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12/5/2016 Adelanto dress code could leave clown out in the cold
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SundayPosted Dec 4, 2016 at 2:09 PMUpdated Dec 4, 2016 at 2:32 PM
Councilman Charley Glasper acknowledged he raised theissue after growing impatient with Snell's behavior. Snelloccasionally attends meetings in the costume, other timesin plain clothes; he's sometimes critical of city decisions,other times not. But city officials say it can be distractingand potentially undermining to city business.
By Shea Johnson Staff Writer
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ADELANTO — The City Council's plan to reinforce rules of decorum at itsbimonthly meetings, including a professional-style dress code for city officialsand attendees, could spell the end for one local activist's colorful appearances.
During a special meeting last week, one item broached at the dais was craftingrules that would essentially disallow E.T. Snell, a long-time activist and rabble-rouser, from donning his signature clown costume in council chambers.
Councilman Charley Glasper acknowledged he raised the issue after growingimpatient with Snell's behavior. Snell occasionally attends meetings in thecostume, other times in plain clothes; he's sometimes critical of city decisions,other times not. But city officials say it can be distracting and potentiallyundermining to city business.
Adelanto dress code could leave clown out in thecold
12/5/2016 Adelanto dress code could leave clown out in the cold
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"I'm not going to sit here at another council meeting with anyone coming inwith a doggone clown suit," Glasper said, adding that he'd leave the chambers ifSnell were to be allowed in again dressed as such. "I cannot see a clown being anauthority over elected officials."
The exact ordinance, expected to be presented next month, will have to define"professional" dress. City Attorney Curtis Wright noted that Snell's apparelwasn't against the law, however, and suggested Snell was "an expert" at skirtingchamber rules.
For Snell, who a week before had worn his costume to a council meeting inMaywood, the city's actions are tantamount to playing loose with the FirstAmendment.
"If they do it," Snell said by phone, "all they're doing is limiting people's freedomof speech."
He said that since the 1970s he's worn the garb to public meetings as a way tohighlight particular issues.
"If I'm wearing the clown costume," he said, "you know I'm bringing in the bigguns and it's usually about something."
And he vowed to defy any dress code that would prohibit him from continuingto do so in Adelanto.
Meanwhile, Glasper said he'd be fine with, say, someone dressed as a cowboy,just not the circus prankster.
"Bring me something I can deal with," he said.
Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or [email protected] him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.
12/6/2016 San Bernardino County supervisors sworn in for new terms in office
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San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
San Bernardino County supervisors sworn in for new terms in office
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Monday, December 5, 2016
San Bernardino County Supervisor Robert Lovingood was sworn inMonday for his second term after a narrow win over challengerAngela Valles in the Nov. 8 election.
Lovingood brought in 51.76 percent of the vote, while Valles, aformer Victorville councilwoman and Victor Valley CommunityCollege District board trustee, received 48.2 percent of the vote.
Lovingood campaigned on a platform of bolstering job growth andlaw enforcement presence in the county’s First District region heserves, the bulk of which lies in the High Desert.
“Within the First District, we’ve done that and will continue to do that,” Lovingood said in a statement Monday,adding that businesses will usually only come to areas they feel are safe.
“People aren’t going to make investments where they don’t, and that’s a critical issue,” he said in his statement.
Supervisor James Ramos was also sworn in for a second term on Monday, and Josie Gonzales was sworn in forher fourth and final term on the board. Ramos represents the county’s Third District, which includes theunincorporated areas of Redlands, Highland, Yucaipa and the Morongo Basin, among other areas. Gonzalesrepresents the Fifth District, which includes unincorporated areas within San Bernardino, Rialto, Colton, andFontana, among other areas.
Neither Ramos nor Gonzales faced challengers in the election.
“We continue to work as a team to move San Bernardino County forward,” Ramos said in a statement Monday.“The people of San Bernardino County will unite around each other when we have trouble. It’s only when westand united that we will be able to move forward.”
Gonzales, a former Fontana councilwoman, was elected to the board in 2004 and reelected in 2008, 2012 and inNovember.
“Today, we can speak with honor about transparency and having a common goal,” Gonzales said in a statementMonday.
URL: http://www.sbsun.com/governmentandpolitics/20161205/sanbernardinocountysupervisorssworninfornewtermsinoffice
© 2016 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
12/6/2016 Give Big San Bernardino County raised thousands of dollars for local nonprofits
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San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
Give Big San Bernardino County raised thousands of dollars for local nonprofits
By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Monday, December 5, 2016
San Bernardino County’s third annual online fundraiser, Give Big,raised more than $271,000 last week, surpassing the amount raisedduring last year’s event to aid local nonprofits.
The 24hour webathon, which ran from midnight Nov. 29 throughmidnight Nov. 30, raised a total of $271,044 for 101 participatingnonprofits, nearly $30,000 more than last year’s total of $241,217 anda 13percent increase over last year, the county announced Monday ina press release.
The event is hosted by The Community Foundation, based inRiverside, which also provides social media training to nonprofits to help them better promote theirorganizations and attract donors.
“Our county cares, and it really showed in the donations that were raised for Give Big San Bernardino County,”said Charee Gillins, marketing and communications officer for The Community Foundation. “There’s great needin this region, and the community really came together to show their generosity. They truly exceeded ourexpectations.”
Prior to the event coming to San Bernardino County, The Community Foundation hosted a Give Big fundraiserin Riverside County.
“Once again, I’m so proud our community gave big and demonstrated their generosity and compassion bysupporting the causes and charities closest to their hearts,” San Bernardino County Board of SupervisorsChairman James Ramos said in a statement. “I’m also proud of our local nonprofits for participating in Give Bigand finding new, exciting ways to attract donors and promote a culture of philanthropy throughout this county.”
URL: http://www.sbsun.com/socialaffairs/20161205/givebigsanbernardinocountyraisedthousandsofdollarsforlocalnonprofits
© 2016 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
12/6/2016 CREST FOREST MAC: Lake Gregory Dam And Dredging Update — ROTWNEWS.com
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CREST FOREST MAC: Lake Gregory Dam AndDredging Updatein News, Ticker / by Michael P. Neufeld / on December 5, 2016 at 12:03 am /
Rick Dinon, chairperson of the Lake Gregory Improvement Committee, will offer a specialpresentation on the Lake Gregory Dam and dredging projects during the Crest Forest MACmeeting on December 6. (Photo by ROTWNEWS.com)
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12/6/2016 CREST FOREST MAC: Lake Gregory Dam And Dredging Update — ROTWNEWS.com
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By Michael P. Neufeld
Crestline, CA – Chairman Rick Dinon of the Lake Gregory Improvement Committee will offer a special updateon the Lake Gregory Dam and dredging projects during the Tuesday, December 6 meeting of the Crest ForestMunicipal Advisory Committee.
The next phase of the dredging project will beone of the topics covered during the LakeGregory Improvement Committee’spresentation. (Photo by ROTWNEWS.com)
The Lake Gregory Improvement Committee presentation will be one of the first items during the 6:30 p.m.meeting at the Crestline Sanitation District office at 24516 Lake Drive in Crestline.
THE PRESENTATION
“For five years,” Dinon told ROTWNEWS.com, “the Lake Gregory Improvement Committee has worked withthe County to plan and expedite the repair of the Lake Gregory Dam and dredge the lake.
“The dam repair and dredging will begin in the near future and residents should attend the Crest Forest MACmeeting to get the most uptodate information about the status, timeline and impact on the community,” Dinonadded.
THE MAC MEETING
Chairperson Mike Pate will preside over the monthly meeting that will include reports from Supervisor JaniceRutherford’s office and community updates and presentations by representatives of law enforcement and fireagencies and staff members from elected officials representing the mountain communities.
The meeting is open to the public.
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12/6/2016 Moving ahead a year after San Bernardino terror attack
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San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
Moving ahead a year after San Bernardino terror attack
By The Editorial Board, San Bernardino County Sun
Thursday, December 1, 2016
A year after the San Bernardino terror attack, the healing process hasbarely begun for some victims and families. Dec. 2, 2015 is still toofresh in many hearts and minds.
The community’s response, then and now, has been exemplary. But onthe personal level, those who were shot by the two cowards who burstinto a county holiday part at the Inland Regional Center, those wholost loved ones, those who survived the attack but were emotionallyscarred, even some who were not directly affected but traumatizednonetheless, have not returned to the more innocent and carefree livesthey once led. Some say they never will.
San Bernardino Strong became the public theme after the attack, and is a good description of the way SanBernardino and surrounding communities have responded — from the outstanding work of the first respondersto the strong civic leadership and generous donors.
The San Bernardino United Relief Fund, administered by Arrowhead United Way, has received more than $2.5million for victims and their families. (To donate, text “SBUNITED” to 71777 or visit arrowheadunitedway.org.)
Thousands are expected at Cal State San Bernardino’s Coussoulis Arena Friday at 6:30 for a Night ofRemembrance, emphasizing unity and support for victims, presented by the Mayor’s Office, CSUSB, the SanManuel Band of Mission Indians and others.
Some shooting victims, however, say they’re not yet up to attending the city memorial, though they may attend asurvivororganized private event. Their anxiety, understandably, has been building as Dec. 2 has approached.
And some attack survivors went to a meeting on Nov. 28 that we’re sure they’d rather not have. A dozen of themwere among 50 people who attended the public comment portion of a closedsession meeting of the SanBernardino County Board of Supervisors. Three survivors who work for the county Public Health Departmentspoke of delays and denials by the county’s selfinsured workers’ compensation program of medications andmedical treatments their doctors have recommended.
In response, supervisors Chairman James Ramos issued a statement saying many of the problems cited hadresulted from survivors’ doctors not submitting supporting documentation, and committing the county to hire afirm “whose sole function will be to expedite the process for our employees.”
That’s good. Survivors’ recovery must not be hindered by paperwork and bureaucracy. We can’t knowindividuals’ medical details, but we know survivors of this tragedy should get the benefit of any doubt. TheBoard of Supervisors should see to it.
It’s distressing to see how many people who weren’t directly affected by the attack have had their lives changedby it. Some are just jumpier, others are much more cautious, still others have curtailed going out in public if they
12/6/2016 Moving ahead a year after San Bernardino terror attack
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can avoid it.
We wouldn’t presume to offer any advice to the actual victims of the attack or their loved ones, whose sufferingwe cannot know; for them, we offer only our support.
But we do have advice for those who weren’t directly affected but remain fearful: Live your life as you didbefore. Don’t stay home in fear, but enjoy public life and all it offers. That’s the best way for civilians to counterthose who would try to terrorize us.
URL: http://www.sbsun.com/opinion/20161201/movingaheadayearaftersanbernardinoterrorattack
© 2016 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
12/6/2016 ‘San Bernardino Strong’ documentary looks at healing following tragedy
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San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
‘San Bernardino Strong’ documentary looks at healing following tragedy
By David Danelski, The PressEnterprise
Monday, December 5, 2016
The documentary film “San Bernardino Strong” looks beyond thetragedy of the Dec. 2 terrorist attacks to tell a tale of healing, bothphysically and emotionally, from the point of an individual as well asan entire community.
It debuted Monday to a somber audience at Loma Linda UniversityChurch, where university officials had a team grief counselors, readyto help anyone overcome by the retelling of the terrorists attack a yearago that claimed 14 lives.
But as the 45minute film by Loma Linda University Health’s publicaffairs staff played on, one soon got the impression that the tragedy could have been much worse had it not beenfor heroic work of police, firefighters and medical personnel.
The police SWAT unit that entered the Inland Regional Center, for instance, had with them a medic, who helpedwith the most critically wounded victims, when saving a life can boil down to seconds. Everyone of the 22wounded people transported to local hospitals survived.
Julie SwannPaez, an environmental health worker for San Bernardino County, was one of several gunshotvictims rushed to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where 35 doctors were called in for the emergency.She nearly lost her life from internal bleeding, but pulled through that night with help from multiple bloodtransfusions. Her husband, Jesus Paez, was able to visit her that night.
The film follows SwannPaez’s recovery through multiple surgeries, and how she copes with the mental trauma.
Her hopeful outlook serves as narrative for a community also in recovery. This theme was echoed in interviewswith several first responders and community leaders.
Two bullets shattered parts of SwannPaez‘s hip bone, but Monday she walked without a limp into the churchauditorium.
She said was happy to share her story with filmmaker Patricia Kelikani, of the university’s Advancement Filmsunit.
“It’s focus was how a community came together in a good way after this awful, tragic and evil thing,” SwannPaez said.
A 30minute version of the film will be aired at 7 p.m. Dec. 14, on the PBS affiliate KVCR, Channel 24.
URL: http://www.sbsun.com/artsandentertainment/20161205/sanbernardinostrongdocumentarylooksathealingfollowingtragedy
12/6/2016 Illuminated Arrowhead landmark above San Bernardino fills residents with pride, hope
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San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
Illuminated Arrowhead landmark above San Bernardino fills residents with pride, hope
By Shannon O’Connor
Monday, December 5, 2016
On Dec. 2, the Arrowhead landmark, located in the foothills of theSan Bernardino Mountains, was illuminated and will stayilluminated for 14 days to honor the victims lost in the SanBernardino terrorist attacks. Upon seeing the lights, people took tosocial media to post their own photos of the light display along withmessages of hope and strength.
If you’re reading this on a mobile device, use this link for the fullstory.
URL: http://www.sbsun.com/generalnews/20161205/illuminatedarrowheadlandmarkabovesanbernardinofillsresidentswithpridehope
© 2016 San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
12/6/2016 Adelanto plans to educate on sex offenders News VVdailypress.com Victorville, CA
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SundayPosted Dec 4, 2016 at 12:44 PMUpdated Dec 4, 2016 at 12:44 PM
By Shea Johnson Staff Writer
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ADELANTO — Facing potential legal consequences if they attempt to locallyregulate registered sex offenders who already fall under state scrutiny, cityofficials said recently they'll instead plan to seek out meetings with seniorpolitical figures and build a framework for educating residents.
The decision came during a special City Council workshop Tuesday, where theCouncil had tasked themselves with identifying local-control regulations for sexoffenders living in the city.
According to Megan's Law, a state-run database, there are 90 offenders inAdelanto — the fewest of any municipality in the Victor Valley, althoughAdelanto is also the least populated.
The idea to broach sex offender regulations was spurred by residents whobecame aware of offenders residing in their neighborhood and raised theirconcerns with the city, Mayor Rich Kerr said.
City Attorney Curtis Wright quickly warned city leaders that California law isthe preemptive standard on where sex offenders can live and congregate. Anyefforts to further restrict their movements could open up the city to legalchallenges, he said.
Adelanto plans to educate on sex offenders
12/6/2016 Adelanto plans to educate on sex offenders News VVdailypress.com Victorville, CA
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In fact, the city had been struck before — as had Hesperia, Apple Valley,Victorville and the county — and forced to align its local ordinance with thestatewide system already in place. Most recently, in December 2014, Victorvillehad become one of at least 15 municipalities throughout California that year toeither repeal or rewrite their ordinance to mirror state law.
The shift in local control came after the Fourth Appellate District of theCalifornia Court of Appeal issued a public opinion in January 2014, holding thata local ordinance which exceeded the state law standard and made it amisdemeanor for registered sex offenders to enter a city park was preempted byCalifornia law.
The ruling was soon an impetus of challenges to a number of municipalities bythe California chapter of Reform Sex Offender Laws, which accused stricter localordinances of being overkill.
Wright added that the Council could still provide recommendations and he'dcheck to determine whether they had already been shot down elsewhere.
"So far, everything has been going against the cities," he said.
Mayor Pro Tem Jermaine Wright said the uphill battle felt as if sex offenderswere being given all the leverage.
"It just seems like their rights are more important than protecting our children,"he said.
Officials said they'll look to meet with county and state representatives to seewhat, if anything, can be done. Meanwhile, they also announced plans to discussthe issue with schools, dish out literature in English and Spanish inneighborhoods were offenders live and start quarterly educational courses forresidents beginning next year.
"As a city, we should be more involved than we are right now," Kerr said.
Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or [email protected] him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.
12/6/2016 Amazon overwhelms Redlands nonprofit founder with its $15k gift
http://www.sbsun.com/socialaffairs/20161205/amazonoverwhelmsredlandsnonprofitfounderwithits15kgift&template=printart 1/2
San Bernardino County Sun (http://www.sbsun.com)
Amazon overwhelms Redlands nonprofit founder with its $15k gift
By Kristina Hernandez, Redlands Daily Facts
Monday, December 5, 2016
REDLANDS >> Amazon left Pat Williams speechless afterannouncing Monday afternoon it would donate $15,000 worth ofgoods to the nonprofit she founded, Angels’ Closet Charities.
Employees with the online retailer unloaded dozens of boxescontaining skincare products, shoes, towels and other necessitiesfrom a 53foot truck to the delight of dozens who turned out to watchthe announcement unfold.
“I’m just overwhelmed by all of it. I really am,” Williams said. “I’mso grateful for everything, you know. I don’t even know where to
begin to say thank you.”
Angels’ Closet, founded in 2008, operates out of Redlands East Valley High School and works to clothe middleand high school students in need in Redlands, San Bernardino and surrounding communities. The nonprofitserves students by appointment only. When arriving on campus they are invited to shop in “stores” Williams andvolunteers set up in portables provided by REV. Each client takes home multiple outfits, shoes and accessories.
Since the start of the 201617 school year, Angels’ Closet has served more than 200 students. They are justgetting started, said Williams, who estimates the nonprofit will serve more students this year than the last.
Amazon’s donation, Williams said, “makes a difference for all the kids we serve.”
• Photos: Amazon donates $15,000 worth of goods to Angels’ Closet
Officials from the Redlands Unified School District and REV students and staff turned out to cheer Williams on,as did Angels Closet clients, including Eliana Hernandez, a 17yearold Citrus Valley High School senior.
“When (Pat) asked me to come here I was more than willing to come,” Hernandez said. “She deserves all thehelp she could get.”
Amazon’s stop in Redlands is one of 17 the retail giant plans to make on its national holiday giving tour.
Earlier in the day, Amazon’s “Santa Sleigh” — the 53foot truck mentioned earlier — made a stop at EdgemontElementary School in Moreno Valley to deliver much needed supplies, including audio visual equipment thatwill be used to teach students how a newsroom operates.
Edgemont has seen its share of challenges recently. It is currently serving 600 students in 26 portable units as theschool is currently under construction. The school is located in one of the lowest socioeconomic areas ofMoreno Valley, were many struggle to purchase school supplies, Edgemont Principal Patricia Bazanos said.
“We are so incredibly grateful that we were selected for this gift,” she said. “It’s been a difficult year, but it’sonly temporary. Yet, this morning’s visit from Amazon was pure joy.”
12/6/2016 Print Article: Can Joshua trees survive global warming? Scientists have differing thoughts
http://www.pe.com/common/printer/view.php?db=pressenterprise&id=820217 1/2
Can Joshua trees survive global warming? Scientists havediffering thoughtsBY JIM STEINBERG20161205 17:07:45
It started with a 2011 study that indicated by the turn of the century therewould be no more Joshua trees in the national park named after theiconic desert plant.
And likely none in California.
“I was shocked when the study came out. I wanted to look at the detailsand change the scale,” said Cameron Barrows, a research ecologist forthe UC Riverside Center for Conservation Biology in Palm Desert.
The large scale of the study by Kenneth Cole, a climate scientist for thefederal government’s Colorado Plateau Research Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, missed many of the geologicalnuances of Joshua Tree National Park and elsewhere, according to Barrows, which could ultimately meansurvival for the Joshua tree species.
Barrows coordinates the center’s Desert Studies Initiative.
Doing his own modeling, which took a detailed look at the geography of Joshua Tree National Park, Barrowssaid that going into 2100, this 13,000yearold desert plant species may survive — at the higher elevations ofJoshua Tree National Park and along northfacing slopes and some canyon areas.
Scientists working with Barrows, along with helpers from the National Park Service and other agencies, at aworkshop earlier this month trained a team of about 40 “citizenscientists” to help gauge the health of Joshuatrees across some of the study areas.
The volunteers surveyed and measured the heights of Joshua trees, coupling the measurements with GPSlocations, and a description of other plants nearby and likely offspring of the same parent.
The Nov.6 survey showed good health among a range of age groups for the Joshua trees in the study area.
Although Barrows presents a more optimistic view on the future of Joshua trees than does Cole, there are stillproblems, he said.
In addition to the warmer winters and summers, there’s air pollution depositing nitrates on the soil, according toBarrows.
That soil enrichment will transform portions of the now largely barren desert into grasslands. The location wherethe grasses will thrive coincides with the prime habitat for these surviving Joshua trees.
With grasses come forest fires, and the Joshua tree is not a plant that has adapted to fire. Recovery will bedifficult, Barrows said, and certainly not helped by the fact that it can take 70 years for a Joshuatree to produceoffspring.
THE HISTORY
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What we know as Joshua trees weren’t always called that.
In the late 1880s, yucca palm was the popular name for the tree, according to Chris Clarke, a Joshua Treeresident who is working on a book on the trees based on his decades of research. Another name was treeyucca.
The plant is not in the palm family, but that didn’t matter when Palmdale was named after the iconic plant,Clarke said, during a presentation to the citizenscientist group the day before their field experience.
Clarke was among several speakers to make presentations to the citizenscientist group at the Black RockRanger Station.
The name Joshua tree really started to take off at the beginning of the 20th century, although the name treeyucca persisted in scientific literature into the early 1930s, Clarke said.
There was a brief effort to make paper from yucca plants in the 1880s, when the Atlantic and Pacific Pulp Co.stripped off about 5,000 acres’ worth of Joshua trees in an unsuccessful effort to make paper from them.
“If you ever wondered why there are no Joshua trees around Acton (in Los Angeles County), that’s the reason,”Clarke said, adding that the Joshua trees never rebounded from that failed business venture.
There are two Joshua tree varieties. One is found in the Mojave and is more commonly recognized. The other isless treelike and more like a bush and found in the Colorado Desert.
They live together only in a portion of the Nevada desert, near the socalled Area 51, about 100 miles outside ofLas Vegas, said Chris Smith, who has taught evolutionary biology at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon,and led scientific expeditions in the U.S. and Mexico deserts.
Smith said there is evidence that the two species are interbreeding.
With global warming, the Joshua tree species will likely migrate north over time, Smith said. And it might be thatone of the two varieties, or the hybrid, will become the dominant plant.
Clarke, Barrows and Smith were among several speakers at the workshop, which was a partnership betweenthe Desert Institute, the California Native Plant Society, Joshua Tree Genome Project, UC Riverside Center forConservation Biology, UC Riverside Sweeney Granite Mountains Research Center, USGS Western EcologicalResearch Center and Joshua Tree National Park.
The Rose Foundation provided funding for the event.
RELATED
Agency considers protection for Mojave Desert's iconic Joshua trees
How Joshua Tree gets back a little of what was lost
Two big solar plants start producing electricity in the desert
Contact the writer: [email protected]@JamesDSteinberg on Twitter
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12/6/2016 Fire breaks out at goatkeeper’s remote property HiDesert Star: News
http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_0440d9beb90411e69cb2fbdafa6aa8e2.html?mode=print 1/1
Fire breaks out at goatkeeper’s remote propertyBy Stacy Moore HiDesert Star | Posted: Friday, December 2, 2016 6:56 pm
JOSHUA TREE — Several goats died in a fire on a propertyin the 3900 block of Border Avenue in northern Joshua TreeFriday.
Battalion Chief Scott Tuttle said the fire was reported at11:24 p.m.
Five fire engines from the San Bernardino County stations inYucca Valley, Yucca Mesa, Joshua Tree and TwentyninePalms as well as the Marine base fire department responded.
They found flames consuming a traveltrailer, animal pensand other items on the property.
The resident was able to rescue some of the goats, butsuffered minor burns in the process.
Morongo Basin Ambulance personnel treated and releasedhim at the scene.
Other goats died in the fire; Tuttle said he knew of three thathad died, and animal rescuer Jessica Gregory, who lives nearthe property, said three adults and four babies were killed.
Firefighters took 30 minutes to knock down the flames, Tuttle said.
“The wind definitely contributed to the fire spread, but we were able to confine the fire to the property,” headded.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Gregory, who runs Moonlight Animal Rescue in Joshua Tree, said the owner of the property had almost 25goats.
Gregory has agreed to take in the surviving animals.
“From what I saw when I stopped over there to do a fast assessment, all have been singed or burned, butmainly on their fur, not their flesh,” she said. “They’re going to need sweaters and coats.”
She is raising money for feed and to have a veterinarian examine the surviving goats. Donations of food ormoney may be taken to C&J Feed Barn at 350 Old Woman Springs Road in Flamingo Heights. For moreinformation, visit Moonlight Animal Rescue on Facebook.
Fire breaks out at goatkeeper’sremote property
San Bernardino County Fire Capt. DavidBolesworth talks to crews as they work ona fire in northern Joshua Tree Friday. Thefire destroyed a travel trailer on theproperty, which had no permanent structurefor a house.
12/6/2016 AQMD issues ‘no burn day’ for Tuesday
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Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)
AQMD issues ‘no burn day’ for Tuesday
By Anne Millerbernd, The PressEnterprise
Monday, December 5, 2016
With fall in the air and winter approaching, Cal Fire officials say thethreat of a wildfire has diminished enough for people to resumepermitted burning in the Inland area.
The suspensions on burns in Riverside and San Bernardino countieswas lifted 8 a.m. Monday. People with current and valid permits canburn in those areas on days designated by local airquality regulators.
The permits apply to agricultural burning, prescribed burns,residential burning, beach burning and other types of burns. Fireagencies suspend those permits during peak fire season.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District announced that residential burning will not be allowedTuesday in most of San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties — air quality was expected tobe poor, and burning wood in indoor our outdoor fireplaces could make it worse. The ban doesn’t apply to thedesert areas or the mountains above 3,000 feet.
To check whether burning is permitted on a given day, go to aqmd.gov.
Though temperatures have decreased, Cal Fire firefighters wrote in a news release that it’s still important to bemindful of humidity levels and outdoor behavior.
The Inland area is expected have mostly average weather this week. Some drizzle was expected Monday nightand Tuesday morning, and clouds will linger for the foreseeable future, according to the National WeatherService.
URL: http://www.dailybulletin.com/generalnews/20161205/aqmdissuesnoburndayfortuesday
© 2016 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (http://www.dailybulletin.com)
12/6/2016 Print Article: Why Moreno Valley is seeking legal fees to defend World Logistics Center
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Why Moreno Valley is seeking legal fees to defend WorldLogistics CenterBy IMRAN GHORI20161205 18:15:36
As Moreno Valley has racked up thousands of dollars in legal billsdefending the city’s approval of the World Logistics Center, developerHighland Fairview has fallen behind in reimbursing the city, according tocity officials and records.
As of the end of October, the city’s legal fees had reached $358,439 butthe company – which agreed in a contract to pay the city’s attorney costs– had paid $89,510, city spokeswoman Kimberly Sutherland said in anemail. The developer paid another $16,512.50 Nov. 23, though the city’slegal bills for November were not available, she said.
Highland Fairview’s CEO/Presdent Iddo Benzeevi, in a statement, said the city is at fault because officialshaven’t provided full documentation of its legal costs and that he’ll pay when it does so.
Moreno Valley has faced a dozen lawsuits since it approved the 40.6million squarefoot warehouse complex inAugust 2015. Though it reached settlements with some of the parties, several lawsuits remain and could resultin appeals that could play out over the next year.
Moreno Valley is being represented by the California law firm of Lozano Smith, which bills $220 to $375 anhour, city records show.
City officials have sent emails and letters to Highland Fairview over the past year asking for payment,culminating in a “demand letter” sent Sept. 29 by thenInterim City Attorney Steve Quintanilla. That letter saidthe company was $332,825 behind in payments at the time.
“The city has incurred substantial attorney’s fees and costs in defending itself ...” he wrote. “Please consider thisletter as a demand that Highland Fairview pay the attorney’s costs incurred by the City of Moreno Valley indefending the litigation.”
Benzeevi’s statement puts the blame on the city.
“We are perplexed and surprised as to why the city council after countless requests by Highland Fairview hasnot demanded monthly invoices from its lawyers and scrutinized them before sending them to HighlandFairview for payment,” he stated. “These lawyers work for the City Council, not Highland Fairview. We expectto be provided with timely invoices which have been scrutinized by the city to insure that they are appropriateand accurate before they are sent to Highland Fairview for payment.”
Quintanilla and current City Attorney Martin Koczanowicz said the legal invoices are protected by attorneyclientprivilege and that the city is not obligated to provide them. Kozcanowicz sent a second demand letter toHighland Fairview last month.
City officials declined to provide a copy of that letter.
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“The direction is much clearer and not quite as friendly as the last one,” City Councilwoman LaDonna Jempsonsaid of the latest letter. “This one is very to the point: ‘This is the amount you owe and this is what we expect.’”
Koczanowicz said he has been in talks with Highland Fairview over the bills and expects the city to be repaid.
“As far as catchup, we hope to have that occur in the reasonable future,” he said, though he did not have anestimate as to when.
Under the development agreement between the city and Highland Fairview, the developer agreed “to fullydefend, indemnify and hold the City harmless for all costs of defense” and reimburse the city monthly.
Another clause states the “city shall use its best efforts to reasonably manage case costs and seek reasonableattorney rates.”
Jempson said the agreement does not require the city to provide invoices.
“The agreement was always to have funding available so we can replenish that funding so the city would not beout a dime,” she said.
According to city documents provided by city officials and a resident who requested information on the bills,however, the city has gone into the red more than once as the developer fell behind in paying the legal fees.
A Dec. 9, 2015, letter from the city’s Planning Division to Highland Fairview, asks for a $50,000 check to createa litigation fund, according to documents the city provided to resident Lindsay Robinson. The city received thecheck Jan. 8.
But a Feb. 4 letter from Planning Official Rick Sandzimier and Senior Permit Technician Leticia Esquivel askedfor another $100,000, stating that the previous sum was not enough to cover city costs.
In a March 1 email, Sandzimier wrote that the city cost’s were $144,000 at that point. Wayne Peterson, vicepresident of community planning for Highland Fairview, replied that the developer would pay no more until thecity showed more documentation of the charges.
By March 31, the city’s account was at negative $163,000, according to an email that day from PrincipalAccountant Debbie Rosales. Benzeevi expressed concerns about the costs in an email response to Sandzimierthat day.
“I don’t understand how we are spending so much money? We cannot continue at this rate,” he wrote toSandzimier.
Moreno Valley received no payments from Highland Fairview until September, when it got $24,575, accordingto Sutherland. Another $14,935 payment came in October and $16,512 on Nov. 23, she said.
Lozano Smith billed the city $284,553 between January and October, city documents show. The Novemberamount was not available, Sutherland said.
“Highland Fairview has made all payments required on all documented invoices,” Eric Rose, a spokesman forBenzeevi, said in an email last week. “After months of waiting, we are still waiting for updated detailed invoicesfrom the City.”
In his statement, Benzeevi said taxpayers deserve “oversight and accountability for how the City Council isspending their money, especially on high priced lawyers, irrespective of whether the city is reimbursed.”
Koczanowicz and Quintanilla both described the legal fees as “reasonable” given the type of litigation the cityfaces.
City Councilman George Price called Benzeevi’s complaints about Lozano Smith’s fees’s “laughable,” sayingthe city is paying less than Highland Fairview pays its legal firm, Cox, Castle & Nicholson of Los Angeles.
Price said Benzeevi’s attorneys have been the lead attorneys in the case and Benzeevi’s requests in settlementnegotiations have driven the legal costs higher.
“In a lot of cases, it’s been him who’s been dragging it out because he wanted language changed,” he said.
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Councilman Jesse Molina, who was mayor when the council approved the project, recalled asking Benzeevi ata public hearing if the city would bear any legal costs if it were sued and was told no. Molina, who is leavingoffice this week, said that was a key issue for him in supporting the project, which the council approved 32.
“If he’s a man of his word, everything will go OK,” Molina said. “If he tries to maneuver out of anything, then I’mgoing to be here every council meeting just pounding on it.”
Contact the writer: 9513689558 [email protected]: @ImranGhori1
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12/6/2016 Superbug infections must be listed on death certificate under proposed bill LA Times
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S
Superbug infections must be listed on deathcertificate under proposed bill
By Melody Petersen
DECEMBER 5, 2016, 4:35 PM
tate Sen. Jerry Hill introduced a bill Monday that would require doctors to record antibioticresistant
infections on death certificates if they played a role in the death.
Currently many deaths from infections acquired in hospitals and nursing homes are not publicly
recorded, leaving health officials to guess at their toll.
“Today we have to estimate the number of deaths from infections and we have no idea if that is accurate,” said
Hill (DSan Mateo). “We’re shooting in the dark.”
Carbapenemresistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria is believed to have caused outbreaks at several Southern Californiahospitals, including at Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center. Three patients died in that outbreak that began in late 2014. (Getty Images)
12/6/2016 Superbug infections must be listed on death certificate under proposed bill LA Times
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FROM OURPARTNERS:
Man Found Dead as Wildfires Ravage California
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that 75,000 Americans die of hospitalacquired
infections each year. Because California provides between 10% and 12% of the nation’s hospital care, state
officials estimate that 7,500 to 9,000 Californians die each year from the infections.
A 2014 study by University of Michigan researchers concluded that infections – both those acquired inside and
outside hospitals – would replace heart disease and cancer as the leading causes of death in hospitals if the
count was performed by looking at patients’ medical billing records, rather than death certificates. The billing
records show what patients were being treated for.
The Times reported in October about the death of Sharley McMullen at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. In
McMullen’s medical records, doctors detailed how the Manhattan Beach resident died of a superbug that
sickened her after a surgery and other procedures at the hospital. McMullen’s doctor did not list the bacteria on
her death certificate.
The bill, SB 43, would also require labs that conduct testing for hospitals and other medical facilities to
annually give state officials a summary of how many patients tested positive for each type of antibioticresistant
bacteria.
Hill said state officials could use the information on infections and deaths to look for dangerous trends and
create prevention strategies. The information would be reported to the public, he said, but hospitals would not
be named.
12/6/2016 Superbug infections must be listed on death certificate under proposed bill LA Times
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Hospitals are already required to report some types of hospitalacquired infections to health officials. That data
does not include whether the patient died.
McMullen was infected with carbapenemresistant Enterobacteriaceae or CRE, a lethal superbug that is not
among those that hospitals now must report. The CDC has classified the bacteria, which kills as many as half its
victims, as one of the nation’s most urgent health threats.
The superbug caused outbreaks at several Southern California hospitals beginning in late 2014 that were traced
to a type of medical scope that was especially hard to clean.
Torrance Memorial officials have not said how McMullen became sickened in the middle of 2014. But they said
they had ruled out the two scope procedures that she had just before her surgery for a stomach ulcer.
Her doctor wrote on the death certificate that McMullen died from respiratory failure and septic shock caused
by her ulcer.
A Torrance Memorial spokeswoman said Monday that the hospital could not release information from a
completed investigation into the case “due to patient privacy laws.”
Follow @melodypetersen on Twitter
Copyright © 2016, Los Angeles Times
This article is related to: Hospitals and Clinics, Diseases and Illnesses, Jerry Hill, U.S. Centers for Disease Controland Prevention
12/6/2016 California city councilman spent campaign funds on a Malibu wedding | The Sacramento Bee
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CAPITOL ALERT DECEMBER 5, 2016 1:36 PM
California city councilman spent campaign funds on a Malibu wedding
i
Capitol AlertThe go-to source for news on California policy and politics
BY TARYN [email protected]
California law generally allows politicians to dip into their campaign coffers rather liberally, so long as the payment is reasonably tied to a political,legislative or governmental purpose.
The former Mayor of Menifee is learning the hard way that a wedding in Malibu isn’t a legitimate campaign expense in the eyes of the state’s politicalethics watchdog.
The Fair Political Practices Commission will vote next week on more than $100,000 in fines against two California politicians, Scott Mann ofMenifee and Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark Peterson, in separate cases related to the use of campaign funds to cover personal expenses.
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12/6/2016 California city councilman spent campaign funds on a Malibu wedding | The Sacramento Bee
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reprints
Mann illegally tapped campaign funds to pay for vacation, meals, tax liabilities, car registration and “expenses related to a family wedding in Malbu”on 147 occasions between December 2009 and June 2014, according to a stipulation between the mayor and the FPPC staff.
The agency said the personal expenses cost Mann’s campaign account $44,894 raised for his city council race in 2010 and subsequent mayoralcampaigns in the Riverside County town of less than 100,000 residents during 2012 and 2014. Mann also failed to maintain records of his spendingand faces a $60,000 penalty.
In an unusual twist, Mann agreed to allow the FPPC to issue a press release detailing his misdeeds ahead of the November election for mayor. Helost.
Meanwhile, Peterson spent $66,372 of his campaign funds on meals, gas, clothes, movies tickets, hotel rooms, cell phone bills and other personalexpenses from January 2011 until October 2015. Peterson, who was elected District Attorney in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, later reimbursed hiscommittee for all of his personal expenses, but still faces a $45,000 fine.
The five-member commission is expected to vote on the proposed penalties at its Dec. 15 meeting. The agency will also rule on a $6,000 fine againstthe online marketplace eBay for failing to file timely lobbyist employer disclosures.
Taryn Luna: 916-326-5545, @TarynLuna
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12/6/2016 Print Article: Riverside County supervisors should not accept raises
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Riverside County supervisors should not accept raises20161203 22:13:06
Optics matter. When members of the Riverside County Board ofSupervisors received their raises this year, it clearly sent a poor message.
At a time when the county is, at least officially, talking about the need tocurb spending and remain fiscally disciplined for the foreseeable future,raises for county supervisors, who already earn in excess of $150,000annually, constitute a mismatch between rhetoric and action.
“It’s disappointing that county management are giving themselves raiseswhile continuing to propose cuts to the frontline services our communitiesdepend on,” Esmie Grubbs, regional director of Service EmployeesInternational Union Local 721, told The PressEnterprise last month.
“We’re facing unprecedented challenges retaining the skilled professionals the county needs, and vital servicesare suffering.”
As a note, Supervisor Kevin Jeffries has consistently refused raises during his term in office, at one point evenhaving a spat with the county’s human resources department, which initially attempted to make him accept hisraise.
This time around, Supervisor Marion Ashley is pledging to donate his raise to charity, a nice gesture which stilldoesn’t quite match up to the image the county should be projecting.
For years, the county has been in an increasingly deepening fiscal hole, mainly due to the faulty decisionmaking of the Board of Supervisors.
As an indicator, between 2010 and 2014, the percentage of county employees earning compensation of$100,000 or more doubled, from 7.3 percent to 14.1 percent.
This wasn’t because the times were good and the county was in solid fiscal shape. The board made the mistakeof doling out raises to unions that happened to support them during election season, at a time when revenueswere weak at best.
The resulting mix of inflating compensation at a time when revenues were lagging is exactly what has causedthe present malaise in county finances.
If the supervisors truly want to make the public and county unions believe they’re being serious, they shouldknow better than to accept raises they don’t really need at a time when they’re asking for concessions fromemployees.
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12/6/2016 Janice Hahn, Kathryn Barger give LA County Board of Supervisors historic female supermajority
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LA Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com)
Janice Hahn, Kathryn Barger give LA County Board of Supervisors historic femalesupermajority
By Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News
Monday, December 5, 2016
Two newly elected Los Angeles County supervisors brought historicchanges to local politics Monday when they became part of asupermajority of women to serve on the largest local governmentalbody in the nation.
Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger were formally sworn in during twoceremonies at L.A.’s County Hall of Administration downtown. Theyjoin Hilda Solis, Sheila Kuehl and Mark RidleyThomas, the only manon the board, to oversee a $28 billion budget as well as several of thelargest departments in the United States, including the Sheriff’sDepartment.
They replace Supervisors Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe to represent the 4th and 5th districts. Both menhad more than 55 years of service between them but were forced out by term limits passed in 2002.
In separate ceremonies marked with tears, prayers, songs and some comic jabs at RidleyThomas for being theonly man, Hahn and Barger took the oath of office in the board hearing room filled with constituents and staffand promised to serve 10 million residents who call Los Angeles County their home.
For Hahn, the morning ceremony became a tribute to her father, Kenneth Hahn, who served on the board for 40years and whose name is on the Hall of Administration. The lineage of public service in her family was evidentwhen Hahn was sworn into office by her brother, former Mayor James Hahn, who is a Los Angeles SuperiorCourt judge.
“As a I stand here today in this building, I’m thinking about my father,” said Hahn, a former Los Angeles citycouncilwoman who gave up her seat in the House of Representatives to run for the powerful county board. LosAngeles Mayor Eric Garcetti helped introduce her.
“My father taught me that a county supervisor is truly at his, or her, best when they leverage their influence tobring everyone together to solve problems.”
Later in the day, Barger was sworn in by her former boss, Antonovich. Barger was his top aide for 15 years.
She said for her, being a supervisor means balancing the needs of the county’s most needy with theresponsibility of balancing a budget.
“I look forward to finding the balance with my colleagues,” Barger said. “I will not forget that I serve all ofyou.”
She and Hahn, both elected on Nov. 8, listed several legislative interests while campaigning, including jobcreation, more oversight of the foster care system, and support for Measure M, a voterapproved initiative that
12/6/2016 Janice Hahn, Kathryn Barger give LA County Board of Supervisors historic female supermajority
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allows a halfcent salestax hike to pay for regional transportation improvements.
Funds to help homeless
Both will vote in their first board meeting Tuesday, which includes two weighty issues now facing the county: asales tax to raise funds for homeless services and a proposal to create an immigrant affairs department.
Barger and Hahn already have partnered with RidleyThomas to introduce two motions to fund effort to help thehomeless.
Hahn joined RidleyThomas in support of a quartercent sales tax measure to be placed on the March ballot. Themotion follows passage of Proposition HHH, a property tax measure approved by voters in November that willallow the city of Los Angeles to build 8,000 to 10,000 units of supportive permanent housing for the next 10years. But it’s the county that needs to step in and provide the supportive social services component.
In their joint resolution, RidleyThomas and Hahn said the quartercent sales tax is needed to ensure the successof these permanent supportive housing units.
“There is an urgent need to provide prevention, crisis, and support services, including health care, mental healthservices, and substance abuse treatment for homeless children, families, foster youth, seniors, battered women,disabled individuals, veterans, and other homeless adults,” they wrote.
The sales tax measure will be levied for a period of 10 years. About 75 organizations support the motion andtheir members are expected to attended Tuesday’s meeting.
Also, Barger joined RidleyThomas on a proposal to have homelessness declared a county emergency. Theirmotion claims tens of thousands of people are affected.
“The tremendous scale of homelessness in the county threatens the economic stability of the region byburdening emergency medical services and the social services infrastructure,” the motion states.
Immigrant affairs department?
Meanwhile, Solis is hopeful the board will support her motion to create an immigrant affairs department toprotect the county’s undocumented residents as well as 70,000 young people enrolled into the Deferred Actionfor Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, which allows those brought illegally to the country aschildren to legally hold jobs.
Solis said such a department is necessary given Presidentelect Donald Trump’s proposals to deportundocumented immigrants. Though Trump has said deportation would involve only those who are in the U.S.illegally and who commit crimes, Solis said his focus on immigration has raised anxiety in the community.
“We can’t afford to go backwards, and that’s exactly what will happen if we don’t have this in place,” Solis saidin an interview Friday. If passed, the motion will ask county staff to look into how such a department would becreated and to return with a plan by the date Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Trump also has threatened to pull federal funding from sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles, which havepolicies in place that protect undocumented individuals.
“In the state of California, where we have the largest population, you bet we’re going to be a target,” Solis said.“Many people have residency and legal status, but they are very fearful they might be deported.”
URL: http://www.dailynews.com/governmentandpolitics/20161205/janicehahnkathrynbargergivelacountyboardofsupervisorshistoricfemalesupermajority
12/6/2016 Print Article: State bill would ban taxpayerfunded mailers in months before elections
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State bill would ban taxpayerfunded mailers in monthsbefore electionsBy JORDAN GRAHAM20161205 18:39:58
Proposed legislation introduced Monday would ban candidates for public office in California from sendingtaxpayerfunded mass mailings in the 90 days before an election, a practice that critics say provides incumbentswith an unfair advantage in promoting themselves at the public’s expense.
That issue of whether officials seeking reelection should send out mass print communications surfaced inOrange County’s recent election cycle after incumbent county Supervisor Andrew Do sent out 1.2 millionpublicly funded mailers at a cost of $277,000 while he ran his successful campaign.
State Sen. Tony Mendoza, DDowney, introduced the bill, SB45, for the second consecutive legislative sessionafter it died earlier this year. It would ban mass mailers before general, primary and runoff elections in all stateand local races; preelection mailings already are prohibited at the federal level but no statewide law exists forcandidates in California.
“This bill sends a strong message that government officials should not use their positions to unfairly influencethe democratic process,” Mendoza said in a statement. “It is time for California to strengthen the PoliticalReform Act.”
Mendoza, who endorsed Do’s opponent Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez in her run for supervisor,could not immediately be reached for further comment.
Do has stressed that his mailers, which promoted an array of community events and frequently featured thesupervisor’s name, were legal and a proper use of public funds. He has said the mailings benefit hisconstituents and “get the bureaucrats out from behind their cubicles.”
But some government ethics experts, including Bob Stern, coauthor of California’s 1974 Political Reform Act,said it seemed Do was abusing his power and called for the mailers to be made illegal in the lead up toelections.
Contact the writer: [email protected] or 7147967960
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12/5/2016 Cities, States Need Top Financial Talent, but Fall Short on Pay WSJ
http://www.wsj.com/articles/citiesstatesneedtopfinancialtalentbutfallshortonpay1476735713 1/3
Help wanted: Top-notch financial talent needed to face intense regulatory scrutiny; nobonuses or equity awards; modest civil servant’s paycheck.
That is not a job that would appeal to most of the nation’s best and brightest financialexecutives, who enjoy the big cash and stock incentives—not to mention the prestige—offered by the private sector. But states and towns increasingly need such executives tomanage bond sales and pension deficits, as they come under closer governmentoversight.
“Getting people in government is not easy,” said Robert Mayer, chief fiscal officer for thetown of Fairfield, Conn. “They’re all making more than the mayor.”
Municipal finance chiefs in the Midwest earn between $85,000 and $160,000, dependingon the town’s size and affluence, while those working on either coasts can expect slightlymore, said Heidi Voorhees, head of GovHR USA LLC, an Illinois recruiter for the publicsector and nonprofit groups. By contrast, the median compensation package—salary,bonus and stock options—for public-company finance executives was valued at $3.57million, based on proxies filed as of late June.
“It’s always our toughest recruitment,” said Ms. Vorhees.
Adding to the difficulty: Municipalities and for-profit businesses follow very differentbookkeeping and budget rules, she said.
One thing many public-sector CFOs have in common with private-sector peers is thatthey have to answer to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency regulates
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http://www.wsj.com/articles/citiesstatesneedtopfinancialtalentbutfallshortonpay1476735713
BUSINESS CFO JOURNAL
Cities, States Need Top FinancialTalent, but Fall Short on PayUnder pressure to do more with less, municipal-bond issuers struggle to fulfill SECrequirements
|
‘Most good CFOs could make a positive impact,’ Robert Mayer, chief fiscal officer of Fairfield, Conn., and a former privatesector executive, said of government service. PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER BEAUCHAMP FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Oct. 17, 2016 4:21 p.m. ETBy MAXWELL MURPHY
12/5/2016 Cities, States Need Top Financial Talent, but Fall Short on Pay WSJ
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municipal-bond sales, as well as corporate offerings, and can impose fines for violations.
While most corporations have the resources they need to monitor compliance, SECdisclosure rules pose a special challenge for cash-strapped states and cities, which areunder pressure to do more with less. While disclosure rules are less stringent formunicipalities than for companies, that doesn’t get them off the hook for even smalllapses.
If a municipality is 30 days late in filing its budget with state and federal regulators, theSEC considers that a disclosure violation, even if the delay is unlikely to harm itsbondholders.
The SEC is “really naive in their understanding of what municipalities are capable of,”said Jeffrey Esser, chief executive of the Government Finance Officers Association,which has about 18,000 members in the U.S. and Canada.
In August, the SEC reached settlements with 71 municipalities and other public entitiesacross 45 states over alleged bond-disclosure violations. Many of the parties that settledhad voluntarily reported their violations, such as failing to disclose a change in tax-revenue forecasts.
The town of Fairfield was among those that self-reported, a move that tends to winleniency. It settled with the SEC without admitting or denying wrongdoing or paying amonetary penalty.
Mr. Mayer, Fairfield’s fiscal chief, is a career finance executive who left Wilkes-Barre,Pa., where he held a corporate job as a divisional chief executive, to be closer to his wifeand daughters, who didn’t want to relocate.
“To keep myself a little bit busy I ended up getting into local politics,” he said. In 2012,Fairfield’s first selectman appointed him chief of staff. When the CFO job later openedup, Mr. Mayer was asked to step in. “Most good CFOs could make a positive impact,” hesaid of government service.
Most towns, hard-pressed to find money for such projects as pothole repair, parkupgrades or a new public-transportation extension, are reluctant to spend precious cashstaffing up their finance departments to ensure regulatory compliance. “The attentionisn’t there, the budget isn’t there,” Mr. Mayer said.
Despite such pressures, municipalities and related entities don’t get a free pass, AndrewCeresney, director of the SEC’s enforcement division, said at a conference last week.They have a total of over $3.7 trillion in outstanding debt, spread across about 44,000issuers, compared with the about 8,600 corporate issuers the SEC regulates, he said.
Mason Neely, finance chief of East Brunswick, N.J., voluntarily reported to the SEC thathis town failed to let investors know that S&P Global Ratings dropped coverage of thetown’s sewer bonds when it decided to pay them off early. He said that while he takesresponsibility for not immediately informing bondholders, the violation was minor.
Another potential pitfall for public-sector CFOs is that their predecessors often leavethem with decades worth of financial information they know little about. When theirtown or regulators want to investigate something, “Well, I didn’t know that” is acommon refrain, said J.T. Klaus, a partner at Kansas law firm Triplett Woolf GarretsonLLC.
Succession planning is also nearly impossible for some towns and cities, said Mr. Klaus,who represents Andover, Kan., one of the 71 municipalities and related nonprofits thatrecently settled with the SEC. “There are not enough people living in the communitywho can do the job,” he added.
Mr. Klaus declined to discuss specifics of the town’s settlement.
To lure financial talent, towns need to modernize and be more flexible when it comes toissues like work-life balance, given they lack the pay scale to compete with the private
12/5/2016 Cities, States Need Top Financial Talent, but Fall Short on Pay WSJ
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sector, said Elizabeth Kellar, CEO of the Center for State and Local GovernmentExcellence, a research group focused on helping municipalities meet staffing needs.“The governments that are making the best decisions are upgrading on technologies,”she said.
Corrections & Amplifications: In 2012, Fairfield, Conn.’s first selectman appointed Robert Mayer chief of staff. Anearlier version of this article incorrectly stated the year as 2011. Oct. 17, 2016
Write to Maxwell Murphy at [email protected]
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