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.

Jeffrey Burum, Paul Biane, Jim Erwin, 48 & Mark Kirk Indictments

"I will tell you, this is a historical day," Ramos said
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Blogger Bob's comment: What he did not add: now that I [Ramos] got the Ristow case dismissed.
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"{Ramos said] I am pleased that the matter will now move to the arena of the courtroom, where we intend to prove our case and finally see justice done. I hope this sends a strong message that corruption will no longer be tolerated in San Bernardino County."
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Blogger Bob's comment:Fighting Burum will be interesting--he won't fold and hand the DA's office "convictions" through plea deals like they got from Postmus and Aleman, caused by the lack of money to hire & keep paying lawyers.
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Burum's attorney, John Vandevelde, said "Jeff Burum has been smeared by innuendos for two years," he said. "Today's indictment means Jeff will finally have his day in court where the truth will show there was never a bribe of anyone or illegal conduct of any kind"
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Blogger Bob's comment: First, ah shucks, no bribe or illegal conduct evidence will be part of Burum's defense--come on, tease us with something. Second, it will be interesting to see how a confidential settlement arrived at thru a legally sanctioned mediation process, approved by the Board of Supervisors with access to all sorts of legal counsel, will be unraveled
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Senior Assistant Attorney General Gary Schons called the indictment a "signal event" for the county. "We won't rest until we follow all the evidence to wear it leads," Schons said. "When public officials act corruptly, every Californian is their victim," Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said. "Let the San Bernardino indictments send a strong message that we will never tolerate this sort of abuse of the public trust."
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Blogger Bob's comment: Sexual liasons with County employees though is ok, plea deals with attempted murderers offering no jail time is ok, repeatedly filing false/misleading FPPC statements/disclosure forms is ok? Double standards for Mikey I guess.
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Ovitt released the following statement about Kirk, his former chief of staff (Kirk who faces felony charges of bribery, improper influence, conflict of interest, misappropriation of public funds, fraudulent tax return, perjury and filing a false instrument): "I am saddened about what has occurred today involving Mark Kirk," Ovitt said. "I have known Mark for eight years, I've worked with him during that period of time. He is a person of great intelligence and integrity. Although I don't know the specifics of the charges, and can't comment on the particulars, I know Mark to be a consumate professional, loving father and family man, and all around good person of high morals and character."
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Blogger Bob's comment: In the 8 years Ovitt knew and worked with this guy he [Ovitt] had no clue he was abusing my office's power. Yeah right! How does Ovitt think he got his campaign money?
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Senior Assistant Attorney General Gary Schons called the indictment a "signal event" for the county. He said more work is still ahead in the ongoing investigation and "We won't rest until we follow all the evidence to where it leads."
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Blogger Bob's comment: Wow--who is going to sever the Siamese twins first (Harris & Ramos)

Cabrialas Gets Slammed for Potential Conflict of Interest--Why Wasn't Mitzelfelt??

In the world of what is and is not a conflict of interest, I am forever learning that being a protected and sacred cow appears to be the key. Victorville Mayor Pro Tem Rudy Cabriallas gets criticized by the Fair Political Practices Commission for his wife allegedly taking something akin to a commission for contracts apparently awarded to Hispanic Chamber of Commerce members that Rudy Cabriallas' vote had something to do with (whether true or not is for smarter people than I to figure out). Rex Guttierrez gets a do-little job at the Assessor's Office courtesy of Postmus and allegedly some developers and he goes to jail after two trials. Adam Aleman gets work-on-politics-on-taxpayer-money job courtesy of Postmus and he gets charged, pleads guilty and may yet face jail. Brad Mitzelfelt's wife gets a do-little-because-development-is-pretty-dead-right-now-for-a-high-figure-salary job involving real estate issues (wasn't her background, like Zook & Watson the newspaper business?) and no one seems to care (admittedly she did quit it eventually but didn't Rex also quit). Brad Mitzelfelt's boss, Postmus, is up to his gills in "guilty pleas" on abuses of public office. Why is Brad Mitzelfelt while chief of staff at the supervisor's office and the person to whom Aleman & Guttierrez reported at various points in time, living such a charmed (and uncharged) existence? Does anyone think that Postmus, who was a meth user, had the focus to run the machine all the time--esp during his hospitalizations? Mitzelfelt and two ex-deputy deputy sheriffs (on staff as field reps) didn't know of the illegal activities?? Yeah right.....

More Coverage on Mike Ramos of interest......

http://www.vote29.com/newmyblog/archives/7273

WHAT's RAMOS DOING ABOUT MORTGAGE FRAUD-- [updated 1/7/2011]

With reports of home prices dropping and foreclosures seemingly unabated by the bailout strategies directed at the failing/weakened banks (notwithstanding the recent announcement on a freeze by one lender and some conflicting thoughts in Congress on what to do, when, how, etc), I sense a real need to better educate consumers on the things to look for should a consumer think or sense they may have been victims of lender fraud.

Some sites (updated 10-19-2010) of some possible interest to consumers that may feel they have been the victim of mortgage fraud and want to try and understand some of the issues and potentially tap into other internet resources is:

1)http://rortybomb.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/foreclosure-fraud-for-dummies-1-the-chains-and-the-stakes/ [good basic info]
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2)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssl5yb7FewA [a fascinating explanation of how the banks scored big time on the bailout and left the rude facts out to homeowners on how they might have fared differently]
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3)Operation Hope - www.operationhope.org (877) 592-HOPE (4673)
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4)Neighborhood Works - www.nw.org (888) 995-HOPE (4673)
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5) National Community Reinvestment Coaltion - www.fairlending.com (800) 475-6272
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6)National Council of La Raza - www.nclr.org - (213) 489-3428
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7)ACORN - Home Equity Loss Prevention Program - www.acornhousing.org - (888) 409-3557
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8) National Foundation for Credit Counseling - www.nfcc.org (800) 388-2227
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9) HUD-approved counseling agency info line (800) 569-4287
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10)US Department of Housing & Urban Development website - www.hud.gov
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11)11)adc.asm.ca.gov/issues/MortgageCrises/
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Blogger Bob's comment(s): This will be updated occasionally as additional information comes to my attention of a non-privileged nature due to the San Bernardino County DA's office having dropped the ball on this important issue. Items 3-11 were added 10-19-2010.
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12)[No. 12 added on 1/7/2011] New website to check out: Foreclosure InfoCA.org (launched by the Public Interest Clearinghouse and the California Bar Association)--note: This provides links to a list of programs and has information.

Ramos Probe of the Republican Central Committee, Rex Guttierrez Retrial,Reforms

Some helpful suggestions from a former and current political committee treasurer:

(1) I hope Ramos got the FPPC (state) and FEC (federal) contribution and disbursement records for the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee to show what they claim to have gotten and disbursed.
(2)I hope Ramos subpoenaed the bank accounts for the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee (all state and federal accounts) and his public integrity unit gets copies of incoming checks and outgoing checks. Take a look at how the committee expenses itself coming up to a federal election cycle
(3) There is a ratio of how much is supposed to come out of the state account and how much is supposed to come out of the federal account
(4) Look to see if they ever set up a "Levin" federal account for local activities. (5) Mikey--do you recall the FEC fined the Republican Central Committee twice--the FEC has records, reports and recommendations which may be revealing;
(6) Rumor has it the the FPPC has a file as well, but never took action after they had to close cases due to budget constraints.
(7) Heh Mike, if this money was ill gotten, don't forget the FTB violations.
(8) Is the Central Committee really running interference with your data collection efforts and you are letting those potentially ill-gotten funds fund another election cycle?
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I really hope this drama is not just window dressing for what has been otherwise dilatory investigation and prosecution(just ask the laughing Irwin camp).
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On Guttierrez's retrial:
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How many pages of jury instructions are there going to be in the People v Rex Guttierrez case now? A ream of jury instructions? A sure way to turn the jury off. A federal judge one time told an attorney in a case I was defending, if you need more than a couple two or three good counts in a case, you don't have a case worth the paper it is written on.
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I have a story about Rex--I recall meeting him once or twice in passing, but this story is a bit more of what legends are made of. When Rex was running for Congress, he personally wore out a half dozen pair or shoes walking streets, knocking on doors and meeting people. Rex worked hard for something, believed in meeting the people he wanted to serve and the process. Unless a lot changed, that is a populist spirit that I find it hard to would get so corrupted...but with that said, I remember breaking bread with Bill Postmus and his family at Bible studies & a home church and now I look at his reported life today and part of me weeps when thinking about it.
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God knows I would have handled this county corruption mess different
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...and maybe it can still be steered to a resolution that accomplishes the objective of the law and restores public trust in the process; my thought would have been a much more public
approach in some aspects of it:
(1) Extend the Board of Supervisor's meetings by one hour and require the DA to sit a non-voting representative of the DA on the Board
(2) Set a time specific citizens can attend, present evidence, make presentations
(3) Waive the 2 or 3 minute rule
(4) Require each public official, county employee and or vendor to agree in writing to explain publicly any money or gifts received/given apart from salaries and or contracted for services to any political candidate, committee and or 501C3 type organization at the request of any candidate, employee and or vendor
...its an idea
...its a start
...by the way Mikey, what about my offer of help on your proposed steps to
improve public trust...is that more rhetoric???

The Dismissal of Irwin's charges due to Mike Ramos' Ineptness or his Plan??

Joe Nelson: [in response to your article @ http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_16085205] I told you, I told you, I told you, when you did not want to hear during the campaign [and as I recall Frank Guzman told you as well]-- Mike Ramos may have either stalled prosecutions in his public integrity unit so his buds' criminal liability under state statutes would vanish for statute of limitations reasons (and his prosecution was just window dressing, campaign fodder and or a way to remind his competition within the party who is boss until the cases got tossed) or is he just a terrible DA for anything except gangbanger prosecutions (oh wait a second, his conviction rate is 30% under what the typical major County DA department does). You (Joe Nelson), Joe Baca, Sr. & Jerry Lewis helped re-elect him. So who is watching the hen house? Jerry Brown's attentions have been turned to the City of Bell it seems.
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Blogger Bob's comments: Is Irwin's case really coming down to undisclosed gifts or services on a FPPC 700 form and related comments? If so, don't we have some serious problems with Mike Ramos who did not disclose a five figure payment to his wife? and then signed a disclosure form under penalty of perjury not disclosing that payment? Didn't Brad Mitzelfelt's mis-report the source of some of his campaign contributions and sign an FPPC 460 form under penalty of perjury when he ran for election (after being appointed by the BOS)? Is Irwin being hammered because he lobbied for a deal a lot of other people seemed in love with? How is that different from certain employees of the BOS sheparding plans through the approval process and planning commission for a developer bud--in fact don't some of those staffers have real estate licenses? Do we have the smell of selective prosecution in the air yet?

Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown sues eight top Bell officials--and why not San Bernardino County's officials??Next in line??

Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown sues eight top Bell officials [Updated] | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times
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The lawsuit can be found at the following link: http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/press/pdfs/n1988_document_3.pdf
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Attorney General Jerry Brown's press release is at: http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1988&
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Blogger Bob's comments: I guess this was the rumored mid-September action? or maybe more troubling is some's suggestion that the AG is distancing himself from Ramos? Has San Bernardino become more political heat than Brown can afford right now??
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Ristow sues Ramos for retaliation after on-the-job sex ended for $1.538 million & Yablonsky sues Ramos for $5,000,000 for unlawful use of his name

.....In the San Bernardino Sentinel last Friday (August 13, 2010) the following article appeared on Ramos:
....."A woman who worked for seven years as an evidence technician in the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office has sued her boss, district attorney Michael A. Ramos, alleging he retaliated against her after information about their 18-month long affair became public.
.....In her $1.538 million lawsuit, Cheryl Barnes Ristow claims she was subjected to sexual harassment, retaliation, and sexual assault and battery by the district attorney.
.....In the court filing, she delineates details of their affair, which she says lasted from September 2003 until March 2005, including sex acts within a hotel room, in his office and inside a county issued vehicle in public view during daylight hours.
......Ristow maintains in the suit that more than four years after her affair with Ramos had concluded, just as a public account of Ramos’ womanizing was about to be published, Ramos instructed her to remain quiet about their relationship and deny that it had taken place. Shortly thereafter, his employees began a pattern of retaliation against her, she said, including citing her for dress-code violations, which entailed a nose ring and uncovered tattoos, that heretofore had been openly tolerated.
.....Ristow, who was put on leave from her position in the summer of 2009, filed a complaint with the county’s human resources department, and later filed a claim against the county over the matter.
.....The county, at a cost of $140,000 commissioned a study of Ristow’s complaint from the Santa Monica-based law firm of Curiale, Hirschfeld and Kraemer. The report issued by Curiale, Hirschfeld and Kraemer shied away from an examination of whether there had actually been a sexual relationship between Ramos and Ristow, instead examining whether Ramos and his underlings had grounds, based upon Ristow’s performance or lack thereof, comportment on the job and adherence to office regulations to discipline her and whether the action taken against her constituted improper retaliation. That report concluded that Ristow had deviated from office dress and performance standards and that her suspension from her position and the action by department members leading up to it did not constitute retaliation.
.....Ramos cited the Curiale, Hirschfeld and Kraemer report in denying the validity of Ristow’s suit and the allegations contained therein.
.....The suit, which was filed by Rancho Cucamonga-based attorney Jim Reiss, however, references specific dates and times upon which and locations where sexual encounters between Ramos and Ristow occurred.
.....According to the suit, their sexual relationship initiated the day they met, on September 15, 2003 at a conference held at the Lake Arrowhead Resort.Moreover, the suit specifically cites three other sexual encounters between the two. One, on October 13, 2003, took place at Ramos’ office at 316 North Mountain View Avenue in the city of San Bernardino between 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., according to the suit. Another two encounters took place on December 3, 2003 and December 21, 2003, during which, according to the wording of the suit, the “plaintiff and defendant, district attorney Ramos, engaged in consensual oral sex while parked in a vehicle located in a Mervyn’s department store parking lot located in the city of San Bernardino. Said sexual intercourse took place in a vehicle issued to defendant, district attorney Ramos by [the] county of San Bernardino.” Those encounters, according to Ristow, took place in broad daylight, between the hours of 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
.....And, according to the suit, “On or about February 11, 2005, plaintiff and defendant, district attorney Ramos engaged in consensual sexual acts while parked in the parking lot of a Starbucks located in the city of San Bernardino.” That encounter also took place in Ramos’ county issued vehicle between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
.....The suit and its attendant documents further assert cell phone records show that throughout the duration of their affair, Ristow and Ramos were in phone contact over 50 times. Those included, according to Ristow’s declaration filed in conjunction with the suit, “at least fifteen (15) phone sex sessions, many of which took place during regular business hours and/or employment related events wherein both Mr. Ramos and I were employed in our respective positions and being paid by the county of San Bernardino.”
.....Ramos suggested Ristow is being supported and encouraged in her claims against him by criminals and public figures who have been the focus of his prosecutorial efforts".

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Case CIVDS1010909 - RISTOW -V- COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, ET AL

02/04/2011 8:30 AM DEPT. S32	CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE - Minutes
	11/12/2010 8:30 AM DEPT. S32	OSC RE: SERVICE COMPLETION - Minutes
	08/09/2010	SUMMONS ISSUED ON COMPLAINT (UNLIMITED) FILED 08/09/2010 OF CHERYL RISTOW - ORIGINAL FILED IN COURT FILE.	Not Applicable
	08/09/2010	CIVIL CASE COVER SHEET FILED.	Not Applicable
	08/09/2010	CASE ASSIGNED FOR ALL PURPOSES TO DEPARTMENT S32
	08/09/2010	COMPLAINT AND PARTY INFORMATION ENTERED	Not Applicable

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News flash folks....... in a political campaign flyer sent out by Ramos through his campaign committee with the title "IT's NEVER A 'COLD CASE'", Mike Ramos is quoted as saying:" A case is never cold to the family of a murder victim. That's why I have worked with the Sheriff to start the Cold Case Unit. Using DNA evidence, we have filed murder charges in 19 cold cases. Twenty five years after the crime, Rita Cobb's family will have closure."-- next to the quote is a 8" x 5" color picture of John Henry Yablonski--the only trouble folks, is Yablonky has not been tried yet and has pled not guilty. The Court docket on the civil right case filed(Case No. CIVDS1010254) is as follows:

Case CIVDS1010254 - YABLONSKY -V- RAMOS

01/28/2011 8:30 AM DEPT. S35	CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE - Minutes
	10/29/2010 8:30 AM DEPT. S35	OSC RE: SERVICE COMPLETION - Minutes
	10/28/2010 8:30 AM DEPT. S35	OSC RE: SERVICE COMPLETION	VACATED
	07/30/2010	VACATE OSCSV HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 10/28/10 AT 08:30 IN DEPARTMENT S35.	Not Applicable
	07/30/2010	NOTICE OF RESETTING HEARING DATE SENT.	Not Applicable
	07/28/2010	SUMMONS ISSUED ON COMPLAINT (UNLIMITED) FILED 07/28/2010 OF JOHN YABLONSKY - ORIGINAL FILED IN COURT FILE.	Not Applicable
	07/28/2010	CIVIL CASE COVER SHEET FILED.	Not Applicable
	07/28/2010	FILING FEE WAIVED ON JOHN HENRY YABLONSKY FOR FILING FEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $355.00.	Not Applicable
	07/28/2010	REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF COURT FEES AND COSTS FILED BY JOHN HENRY YABLONSKY IS GRANTED	GRANTED
	07/28/2010	REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF COURT FEES & COSTS FILED BY JOHN HENRY YABLONSKY.
	07/28/2010	CASE ASSIGNED FOR ALL PURPOSES TO DEPARTMENT S35
	07/28/2010	COMPLAINT AND PARTY INFORMATION ENTERED	Not Applicable

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Blogger Bob's comments on Ristow & Yablonsky suits:

.....(1)The allegations in Yablonsky are, if the copy I received is correct, handwritten on a judicial council form with a cause of action for "negligence"--hopefully the court reviewing this will look pass the form of the pleading and recognize it as probably a 42 USC § 1983 case & false light type case and not summarily dismiss it. For Ramos to have used his police power for personal political gain at the expense of a citizen the law presumes innocent until proven guilty seems like prosecutorial abuse;
.....(2) To deflect the heat he was anticipating with Ristow, has Ramos ramped up the list of charges against Guttierrez & Postmus to try and deflect media attention from his own problems?
.....(3) The added charge in Guttierrez is a felony conspiracy count (?) in the Rex Guttierrez case that does not seem to go anywhere on what is pled and the likely facts the DA has to use--is the point here that Ramos' special unit realized its case was a bit thin and need more? or should it have been included in the initial case and we could have avoided the expense of a re-trial?
.....(4) With Ramos tacking on on a intoxicated in public charge on Postmus, the question that has to be asked is why now? Rumor has it he's been under the influence at every other appearance.
.....(5) Where's the print media on Yablonsky's $5,000,000 civil rights lawsuit against Mike Ramos or the media on the $1.538 million lawsuit against Mike Ramos by Cheryl Ristow?? It kinda goes back to what I have said all along--the media is little more than the lap dog of Mike Ramos.
.....(6) I hope the San Bernardino County personnel commission folks take a look at the Ristow suit--the use of company time and property for sex violates county policy--right folks?? And there is no statute of limitations of initiating personnel actions based on same?? Correct??

BOB CONAWAY ASKS IF MIKE RAMOS HAS INVESTIGATED IF CONVICTED ICE OFFICIAL PAID STATE TAXES ON HIS $950,000 INCOME & HOW SAN MANUALS WERE INVOLVED??

In today's Sun Newspaper, another shocking revelation about ongoing corruption in San Bernardino County and the people close to it. The San Manual Tribe (Mike Ramo's supporters) was the location of a lawyer (Rancho Cucamonga resident Constantine Kallas) who took a bribe [abusing his authority and position with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] to help an illegal alien obtain residency and get a deportation order quashed. From 2000 to his arrest in 2008, Kallas and his wife deposited $950,000 into their accounts from the illegal operation. Several questions for Mike Ramos......(1) did the San Manual Tribe (one of Mike Ramo's supporters) knowingly allow Kallas to set up an illegal immigration business and allow him to take money for his illegal enterprise?? (2) why haven't you shadowed the federal case with a state tax evasion investigation to make sure Kallas paid his State income tax? Illegal activity involving another Ramos ally?? (3) did the tribe derive any economic benefit from the illegal enterprise in form of fees and/or payments and since that is not gambling related income, did they pay taxes on it?? Anyone remember the local Chevy dealership owner that Mike Ramos called a close friend getting convicted of illegally funneling his money through employees that did not have the proverbial pot to @#$* in (to avoid the campaign finance limits) to pass money onto Anthony Adams (who lied to the voters about promising to oppose tax increases and said he would keep the money--hmm, doesn't that become taxable income since it was over the allowable campaign limits and becomes "personal income", Mike)??

"I'm under attack"

Not my words, but the first words out of Ramo's mouth at a recent fundraiser. It shocked at least one of his (former?) supporters who volunteered the information to me when I met him today. The word choice and timing of the words is important folks--first, he is either getting rattled by the electioneering process (what can 2 self funded candidates possibly be doing you'd have to ask) or second, he was manipulating the crowd into opening their wallets for mo dough (like he needs more money). Beyond all that I see another problem. I am deeply troubled about how he appears to view a very typical democratic process (e.g. an election)--Ramos apparently does not view the election process as a contest for leadership and ideas, but as something personal--e.g. an "attack"--maybe former County District Attorney Stout was justified in his view of Ramos being just the kind of guy that would retaliate against any political opponent. I hope someone is watching this guy and will protect my first amendment rights in the campaign process. I truly hope the democratic process has not died in San Bernardino County. Bob