On What Makes a Patriot......

I received a call from a man a few minutes ago that did not want to leave his name due to pending litigation involving some prominent folks. He was scared, but wanted to share. I listened. I was inspired to write the following and would ask Mike Ramos, his campaign team and any patriot group within reach of this blog to log on and note their agreement with same:
1. A patriot is a citizen that does not fear dialogue on what he/she holds dear ideologically;
2. A patriot is a citizen that does not fear the person participating in that dialogue in a lawful and peaceful manner;
3. A patriot is a citizen that will not disrespect or act to harm the person while trying to communicate their view in a lawful and peaceful manner;
4. A patriot is a citizen that will protect the right of each and every citizen against harm, retaliation, harassment and injury, physical and or economic, for having expressed themselves in a lawful and peaceful manner;

GUZMAN SUED BY FORMER CLIENT........Ramos Campaign Tactic 14b

The link FYI is @ http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_15176602; its not clear what the allegations are based on factually or how credible they might be as no retainer agreement is attached to the complaint (which is odd)-- but its a lawsuit nevertheless against the other challenger in the DA race. As I have done throughout this campaign, I must disclose "it wasn't me" (that had anything to do with or brought the lawsuit).

RAMOS GETS HIT WITH DONATED MAILER--ANYONE SEEN IT??

At "http://iepolitics.com/2010/05/25/iepolitics-is-assemlyman-bill-emmerson-r-somewhere-in-california-turning-against-district-attorney-mike-ramos/" there is an interesting reference:
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"Bill Emmerson’s civil attorney (who defended Emmerson in a legal matter regarding a court challenge to Emmerson’s new Riverside County residency) is Jim Lacy. Lacy, who in addition to being an lawyer is also a prominent political slate mail vendor, just donated a mailing that blasted supposed deficiencies of DA Mike Ramos". (P.S. I'd love to see it)
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Interesting and the beat goes on.
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FYI, I thought the Doe might have been Mitzelfelt, as he was a chief of staff, ran the show while Postmus was in his drug stupors and or rehab stints and when Mitzelfelt was appointed to the Board of Supervisors he seemlessly moved into not just the position, but the Chairman of the Board (and the rest of the Board rolled over to that power grab)--I know my two cents worth is contra to the opinion of the people tracking this but this is after all a blog!
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As for the DA's office, why the drama--if Biane's and or his assistant did something, name them and get it over. If not, there has to be a better reason than we did not get to this yet--several careers are in the balance. The games have got to stop.

Guzman is adding to the dirty campaign tactics

One of my volunteers called me today to say that on Bear Valley Road, a major boulevard that splits the Victor Valley, both Ramos' and my signs are gone and guess what is in their place, Guzman's signs (the Monday before Guzman was an invited guest at a Tea Party group at the Cocky Bull) and today I get another "Voter Information Guide for Democrats" and prominently listed is Ramos and Hoops. Ripped off signs and misrepresentation (as neither Ramos nor Hoops are democrats!)

DAVID KICKS the COUNTY's a*#@ on NURSERY PRODUCTS-(and another reason we need an enviornmental justice unit in the DA's office)-

The court of appeal in San Diego today (May 25, 2010) in CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY et al., Plaintiffs and Respondents, v. COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, NURSERY PRODUCTS, LLC, (https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=313e44bdc8&view=att&th=128d19072fe9f260&attid=0.1.1&disp=attd&zw) issued a peremptory writ of mandate that requires the County to set aside the certification for the FEIR ( the "Final Environmental Impact Report" for the open-air human waste sludge dump outside of Hinkley, Barstow and Silver Lakes) and all approvals for the project, including the CUP (conditional use permit the County of San Bernardino issued twice) and to comply with CEQA (the California Environmental Quality Act). The writ enjoins (stops) Nursery Products from proceeding with any aspect of the project "unless and until such time as the County has certified and adopted an EIR that complies with CEQA." Judgment was entered on June 23, 2008, with the court reserving the issue of attorney fees. This was an ugly fight by locals, law students and 501c lawyers. Ramos of course was no where to be found in enforcing the CEQA laws--which is why we need an environmental justice unit in the District Attorney's office.

"THROW OUT HORNDOG D.A. MIKE RAMOS;HE HAS SEX & THE TAXPAYERS Get SCREWED" sign is cool

This is not my sign, which makes it all the more important to feature (and by the way I finally figured out the way to get images posted on my blog--yeah!!); the sign shows what is going on and frankly for us grass roots types, that see potential doners scared by this guy and his political machine, it is good to see. Whoever did it, thanks. Ramos is hurting us. His 60% conviction rate of major gang felonies (when every other major county has a 90% plus conviction rate) is toleration of failure. Ramos is 14% over budget. He has a 10,000 misdemeanor case backlog. I hope 10,000 of these signs get put in neighborhood yards!!!

SAVE OUR SHERIFFS' PENSIONS--TELL THE COUNTY TO GO GREEN

As a private citizen, I am forever shocked by the law enforcement union (SEBA) & the County's leadership being so willing to screw its own membership without a fight (SEBA being the same union that backs RAMOS the HARASSER for DA)--we need to cover the back of our law enforcement--part of that promise is making sure all can enjoy the same pension benefits for their years of loyal service. I have a solution--go green. Take the existing lighting out of County facilities and install LED lighting. LED lighting typically uses 5-15% of the energy that a incandescent light uses and they don't have the mercury that compact florescent lights(which is a landfill issue) . LEDs last longer - in many cases over 50,000 hours compared to a typical 1500 hour life for an incandescent bulb. Cost savings for LED lights are calculated based on the savings found over the lifetime of the LED in energy consumption. They do not include the time, effort and expense of replacing an incandescent bulb 30 times over the life of a replacement LED. For example: a typical LED 7x1 watt LED bulb replaces a 75 watt incandescent and lasts 50,000 hours. The savings of 68 watts times 50,000 hours equals 3,400 Kwh. At $0.15 per Kwh the savings is calculated at $519./ bulb--the county has at least 100,000 bulbs or a savings of over $51,000,000??. The savings are actually more as this number does not include the cost of time and energy to buy and physically replace an incandescent 25 to 50 times over the life of the LED. Go green so the Sheriffs can keep their retirement green. SHERIFFS, DON'T LET THE COUNTY & SEBA SELL YOU OUT (again)!

IF RAMOS & HOOPS LIE TO GET YOUR VOTE, DO YOU WANT THEM IN OFFICE?

For the 2nd time in two weeks, Ramos and Hoops set out to deceive voters. In a slate mailer called the "DEMOCRATIC ELECTION EDUCATION GUIDE", both Hoops (the hand picked successor to Penrod appointed by the current County Board of Supervisors after Penrod resigned and who himself is implicated in sanctioning wage theft by certain of his buds on the department) and Mike Ramos (the morally corrupted district attorney with his admitted affairs with County employees) lists themselves in a publication that states it it "OFFICIALLY Featuring Every Statewide Candidate and Proposition Endorsed by the CA DEMOCRATIC PARTY"--it is a bald faced lie. Both are republicans. It is troubling that in the name of politics, that the two highest law enforcement figures have to resort to such deception. John 1:4 it reads :" I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father"--kinda know from what Hoops and Ramos have done not once but twice what father Ramos and Hoops have!!

Local Tea Party Invites Only Guzman for DA Forum------

In the "California Tea Party News Advocate" edition dated May 19, 2010 (Issue #2), there is a front page article titled "HIGH DESERT TEA PARTY ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUESTS ON MAY 27th" (at Cocky Bull Steak House & Concert Hall, 14181 US Highway 395, Victorville @ 5:30 pm)--below the picture is none other than Brad Mitzelfelt, Bill Postmus' former Chief of Staff when all the Colonies negotiations were going down, when his boss was AWOL for drug hospitalizations (and he is not even up for re-election!); the list below is the candidate "forum" guest list of:
Brad Mitzelfelt-San Bernardino County Supervisor
Ken Miller-Governor
Scott Levitt- Lieutenant Governor
Ken Hunter-59th Assembly District
Frank Guzman-District Attorney
James Hoskins-Judge Office #121
Edmund Montgomery-Judge Office #29
Dennis Draeger-Assessor/Recorder [a Democrat, but he was hand-picked by the current board of supervisors after Postmus' resignation]
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Interesting side note: I was called about a week ago by some woman asking me if I wanted to talk to a Tea Party group [there are a number of them, so I don't think it was the same one hosting the event--there's the Apple Valley Tea Party group that meets on the corner of Bear Valley & Apple Valley Road from 5p to 6p every Monday (no phone contact or web info), AFFRN who holds a meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the VFW Hall located at Johnson Road & Neilson Road in Phelan and starts at 7 pm (info@affm.org), the Barstow Tea Party Forum which meets every Thursday from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at Los Domingo's Restaurant (760-590-9571 or www.patriotforum.com) and the Ontario, CA IE whose contact is Laura at 909-693-6957]. Oh yeah, back to the details, when I called back to get the details, it was the direct line to one of Sheriff Hoops' senior detectives in Victorville (by the way, all my signs within a 100 feet of Hoops' or Riley's signs are gone!!). I emailed some of the people I know that are part of the group and one said by email he'd get back to me and the other was shocked no one had called me [as I had talked to the Barstow group as an invited speaker and at several SOC (Save Our County) meetings hosted by Barb Stanton].
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Funky election process.

FYI--interesting link with video explaining how important a DA race is!

www.aclunc.org/justice/

Ramos Fund Raising for Legal Fees??.

See: http://inlandpolitics.com/blog/ for the front edge of what may be an interesting story--it really does not make any sense for Ramos to be padding his fund raising lead--well heck, its not even a race if you believe the Ramos camp--the Ramos folks are sending out his victory party announcements as I write this. Ramos is raising money like Postmus did before his tumble. Denial is a terrible thing Mike. Come clean. Speaking of legal fees and embattled DA's did anyone hear of the Nye County (Nevada) District Attorney's (Bob Beckett) problems--the County Sheriffs hooked up DA Bob Beckett when investigation showed irregularities in accounting [mmh--money coming in from the bad check restitution program that may well be illegal or money being given to his wife from campaign account(s) but not reported or trips....--opps, that's what Ramos did, not the DA of Nye County].

Is use of Yablonski's name by Ramos in a political flyer an ethical violation??

A District Attorney's job (according to the U.S. Supreme Court in Berger v. United States)“is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done . . . .” 295 U.S. 78, 88 (1935). In addition to the ordinary codes of conduct governing lawyers in their jurisdictions, prosecutors operate under internal policies and ABA Standards for the Administration of Criminal Justice (1999). In particular, prosecutors are governed by the internal policies of their prosecutorial agency and they are guided by prosecution standards of ethics set out in STANDARDS RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, PROSECUTION FUNCTION (1993), the NATIONAL PROSECUTION STANDARDS (Nat’l District Atty’s Ass’n 2d ed. 1991) and the STANDARDS RELATING TO THE ADMIN. OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, PROSECUTORS AND CONFLICTS. Prosecutors, even more than other lawyers, must retain the role of advocate without becoming personally invested in a case. Prosecutors are not allowed to permit their professional judgment “to be affected by his or her own political.... or personal interests.”See STANDARDS RELATING TO THE ADMIN. OF JUSTICE, PROSECUTION FUNCTION Standard 3-1.3(f) (1993). So ask yourself, is exploiting the name and likeness of a charged private citizen BEFORE his case goes to trial in a political flyer (bragging about a "Cold Case" Unit) a breach of Ramo's ethical duties??

Flyer link @http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.ramosforda.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F05%2FMailer_Ramos_Yablonsky_062010.pdf&h=d56e0

YOU CAN TELL ITS CAMPAIGN TIME

In a two hour period, I was interviewed by another reporter, talked with two other papers and my treasurer about media buys, fielded a call from VoteSmart (http://forms.smartvoter.org/candidate/)that told me two weeks ago they sent me a note about my submission needing to be revised (which means I lost 2 weeks of potential voter exposure-opps), I heard from my republican sources that Ramos was sending our victory party invites (I guess he thinks its wrapped up) despite a very poor net on his fundraiser yesterday (too many comps given out to inflate the appearance of interest??). I guess image is everything! Wait a second, maybe I am on to something about Ramos.

KEEPING RAMOS AS DA MAY INCREASE GANG RELATED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said the overall conviction rate by his Hardcore Gang Division has risen from 87 percent in 2001 to 94 percent in 2003. The conviction rate for murders went from 90 percent in 2001 to 94 percent in 2003, and the conviction rate for attempted murders jumped from 74 percent in 2001 to 93 percent in 2003.
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So why is Ramos bragging about 60% conviction rate in his gang unit in his mailers? With such a poor conviction rate track record on gang related crime, as a gang leader you'd have to ask why not move your operations to San Bernardino County--you stand a 40% chance of getting off if you ever get busted in San Bernardino and a 5% chance in LA County. Keeping Ramos will increase the incentives for gang related criminal activity to come here (which if you haven't noticed, has been happening). Ramos really is a failure project. Defeat Ramos so we can improve conviction rates. We are entitled to better!!

RAMOS, HOOPS, HOSKING & STULL-the DECEIVERS- the "COPS VOTER GUIDE" scam

Ramos purchased a "COPS VOTER GUIDE" spot for the "DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ELECTION", a product of "CALIFORNIA VOTE BY MAIL VOTER GUIDE, NOT AN OFFICIAL POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATION" [no return address]; listed on the guide as democrats are Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, Pedro Nava, David Jones and Gloria Romero and guess who is listed under "Democratic Primary Election"--none other than Mike Ramos and Rod Hoops--the two top "cops" in San Bernardino County and two Deputy District Attorneys (Victor Stull & James Hosking) running for judge.
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What's the problem??
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(1) Since the District Attorney, Sheriff and judicial races are non-partisan, its a lie of the worst kind to say they are running in a democratic primary. Ramos, Hoops, Stull and Hosking are misleading the public--shame on them.
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(2) as to Ramos, he is trying to mislead the public into thinking he is a democrat? Scarey liars unless your vote calls each of them out.

NICE LETTER TO THE EDITOR FROM READER ABOUT MIKE RAMOS & JOE BACA POWER GRAB

"Hoarding of power (from Voice of the People, San Bernardino Sun)

There is a movement afoot by District Attorney Ramos and Congressman Baca. San Bernardino County faces further ruin through their combined political agendas toward control.

The Ramos/Baca One World Order, a political plan to benefit few, is coming into the open May 20 at the San Bernardino Auto Mall where Baca will host a fundraiser for Ramos.

We are witnessing a hoarding of power. Not to understand this is not to understand the war of corruption we are fighting in our county. This fundraiser should serve as a wake-up call.

As the election period has unfolded we have seen the wave of opposition to Ramos' well-funded re-election campaign, which has gradually been seen as the evil to be avoided. Support for him has been drastically dwindling.

Ramos' "investigation" into the Colonies was conducted with an eye to destroy, close down, political vengeance and annihilate, holding a preconceived opinion and political agenda.

The June 8 election is uniquely designed as an opportunity to be used to its fullest or wasted.

There is no shortcut to clean up corruption, but the choices we make June 8 will determine futures and events throughout our county.

Don't stand idly by, get involved, make a difference - vote June 8.

KATHY RICHARDS
San Bernardino" [NOTE: Letter is by SUN reader, not Conaway]

Ramos in a political flyer (for political gain?) exploits a man the system presumes innocent!!

Today, most of San Bernardino County voters received a color flyer with John Yablonsky's name on it with the words "IT'S NEVER A COLD CASE" and on the other side "GANGBUSTER". Ramos slides to new lows by not only bragging about a conviction rate of roughly 60% (when most major counties have an 85-90% conviction rate) and bragging about his having waited almost his entire term before filing for a getting an anti-gang injunction (curiously timed to just before the election), but he now taints the jury pool (voters are typically amongst the people that serve on juries) by putting the name and face of an accused (not yet convicted) alleged killer on one of his political fliers. I hope that Yablonsky, if he guilty, does not get off due to the advertising stunt of a desperate Mike Ramos anxious to find any reason to tell voters to vote for him. Why, I ask you, if his department has sent "over 3,000 gangbangers" to prison (which is barely over 60% of the people he charged--which means rough 2,000 gangbangers who committed crimes are back on the street doing their thing) did Ramos not use the names of people he succeeded in putting away as evidence of his success? Why pick a man that has the presumption of innocence, especially where the result might be to taint the jury pool. How far does Ramos go to win? Oh yeah, I forgot, Ramos is not bothered by the law.

Activism is my rent for living on the planet--so what are you paying??

Between the lines I have heard people say he has run for everything--the nicer folks says "maybe this time", "he was right before" and others simply say he is "a perennial candidate". Aside from the fact that my training, life experiences and heart are to serve, and always will be, I saw a line from someone on Facebook that kinda explains me--"activism is my rent for living on the planet"--that this blog (instead of a website) is laden with issues, concerns and attempts at dialogue (since I have had minimal comments--its more of a monologue?) is some indicia of my desire to engage people, search for better ways and ultimately sell myself as part of that solution (which I am whether or not I win). By the way, a consultant for the county last Saturday told me my blog is one of the highest hit blogs in the county according to marketing data he had access to--humm, maybe I should call this a soliloquy. One last comment--the City of Chino Hills is threatening to cite people for signs being put up without their ok. One of these days, someone is going to take on those ordinances that act like a prior restraint.

On the "Tax Cannabis 2010" campaign......an on line "show" on May 19

The California Board of Equalization did a study last year and concluded that regulated cannabis could bring in around $1.4 billion per year in additional taxes. It is also claimed that a commercial cannabis law will save money from no longer having to arrest and prosecute most marijuana-related crimes, but with that said, I wonder how much more cost the social cost may be from having another "intoxicant" (which is what some consider it) readily available (for non-medical use) ? Won't we still have to prevent unauthorized and or unlicensed growers and distribution (other than for Prop 215 patients and co-ops) and use (e.g. driving under the influence)? It seems like impact studies are needed. The role of federal regulations may also make such a proposition a useless act?
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I asked an on-line forum the following questions(for a forum to be held on May 19 at 5:30 p.m. with "Tax Cannabis 2010 spokesperson Dale Clare", a live online discussion where she'll be taking questions about the campaign)--Click here to submit a question for the broadcast!);
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(1) Putting aside the current DEA and County enforcement issues with Prop 215, what will be the law enforcement cost and additional court costs enforcing the commercial licenses to grow & distribute? Will there be a savings?
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(2) What will be the increase, if any, in marijuana related intoxication crimes (driving under the influence, public "intoxication", etc) and where will the money be for law enforcement services to protect against any increased risk to the public--will the tax revenue from the new law be diverted to just law enforcement??

Scoop! Press Riverside Enterprise Endorses Ramos!! (or will)

The California Republican Assembly endorsed Frank Guzman and the California Democratic Party of San Bernardino County endorsed Bob Conaway skipped the Press Enterprise's endorsement interview for San Bernardino County District Attorney when it became all too evident that this was an exercise for Mike Ramos thug campaign's benefit only. This writer did not want to give any legitimacy to the rigged endorsement process the Press Enterprise is all too willing to be a part of for (for the sake of a few ad buys?).

Ramos' "Gangbuster Flyer" ignores a bigger problem --Wasn't SEBA's Abernathie Involved in a 1986 Rape of a 17 Year Old Explorer Scout??

In a political mailer called "Gangbuster" run by one of the San Bernardino County public employee unions (SEBA), the flyer says (quoting a William Abernathie) "[w]e encourage you to vote for Mike Ramos."

So what do we know about Mike Ramos' supporter at SEBA (Abernathie)?? If it's the same guy covered by the LA Times and Daily Press, well, that Mike Ramos does not care may be the biggest story. Please consider:

LOS ANGELES TIMES story from March 23, 1986:

"5 Ex-Deputies, 6th Man Charged in Rape

Five former San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies and a sixth man have been charged with raping a 17-year-old female Explorer Scout who worked at the Victorville sheriff's station. Deputy Sheriff Ronnie Lynn Wimberly, 30, was charged with forcible rape, assault with intent to commit rape and sexual battery for an incident that reportedly occurred on Feb. 14, Sheriff's Department officials said. Former deputies Robert Mason Swindle, 31, James Bradley Dawson, 37,William Abernathie Jr., 28, and Timothy Ray Retzlaff, 27, were charged with statutory rape for allegedly having sex with a female under 18 years of age in incidents that reportedly occurred over a two-year period, sheriff's spokesman Jim Bryant said. A sixth man, Rex Lair, 26, also was charged with statutory rape. Warrants were issued for the arrests of the six men".

Here's one of 5 stories from Victor Valley Daily Press in 1986:

Wow..if it is the same Abernathie--in this writer's opinion it is shameful that Mike Ramos would allow his name to be used in the same mailer, but with Ramos having sexual problems with County workers (which he does not deny), I guess no big surprise!!!

A vote for Ramos is a vote for the whole culture (or vulture?) of corruption.

Prosecuting a few, late in game with poor results to date, does not purge the taint on the candidate and some if his backers.

FYI folks--the gang injunctions were first used in Los Angeles County in the early 1990's--why did it take Mike Ramos seven years to get around to it if it was such a good idea?? Could it be that he did not think it was a priority until he needed something say in a campaign flyer??

Too many question Mr. Ramos.

NO RESPECTO

When you get to Ramo's website (http://news.ramosforda.com/?p=493) , click on "HERE" for a hard copy of an invitation to a May 20, 2010 fundraiser for Mike Ramos at 650 Auto Center Drive, San Bernardino, CA 92408 (Scion Building on the Freeway, San Bernardino Auto Mall). Working Joe Baca (Sr.) not only endorses Mike Ramos for DA per Ramo's website (who was on Bush's and Arnold's re-election committees), Joe Baca, Sr., a democratic congressman who is obligated to not contradict the endorsement of the Democratic Party, is on the "hosting" committee for Ramos' fundraising event. We will never make inroads into the culture of corruption when people we work hard to re-elect side with people under constant investigation and questioning like Jerry Lewis and Mike Ramos. This is really amazing--Jerry Lewis is under investigation and Mike Ramos' office is being questioned for his delays in investigation of the Colonies (and other things). Joe is in the wrong country club and seems to think he is above his own party's rules by endorsing a republican in a race where the democratic party has endorsed his opponent (Bob Conaway).

BOB CONAWAY's POSITION STATEMENT ON AB 999 & JUVENILE ADD-ONS

Youth in California serve the longest average sentences in the US. California's Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) can lock up youth longer by imposing "time adds" based on behavior arbitrarily assessed by the youth prison authority. Add-on sentence time accounts for 1/3 of custody time in DJJ. I support AB 999 to eliminate time adds & establish incentive programs in which youth can earn credits for program participation & save California over $130 million. I'd oppose time adds until AB 999 passes not only because it appears to be an unconstitutional increase in the sentence imposed by a court by a corrections official (without court approval), but it would save us money in housing (custody costs). Its a time for change.

RAMOS & GUZMAN ARE ONE OF A FEATHER & ENDORSE HOSKING!!

This was just brought to my attention this morning. What are Ramos and
Guzman doing endorsing Deputy DA (auto theft lawyer) Hosking?

Looks like Judge Lemkau's campaign just started with charges of false
statements and charges for resisting arrest against his opponent. Then
the defense atty comments wow! And the shockers are dropped by the presiding judge!

Makes you wonder who else Ramos and Guzman are not vetting... ..

http://votejudgelemkau.com/endorse.html

Ramos is getting the money the GOP Central Committee used to??

Looky here guys-- talk is cheap and getting cheaper. Without Postmus' corrupt fund-raising, the GOP Central Committee is broke. What does that say about the party of Ramos--wait a second, doesn't Ramos have a little less than a half million in his campaign for DA? Could he be diverting the money to his coffers as the last Mohican standing from the Postmus cabal? Check out the facts at: http://blogs.pe.com/politics/2010/05/sb-county-gop-out-of-money.html

New Endorsement , Thor's Hammer & a wiretap !!

(1) I just picked up the endorsement of the San Bernardino County Luncheon Club in my race for District Attorney, one of the oldest continuously meeting "weekly" democratic clubs in the nation--thank you guys (and some money to boot)!! (2) Heh, by the way, Ramos is still whining (at the Press Enterprise meeting with the editorial staff today) about a "well funded and coordinated campaign" against him. Yeah right. The $100.00 I just got from the luncheon club will be the Thor's hammer to destroy your re-election bid; (3) by the way folks, I think my cell phone is being tapped (which is my "campaign phone number"). Wonder who has the equipment and money to pull that off? Help Jerry.

The Sun's Endorsement of Ramos is a major head trip

The Sun is a strange paper. In one respect, the "endorsement" in the May 10, 2010 piece titled "Ramos pursues crooks, corruption" is little more than an advance piece on the political mailings we will all be getting in our boxes shortly. But what does the Sun really say--is it good when stood up to scrutiny??Nah..........
(1) The Sun does not deny his extra-marital affairs with County staff and people working under him is an abuse of his position. Wow! The Sun endorses sex with subordinates by a person obligated to uphold the County's personnel manual and state civil rights law prohibitions against it--why?? Does anyone find that offensive? If I had a subscription to the Sun, I'd be canceling it right now.
(2) The Sun misses the point on all the organizational activity which takes Ramos away from his office and girlfriends; membership in multiple organizations and trips to out of town destinations is paid for by the taxpayer and does not add to or improve the conviction rates; all you need to do is look at his statistics; getting 3,000 felony convictions out of 5,000 filings would be a failing grade in Los Angeles County where conviction rates are 85-90%
(3) Tough on crime and grime?? Hardly--since when is losing the one public integrity unit case you've taken to trial good DA work? Since when is a 60% conviction rate commendable?? That means almost half of the scum are back on the street.
(4) Only in San Bernardino does mediocre performance get rewarded by re-election.

I FOUND $10,000,000 to $20,000,000 and guess who is keeping us from it??

In a Press Enterprise piece recently run, Ramos said there are 20,000 backlogged misdemeanor cases--you know the cases that eventually get dispositioned for fines of $600.00 to $1,800.00, restitution is ordered to victims that are out of pocket and 2-3 years probation. Since the DA's office is over budget, why don't they move some of those cases for terminal dispositions (no probation), restitution and a higher fine? Imagine if you only did that to half of the cases and the average fine was $1,000--guess what, you just found $10,000,000. It's called moving cases. The backlog is not only lost economic opportunity, but it forces clerks to continue handling the files which increases support staff costs per file (by putting them on calender, pulling files, typing minute orders, etc) and by re-assigning them to Deputy DA's that should be spending their time working on felonies, you decrease their efficiency and available time to handle more important cases. Give a good prosecutor more time, they can do a better job. Imagine the idea of improving major case handling and quality, reducing support staff time per file and actually bringing some money in (as opposed to wasting it on special investigations on Ramos affairs with County workers)

PRESS ENTERPRISE PUBLISHES A STERILE STORY

THE ARTICLE IN THE PRESS ENTERPRISE

"11:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Corruption campaign part of San Bernardino County DA's race

By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
The Press-Enterprise

It would be an understatement to say San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos has had a tumultuous second term.

He has filed bribery charges against two former county officials and his office brought the state Attorney General's office into the corruption investigation after one of the accused claimed Ramos had a conflict of interest in the case.

Ramos' two opponents in the June 8 election, private attorneys Frank Guzman and Bob Conaway, say despite Ramos' prosecution of the bribery case the district attorney also is tainted, and that favoritism from Ramos means some are escaping prosecution.

Ramos said an independent review of the case he is working on by the attorney general's office upholds the direction he is taking it. He denies his office is tied to the corruption it is investigating.

In addition to his corruption investigation, his challengers and others say Ramos is unfit to hold the office because he has been implicated in extramarital affairs -- directly by one employee. Authors of online blogs have suggested others as well.

An investigation concluded he did not harass Cheryl Ristow, an investigative technician in his office, but investigators said they did not look at her claims of an affair because she said it was consensual. Ramos is married and has two grown children.

innuendoes

Ramos says the innuendoes about alleged affairs are "absolutely" false and says the accusations are because of his prosecution of county officials.

Corruption, Ramos said, "has been such an epidemic in this county that whoever was going to take this on was going to be attacked ... I was told that three years ago: 'You start looking at this, and you start turning over the rocks, and you start holding people responsible, they will do everything in their power to take you out, get you politically, personally. They won't stop at anything.' And it's happened."

Ramos, first elected in 2002, says he is seeking a third term to complete his corruption investigation, fight gangs, and work with Sacramento and Washington to keep grant money flowing to his office during tough economic times.

Fighting corruption

Conaway, a Hinkley attorney, said Ramos' office began investigating corruption "way too late in the game."

For Ramos, "To have taken this long to subpoena the records, to wait for the attorney general to step into the fray for him -- that smells of complicity," said Conaway, who has previously run for Congress, a county supervisor seat, and a judgeship.

"How can you eradicate corruption when you are in the middle of it?" asked Guzman, a longtime criminal defense attorney who came in third in a run against Ramos in 2002.

Bill Postmus, a former county supervisor and former assessor, and Jim Erwin, a former assistant assessor and former chief of staff to a supervisor, are accused of conspiring with five unnamed and uncharged co-conspirators to provide Rancho Cucamonga developer Colonies Partners with a $102 million lawsuit settlement through bribes, extortion and threats.

Postmus had previously been charged with nine felony counts relating to misuse of public resources at the assessor's office. Erwin had been charged with 10 felony counts related to his failure to report gifts. Both have denied wrongdoing.

More efficient

Conaway said besides his criticism of Ramos's handling of the corruption probe, he believes the office can be run more efficiently.

"I know we have a large county, but we need to avoid putting people on the road," he said.

He said he would try to analyze caseloads to see where to most effectively use people.

Ramos says he has done work to make his office more efficient, and one of the measures being taken is mapping the needs for prosecutors by courthouse caseloads.

"We are looking at where the biggest number of cases are, and saying, 'Let's move our staff where we need to.' "

Ramos said he has lost 45 of his staff -- 18 of them deputy district attorneys -- through attrition over the past two years.

"We have not replaced those, and we have not asked the board (of supervisors) to replace them ... I know the situation we're all in," he said.

The office was budgeted for 526 positions for this fiscal year, but some of those posts were vacant.

He said his office was behind on reviewing about 20,000 misdemeanor out-of-custody cases.

"Don't get me wrong, we are feeling it," he said.

Guzman said he will have more oversight than Ramos does on the office's cases, and criticized Ramos for spending too much time in the state capital.

"I am a trial lawyer. I am going to be involved in many of these cases. I am not going to be in Sacramento," he said.

Ramos said his time in Sacramento has brought benefits for his office.

"With the contacts we have there we have been able to save grants that prosecute gangs, and for a truancy program," he said.

His own style for overseeing office operations is, "I don't micromanage. I set policy, I get the resources for my staff, and I let lawyers be lawyers."

Reach Richard K. De Atley at 951-368-9573 or rdeatley@PE.com"

..............................................................................................................................................

BOB's COMMENT to the PRESS ENTERPRISE ARTICLE:

The fix is in it seems for Ramos (consistent with the glowing free PR piece given to Ramos by the Press Enterprise about 6 plus months ago--a page and half of soft-ball-toss-type questions) .

The Press Enterprise IGNORED the suggestions I made about HOW to save money and improve staff efficiency, IGNORED that as an officer of the court and public official sworn to uphold the law, Ramos CAN'T have sex with people he works with (putting aside the argument that if his marital vows meant nothing, what other vows or oaths has he trashed?).

ALSO IGNORED was the record of why Ramos is a part of the corruption. When you do not protect witnesses against intimidation (like Uffer and Brown), you are sending a message to whistle blowers, that Ramos will not protect you, which chills or deters people from coming out. Further, if the people who are the best position to identify the wrongdoing are allowed to be hammered, you help hide the ongoing culture of corruption.

ALSO, when you delay asking for records on cases (like the Colonies settlement) for 3 plus years, things vanish, authors of memos forget things not precisely recorded in the memos to file and people with independent recollection because they believe no one cares, quit and vanish.

ALSO the sense one gets is that Ramos believes that if he waits long enough, the statute of limitations might run (and he can use that excuse for not following up on it--his friends skip dodge with the dough and confidently later come back for mo).

WHEN the suggestion was made by the PE reporter that Ramos was working with the State Attorney General's office, my response was, why (1) did he wait until the AG got involved, (2) could the involvement be so to misdirect the State assets being invested in this county away from Ramos' involvement as a former political ally of the indicted and or the indicted's contributors or (3) is it the old Abe Lincoln philosophy of the State AG keeping his friends close and his enemies closer?? There is much much more--I just wanted to hop in with a few comments. I was invited to appear before the editorial board of the Press Enterprise next week--after reading the De Atley whitewash, my feeling right now is that my time is better spent elsewhere.

WHEN it was pointed out that political allies got sweet deals (like the tribe member who pled guilty to attempted murder and got no jail time or the former sheriff who stole guns from an evidence locker, which are each felonies, got a misdemeanor deal), De Atley did not deny knowing it--he just, like I expected the Press Enterprise to do, just covered it up again.

WHY ISN'T RAMOS PROTECTING HIS WITNESSES??

Matt Brown, Paul Biane's Chief of Staff (Paul Biane being on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and one of the people that voted for the Colonies settlement), who supposedly is cooperating in an investigation relating to the Colonies case (corruption allegations) is stressed out because he was not prepared and protected. While witnesses need to be advised of what to expect and how to minimize needless confrontation and stress, why isn't the DA's office communicating with Biane's counsel telling his client to quit the sniping and making threatening comments toward what may be a material witness--as a potential defense attorney in a criminal action, the last thing you want is testimony against your client of pre-indictment attempts to scare off material witnesses. Get your people on the phone Ramos so just maybe, Brown can serve our county. Between Uffer and Brown, it is clear you are not taking the necessary steps to protect material witnesses. The failure to do so will chill or deter other people from coming forward--which is something if you know and allow, one has to ask if you are competent to do the job, or that is the precise result you want--an investigation that gets stunted.

Daily Press Questionairre--let's see how much they edit!!

In campaigns, it is always the interview that takes 45 minutes that seems to get chopped to one fragment of one sentence in a news article that is most frustrating. The public is never clear what the person said as a result. In the interest of documenting what was said, below is a list of the written questions posed by the Victor Valley area Daily Press and my full answers. Let's see how much is used:

1. What are your values and legal philosophy?

Answer to No. 1:
I am a born again Christian, who (while believing in the need for an effective public school system) home schooled our three children and considers our diversity a strength. Criminal law is part of the regulatory framework modern society creates for itself. When self restraint and a respect for personal security, dignity and property rights break down, intervention by one or more government agencies is often needed to protect the threatened and/or victims. The District Attorney's office is part of that intervention team. Budget discipline and community accountability should not be forfeited because the County pays the bills.

2. What will be your top three priorities if elected to San Bernardino County District Attorney?

Answer to No. 2:
a. Public, workplace and environmental safety
b. More aggressively prosecute the political corruption in this county
c. Stay within budget (Ramos is 14% over budget)

3. What grade would you give the current District Attorney’s office, and why?

Answer to No. 3:
1. "B" to the District Attorney's office overall, but since I am running for
District Attorney, I have to say,
2. "D" to Mike Ramos as the DA's office's leader because of his
(a) sexual harassment of women causing morale problems and forcing the county to spent over $140,000 in legal and investigation costs on the harassment claims to date and forcing the County to pay for outside counsel for Postmus' defense because of his affair with a second county employee,
(b) giving out sweatheart deals to political supporters and or their friends --in one instance letting a former County Sheriff who took over a hundred firearms from an evidence locker (which is a felony) plead guilty to a misdemeanor deal and in another instance, giving a person pleading guilty to attempted murder no prison or county jail time--what did both have in common, both were supporters of Ramos;
(c) tolerating DA staff wasting half the day traveling to handle a short hearing or appearance on a single case (when local DA staff is available to cover the appearance on an assist basis), practices which drives up labor costs per case needlessly,
(d) under-utilizing better trained staff in relatively minor cases by politicizing the assignment process

4. Why should voters support you?

Answer to No. 4:
I do not come in owing anyone anything; my supporters have been private citizens (mostly retired); I will bring in and insist upon a level of ethics and responsibility that will be more than just front page talk. I will not tolerate special deals for friends or supporters and will enforce the law without regard to what part of the community you come from.

5. What makes you an ideal candidate for this position?

Answer to No. 5:

While I have a small town practice today, I was a partner in an AV rated firm in Los Angeles, I have worked as Judge Pro Tem in San Bernardino County, I have worked as a Court Appointed Special Master that worked with the Sheriff's office in executing search warrants in sexual abuse and fraud cases, I have worked as a litigation manager that oversaw as many as 140 law firms in an 11 state area where I had oversight of operational budgets into the 8 figures, accomplished my employer's mission and stayed within budget. I have improved morale and efficiency in litigation support environments by recognizing and rewarding talent without regard to race, gender, age, national origin, ethnicity and or sexual orientation. People that work with me are fiercely dedicated and typically go the extra mile to get the job done. I want to be part of this County's long overdue rebirth as the crown jewel of the Inland Empire.

Big Bear forum last thursday should not have been missed by the media & why we need a Human Relations Commission!!!

Deputy District Attorney James Hosking & Judge Lemkau, Bob Conaway & Frank Guzman were among the candidates at the forum in Big Bear on May 4, 2010. Also present were members of the family of the 9 month old child that was killed by the Garcia boy (who took his life shortly thereafter). Accusations were made, Judge Lemkau explained his position (and the presiding judge's finding), repeatedly said he was sorry for the family's loss and the statements made and showed emotion fielding some of the questions. Hosking, who works in an auto theft unit in the DA's office (no experience in family law) , focused repeatedly on part of the statements made from the bench by Lemkau, while a member of the family in the audience waived in the air a copy of the transcript of the hearing. At this forum Hosking did not state as he did some time ago, he would have delayed ruling on the competing ex parte applications until he could figure out which parent was telling the truth--and there was much, much more--Lemkau from the side looked a bit like an Elvis impersonator--Hosking (who I am told was recruited to run by Ramos) looked younger and shaved (head). Guzman and DDA Hosking spent a lot of time whispering to each other while the forum was going on which was distracting if not disrespectful. I sensed the pain and anger of the murdered child's family and hope this forum was part of the healing process for them. I truly wish I had a video of it all--not just for the Lemkau-Hosking duel and how they handled a wide variety of questions, but for the Guzman-Conaway-Ramos(in abstentia) questions and answers. Too bad. A good chance to clear the decks/answer charges was lost by Ramos-the-elusive (or the I-am-above-personal-appearances campaign style). I guess Ramos thinks the voters will be awed (blinded) by his professional mouthpiece (consultant Ellis King or is it King Ellis), consultant-generated slick hit-piece flyers, slate cards that project a false and misleading affiliation and big signs. If true, the voters in the County will have no one to blame but themselves. Guzman talked about running a business, said the DA's office was over budget but then said the DA's job was to "Prosecute, Prosecute, Prosecute"--what I would have liked to see were the words after prosecute "the cases that should be".

I did meet in the audience another one of the Sheriff candidates--likable guy (Schrader); Schrader is a man of faith and compassion and seemed well balanced; Averbeck, who I had met at a Barb Stanton meeting a week ago(or was it 2 weeks ago), was focused on getting a petition signed urging accountability on some issues relating to raises given to people without the qualifying coursework (I was not able to get into much more with him--he was working the crowd); Schrader had some ideas that seemed to make sense based on his service time. I have never had the chance to meet Hoops. All people vying for an office of trust and high responsibility--too bad there have not been multiple forums with all of them in attendance.

Ed Montgomery (running for judge) was present; Supervising Deputy District Attorney Vic Stull was not (again). Ed has judicial experience as a pro tem and has life experiences that the community I think would benefit from.

Since campaigns don't get out the incumbents, I am convinced we need a Human Relations Commission in this county--so people can ask questions, understand the process and roles of the different agency heads and voice their grievances. Most of the people in the audience enjoyed the forum as a way to better understand what a DA & judge do/can't do--that people interested in the process did not have a full understanding of the roles of certain elected officials, is troubling.

On the Press Enterprise's odd fixations......

The interviews with the Press Enterprise were announced for a specific day and time. I immediately emailed them to say I was previous engaged at that time (as a self employed lawyer, I can't call upon the deputy district attorneys to cover my calender like someone else) and asked for a later time that day. The scheduler and the reporter were unsympathetic and basically left it as a take it or leave it (hmm--I guess we know who they have already decided to support). I can live with that, but then I get this interview on Friday over the phone with DeAtley (sp?) who spends a third of the interview asking me what offices I have run for. Mmmh-- so much for being issue focused?? I guess the Press Enterprise has tipped their hand on the angle they will cover (the Ellis King political consultant angle). Too bad. I actually had a better view of the Press Enterprise before last week. I hope I am wrong. Grinding for the guy (Ramos) they gave a page and half free PR interview spread on last year was what I thought it was--a Ramos love fest.

On National Prayer Day (May 6, 2010)

At the flagpoles in cities around the country, men and women will gather to pray for our nation on May 6, 2010-- while sitting in the pew and pondering on the state of our nation (and our state and county), I was drawn to Deuteronomy 16:19-20. The verse in the New American Standard version reads (it just happened to be the version I picked up going out the door this morning):

"You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe,

for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land

the Lord your God is giving you."

With the National Day of Prayer coming before us, the formula seems fairly simple if we want to live and possess the land we have called home for over two centuries.

THE SHERIFF's OFFICE & VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION

I attended a volunteer appreciation day today at Glen Helen and it was a well run event. Hoops was there and did not discuss his race on the mike (and I didn't say a word about my race, as should be the case at such a family event). It was great to see the volunteers and their families coming together for food and fun. Nice event. I thought Hoops said it would be two years before such an event would be held again. If I get elected, I would like to pay some of my fat salary to funding the event every year. Without the volunteers, the Department would have some serious service problems.

WORKERS' RIGHTS, IMPROVING EFFICIENCY, MORALE & the DA's GREEN FOOTPRINT

Speaking of labor issues as it relates to the District Attorney race: (1) The right to select a bargaining agent, collectively bargain and not be retaliated against for exercising the right to speak of organizing, meet with others to discuss organizing, organizing itself and advocating for the bargaining unit should not be should not be abridged; (2) personally, the notion of outsourcing jobs (research to foreign countries in the case of lawyers in the DA's office) and or work to non-union bargaining units in this country (to circumvent the collective bargaining units) is plain wrong. One of the options I would like to explore with the bargaining units is the idea of maybe working 4-10's in weeks when the attorney staff is not in trial as it would give our professional staff more R & R time (which would improve morale and efficiency), give staff some quiet time (away from the 8-4 press of being interrupted by court calls, fellow workers, etc, to be able to work on cases) and reduce commuting time (and related vehicle emissions). I realize the union would have to sign off on it, but I have seen it done in the defense sector successfully--a win-win for both the collective bargaining units and management. The private sector may be able to offer some suggestions. Your thoughts???