75% of SEBA's MEMBERSHIP DID NOT ENDORSE JOHN McMAHON for SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF!! What's up with this unliked guy?

In a press release from SEBA [document says "PLACE ON BRIEFING BOARD - SEBA NEWS FLASH] dated December 3, 2013, it supposedly reports "SHERIFF ENDORSEMENT ELECTION RESULTS" that 95% of the membership voted to endorse McMahon..
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With 2,210 ballots mailed out and 29.6% returned (or 654 "voters"), that conclusion is a reach. It would be more consistent to say that McMahon got a no confidence vote of roughly 75% of the membership.
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Rumors are floating about how even Mike Ramos (the DA that endorsed him) think McMahon is dumb, so with Mike Ramos behind the scenes maybe not liking him and 75% of the eligible voters in SEBA NOT voting for McMahon, who is pushing this guy?

MIKE RAMOS for DA IF YOU DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE A PAPER INTENSIVE CASE GET TO TRIAL

The San Bernardino Sun reports what we already know from the Colonies case & the Charter School case -- cases with a lot of paper & witnesses to marshall are not cases that will end up getting tried to verdict any time soon, especially with well funded private counsel fighting back.  I guess one way to look at it is that it keeps a campaign issue alive (fodder for the I will "continue the fight against corruption"). The latest chapter in Mike Ramos is the POST [Peace Officer Standards Training] scandal cases. See excellent Sun article at:http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20131106/two-years-after-indictments-sb-county-sheriffs-post-corruption-case-fizzles#.UntI2Rc_5rg.email. First, my read is that there are many talented people not getting the promotions and support they need. Second, on specifically the POST scandal, why wasn't the employee association (SEBA) involved to ferret out what was a lax policy problem vs what was poor management and or oversight vs what was actual criminal conduct. I can't believe this mess.

More SMASH Unit Activity in Adelanto tonight?

At Mavericks Stadium, more cops were in SMASH units than locals in uniform. On the heels of Appointed Sheriff McMahon's forum at SEBA last Thursday's night in San Bernardino, he unleashes a SMASH unit for press and messaging (I be tougher than the other guys). Interesting. One of the things at the forum was talk about overtime, budget limitations...whatever happened to community policing?  Could all this be a dodge to the question of why the prison refit using AB109 money is $20 million over budget?

Victorville Councilperson Angela Valles Exploits Home Violence, Ignoring Community Policing Alternatives Long Ignored

In Facebook, Angela Valles says that "on Sept 6th @ 7 PM at VV City Hall Capt. Yoder will give a presentation on crime and the possible need for more police. Be there and be heard. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/victorville-29808-house-party.html
Two teens stabbed at Victorville house party www.vvdailypress.com".
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Blogger Bob: Angela: First, we need more responsible parents. Second, unless we put a cop in every home that may have a potential gathering of kids with the potential for violence (sounds like profiling me thinks), this problem will not end (so knowing that will never happen) we have to consider another approach that we don't do--we need to do less drive by "law enforcement" and put officers on the street walking beats. Try redeploying existing resources and using more trained volunteer reserve officers (many of which are underutilized)...adding more cops increases union membership and political campaign war chests, but does not guarantee better community policing. The presence of law enforcement is a deterrent. Increasing the numbers of people that will take too long to respond will not help. Maybe an idea with potential except for the nasty four letter word, SEBA, the union folks that will have to sign off on changing the use of existing force levels. Third, what are you going to do about the Victorville Station's complaints about the DA's office not taking complaints being submitted and filing charges? Has that been resolved?

The (b)Rats Are Scurrying without a Clue?

In a local paper I read some amazing recaps of what was going on locally:
(1) Financially distressed Victorville is going to sue our Homeland Security Department over the government's ending of the EB-5 visa program Victorville was using to raise capital[putting aside the loss of American jobs and the misdirection of City resources to help foreign investors over Victorville residents] suing Homeland Security is stupid!--the city's lawyers must think they can do what "Alan Shore" of "Boston Legal" fame occasionally did for clients--sue the federal government for principle's sake--yeah right, like that is going to last past a early termination motion brought by the feds [don't these City Councilpeople read the statutes which set out the discretion & immunities Homeland Security has? Oh yeah I forgot, they did not read the Redflex Redlight camera contract either]--WHAT A MONEY WASTE!!
Victorville should be firing their lawyers, not giving them more work! Thank you Councilwoman Valles for voting against the stupid lawsuit!
(2) Financially distressed San Bernardino County is in a fight with SEBA (the union for the District Attorneys, their investigators, evidence handlers, etc) over a pay & benefit cut and now seems willing to take back to the membership a pay and benefit cut proposal [duh....the entire legal community is going through financial crises...our costs increase, many people can't afford to pay for legal services except at a fraction of what they did just a few years ago, the delays mount getting cases to trial--if a 7% cut is all that is in issue--take it, move on, save money to make up the difference]--No one is saying the hard-working SEBA people don't deserve it--God knows they do but SEIZE THE MOMENT SEBA MEMBERS -- once those jobs go, it will be a long time before they start coming back! I remember when Arnold S. took over after the recall campaign and the CTA (California Teachers' Association) went to him first, cut a deal minimizing their losses and left all the other unions hanging without contracts or facing a scap over what was left. Maybe a lesson to be learned/taken to heart!
(3) Financially distressed school districts in San Bernardino County are footing the bill on more needless litigation [the "Public Safety Academy" Charter is now in litigation over the firing of the founder's wife]--putting aside the conflict of interest question, this expense will take away from the money for student services--is anyone investigating if there is an abuse/misuse of public funds here??]
The Charter School movement has had its distractors, but THIS CLEARLY IS A MISPLACED USE OF SCHOOL RESOURCES!!
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This list is partial--there are the lawsuits involving Kenneth Beck against the Thouvenell campaign (?), the Rancho Cucamonga public employee pension plan restructuring talks, the San Bernardino City public employee pension plan restructurting talks breakdown-- a lot is in play.

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)!

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.