San Bernardino council votes to send ultimatum to church after receiving sex offender memo

SAN BERNARDINO – The San Bernardino City Council voted late Monday night to send an ultimatum to a local church that hosts an Operation Phoenix youth center after council members received a leaked memo reporting that a registered sex offender had performed work on the premises.The council voted 5-0, following the recommendation of Councilwoman Wendy McCammack, to inform the leadership of First Church of the Nazarene that City Hall will stop paying rent to lease space at the church’s campus unless the congregation agrees to never allow any registered sex offenders to set foot on the facility.

Council members Esther Estrada, Tobin Brinker, Fred Shorett and Chas Kelley voted in favor of McCammack’s plan. Council members Dennis Baxter and Rikke Van Johnson were reportedly ill and not present at the meeting.

Representatives from First Church of the Nazarene were not present at the meeting to respond.

The unknown party who made a confidential memo into a public concern did so as little more than a month remains before the Nov. 3 city elections.

The sex offender issue arose Monday after an unknown party delivered a confidential memo to each council member’s place on the dais. The document was set out before the start of Monday’s council meeting.

The document, written by Police Chief Keith Kilmer, reported that a registered sex offender had performed work at the church, which is home to three children’s facilities, including city’s first Operation Phoenix recreational center.

SB police captain files claim against city

San Bernardino: A police captain filed a claim this week, accusing two city leaders of trying to sabotage his promotion because he supports the embattled police chief.Capt. Brian Boom also claims the officials – City Councilwoman Wendy McCammack and City Attorney James F. Penman – copied and destroyed his personnel file.

Boom declined to comment on his claim. His attorney, Geoffrey Hopper, said in a voicemail message that the case is “an ongoing legal matter and we’re not going to able to comment on this.”

The timeline of Boom’s October promotion coincided with one of the recurring flare ups between police brass and the department’s rank-and-file.

See also:

San Bernardino police deliver second no confidence vote in top brass

San Bernardino Police Sgt. Bradley Lawrence

Review of San Bernardino Police Department policies sought

Glenn Baude reflects on Operation Phoenix events

Here’s a follow-up to our story on former Operation Phoenix director Glenn Baude’s decision to retire. This is an extended version of the article that will appear in The Sun. Baude was under a gag order for much of the time that Phoenix-related developments and controversies dominated the news during the summer.  He’s now able to speak his mind. Former director Operation Phoenix retires Ex-director Phoenix Glenn Baude placed on leave Arrest of Phoenix Manager Michael Miller: Full Report Michael Steven Miller Superior Court Case File

Review of San Bernardino Police Department policies sought

Two San Bernardino city councilwomen called Friday for an immediate review of Police Department policies, but the police union president said any such review must include the authority to impose changes.