he may run against Ramos

Former San Bernardino County District Attorney Dennis Stout announced Wednesday that he is considering running for his old job in 2010 — challenging District Attorney Mike Ramos, who defeated him in 2002.
Stout, who served as the county’s top prosecutor for eight years, said he believes political corruption is worse than [...]

State to join San Bernardino County corruption probe

The state attorney general’s office will join an expanding probe of political corruption in San Bernardino County centered largely on the past activities of the assessor’s office, officials said Monday.
So far the investigation has led to the arrest of former Assessor Bill Postmus and four former employees in his office.
Allegations [...]

Postmus files claim against county

SAN BERNARDINO – Former Assessor Bill Postmus filed a claim against San Bernardino County on Wednesday, alleging, among other things, civil rights violations, breach of contract and malicious prosecution related to criminal and civil cases pending against him.Postmus, 38, who resigned from his elected office on Feb. 13 amid [...]

Ramos Accused

SAN BERNARDINO – A District Attorney’s Office employee who claims she had a 17-month affair with District Attorney Michael A. Ramos said Thursday that she has lodged a sexual harassment complaint against him with the county’s human resources department.
The complaint comes in the wake of a call by San Bernardino County [...]

Truth & consequences

Investigators bold enough to take on corruption in San Bernardino County have themselves seldom escaped controversy.Some have been criticized by the same leaders who hired them. For others, the stakes have been even higher.
Former District Attorney Dennis Stout, 61, says his political career was upended in large part because he lost [...]

County supervisor says rumors about DA should be investigated

PDF: Read San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry’s statement
Special Section: San Bernardino Co. Probe
San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry on Thursday called for an independent investigation of allegations that District Attorney Mike Ramos has engaged in improper behavior.
Derry said he is troubled by rumors that have been swirling in [...]

Handheld stealth

New technology should not be a tool for subverting citizens’ power to monitor government actions. San Bernardino County’s example shows the need for cities and counties to ensure that all communications about official business are open to public scrutiny.
County special counsel John Hueston raised the issue in his investigation of [...]

San Bernardino County Scandal Spills Into Riverside County

The San Bernardino County’s District Attorney’s investigation into public corruption has led to three resignations and arrests.
Republican party political operative Adam Aleman was the first to be arrested following his resignation as an Assistant Assessor to then San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus.
After Aleman’s arrest and his cooperation with investigators, [...]

Former San Bernardino County assistant assessor, Jim Erwin, is arrested

A widening criminal probe of the San Bernardino County assessor’s office led to the arrest Thursday of James Erwin, chief of staff for county Supervisor Neil Derry and a former assistant assessor, on 10 felony counts including “failure to disclose receipt of prostitution and masseuse services.”Investigators from the district attorney’s [...]

Spokesman for recall drive against S.B. County assessor Bill Postmus arrested on child porn charges

The spokesman for a recall drive against San Bernardino County’s former assessor has been charged with possession of child pornography, San Bernardino County Superior Court records show.
See his case report on the child porn charge
See his case report on spousal abuse and witness tampering charges
See his case report on [...]

San Bernardino County Official Discloses Gifts Amid Corruption Probe

Jim Erwin, Chief of Staff for San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry now says that he received a $13,000 Rolex and a trip to New York City as compensation for consulting work he performed over a six-month period for Colonies Partners, a developer at one time engaged in a protracted and [...]

Sealing of Postmus warrant questioned

SAN BERNARDINO – A judge may have violated the First Amendment when he sealed a search warrant involving the San Bernardino County assessor without any explanation, an attorney for a free-speech advocacy group said Monday.
“You need to provide a reason,” said Rachel Matteo-Boehm, an attorney for the California [...]

San Bernardino County Assessor Postmus arrested

Detectives investigating San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus fanned out across Southern California on Thursday morning seeking evidence of political malfeasance but stumbled across something else – his stash of methamphetamine, authorities said.
One of the county’s top political players was promptly arrested at his Rancho Cucamonga town house. But the political [...]