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, his former boss, County Assessor Bill Postmus was arrested on drug charges when investigators discovered methamphetamine in his home while executing a search warrant.  Postmus then resigned as Assessor and recently entered a drug rehabilitation center.

Jim Erwin, the Chief of Staff to County Supervisor Neil Derry has also been arrested, which of course led to his resignation.  Now before going to work for Supervisor Derry, Jim Erwin had been an Assistant Assessor to Bill Postmus, and before that he was the head of the San Bernardino County Deputies union.  Jim Erwin’s previous claim to fame had been having a sexual relationship with the County’s chief negotiator during contract talks for the deputies.The heart of the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s corruption investigation appears to be the $102 million settlement the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay Colonies Partners and developer Jeff Burum in a flood control dispute in Upland, California.  Bill Postmus was a County Supervisor at the time, and he along with County Supervisor Paul Biane threw the lawyers for the County out of the room and reached the questionable deal with the Colonies.