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John Benoit Appointed to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors

Republican State Senator John Benoit has been appointed to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, as we reported would happen over a month ago.

Benoit will fill the seat of the late County Supervisor Roy Wilson who served the County's 4th District honorably until his sudden resignation in August.  Wilson died mere days after his resignation.  

In his alleged resignation letter, Wilson requested that the Governor appoint Benoit to serve the remainder of his term in office.  The authenticity of that letter has been drawn into question and it appears to many that Roy Wilson's resignation letter may have been forged.  

We even wonder dear readers, if John Benoit was aware of that Wilson's resignation letter was a fraud.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has once again shown his disregard and utter contempt for the people of Riverside County by appointing a member of the do-nothing State Legislature to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.  If you thought the budget was bad before, just wait for John Benoit to put his years of experience on the State Budget to work on the County's Budget.

Fortunately Benoit will have to face election to the seat next June.  He will likely face former Republican State Senator Jim Battin.  That will likely be one of the costliest and nastiest races in the history of Riverside County.    

John Benoit's appointment does occur under a cloud of controversy.  Benoit who is a critic of the Public Employee Retirement System was recently outed by the Los Angeles Times for gaming the system for taking his nearly $100,000 a year pension while making over $100,000 as a State Senator.  Benoit refused to comment on his hypocrisy.

This week we also reported on a reader's tip that Benoit may have lied about in disability claims he made to the State in attempts to receive his retirement payments tax free.

None of this should come as any surprise.  This is the same John Benoit who before he  had even received the appointment, and before Wilson's funeral, scheduled a fundraiser for Wilson's job! How classeless.

After we broke the story, Benoit was shamed into moving the fundraiser back a week in an attempt to discredit the accuracy of our reporting.

But as our exclusive on his appointment proves, our sources are good and our information is spot on. That's why they hate us dear readers, and that's why you've got to keep reading Inside Riverside.

Why Has John Benoit's Appointment Been Delayed?

California State Senator John Benoit's appointment to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors has been delayed.

As you know dear readers, we previously reported that  "Sources in the Schwarzenegger Administration have confirmed that the appointment of John Benoit as the replacement of Roy Wilson to the Board of Supervisors is imminent."

That report is now one month old and John Benoit has not been been appointed to the Board of Supervisors.

Some of you are saying that we were duped into breaking this story.  Others allege that we wrote a story that the facts didn't support.  Sorry Charlie, but that's not the case. 

There are three major reasons why Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not yet made the appointment.

1.  John Benoit's appointment was delayed because of Inside Riverside's reporting to his pending appointment.  Governor Schwarzenegger hates having his decisions leaked early.  Rumor has it that he became angry with Benoit for allowing word to get out that he was getting Roy Wilson's old job.  

Back in 2007 Schwarzenegger almost reneged on his appointment of Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle to the Parole Board after Doyle told the media he had the appointment.  Lobbying of the Governor by those who wanted the Royal Doyle out of Riverside County helped keep the appointment on track.  

The funny part about all this though is that we did not receive our information on the appointment from John Benoit.  Our information came directly out of the Governor's office.  Our sources got the intel from Susan Kennedy (Governor Schwarzenegger's Chief of Staff) and John Cruz (Governor Schwarzenegger's Appointment's Secretary).  

If the Governor wants to be angry with anyone for loose lips, he should be directing his indignation at members of his own staff.

2.  John Benoit needs to cast a vote for Schwarzenegger supported legislation in the Legislature's current Special Session.  Benoit was unable to come home for his fundraiser two weeks back because the Governor called the State's do-nothing Legislature back into session to deal with California's water crisis.  

John Benoit's vote will likely be required for some legislation.  There is the possibility that Benoit will be asked for a water bill that is not good for Riverside County.  It's also possible that he'll be asked to break with his the out-of-touch Republican Party and back a Democratic bill.  We will keep a close eye on this and let you know how it all unfolds of course.

3.  The controversy over the validity of Roy Wilson's signature on the resignation letter has delayed John Benoit's appointment.  While our story about the distinct possibility that Roy Wilson's resignation letter may have been forged has been ignored by the mainstream media like the Desert Sun and the Press-Enterprise, some people are taking it seriously.  

A source has told us that a criminal complaint has been filed in this matter.  Neither the Riverside County District Attorney's office nor the State Attorney General's office will confirm if there is an investigation or not.  

However, since we understand that a complaint has been filed, it is reasonable to assume that the Governor has received word of this and is waiting to see the outcome of any investigation that may be happening.

So there you have it dear readers, three very strong reasons why John Benoit's appointment to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors has been delayed.  Now that we're explaining the delay the Governor will probably make the appointment just to show he wasn't dallying.  

That's fine Governor.  We know you like John Benoit don't stand for anything but your own ego and career.

Riverside County's Furlough Program Is A Flop

Riverside County's employee furlough program implemented by County CEO Bill Luna to save the County money may actually be costing more money than it is saving.

Sources in Riverside County have revealed that the County is having nurses on overtime pay working the shifts of the nurses off on a furlough day.  

A furlough day for those of us in the real world is better known as a day off without pay.

The reason why County nurses on furloughs are being replaced by nurses on overtime pay is simple.  It's the law.

California law mandates the minimum staffing of registered nurses in hospitals.   These are known as staffing ratios.  Some of California's nursing staffing ratios are as follows:

1 Registered Nurse for every 2 patients in Intensive Care

1 Registered Nurse for every patient in the Operating Room

1 Registered Nurse for every 4 patients in the Pediatrics

1 Registered Nurse for every 4 patients in the Emergency Room

Because of this law, even with Bill Luna's nifty little furlough program, the Riverside County Regional Medical Center can not just give a nurse an unpaid day off without replacing that nurse with another nurse.  

The logical thing to do would be to cover that shift with a nurse who would not wind up working overtime hours, but Riverside County does not have enough Registered Nurses on its payroll to do that. So to comply with both Luna's foolish furlough program and California's nursing staffing ratio law, a nurse who would not be paid overtime is told to stay home while a nurse who will be on time and a half pay is called into work.

Let's illustrate Luna's folly with an example, shall we?

A Registered Nurse III (there are five levels by the way, RN I being the lowest and RN V the highest) can make a maximum salary of $74,114.14. 

The hourly waged for a RN III is $35.63, making daily pay $285.04.

Now the time and a half hourly rate of pay for a RN III at the maximum level is $53.45.  

A full eight hour shift at time and a half and a RN III makes $427.56.

One day having a RN III on a furlough day replaced by a RN III on overtime costs the County of Riverside $142.52 more than if the nurse was not forced to take the day off without pay.

Riverside County's nurses are required to take 2 furlough days a month, which adds up to 24 such days each year.  Using our little example above, the County would be spending $3,420.48 more each year on a top step Registered Nurse III than it would if it did not have the furloughs.

So dear readers, Bill Luna's furlough program that was supposed to reduce this pay by 10% is in reality a 4.6% pay increase!

Absolutely, brilliant isn't it?  Well, no one every claimed that Bill Luna was a genius.  Well, maybe Luna did but after about five seconds talking to that bozo you'd know that's not the case.

We must also mention the numbskull that recommended this furlough program to County CEO Bill Luna. That would be Loony Luna's Assistant CEO Ron Komers who heads up the County's Human Resources. 

Several people in the County wanted Luna to replace Ron Komers when Luna took the CEO's spot.  Luna failed to do so, probably because he didn't want to look petty because he let go an Assistant CEO who was making more than him.  

But that failure to act is now coming back to bite Luna in the butt.  So will he act now?  That remains to be seen, but as the furlough fiasco gains public attention and media scrutiny Luna may have to fire Komers or lose his job himself because the last thing the Board of Supervisors wants to do is take heat for wasting tax dollars during these economically difficult times.  Especially after they told the people that the furloughs would save the County money and prevent layoffs.

EXCLUSIVE! Governor Will Appoint John Benoit to Board of Supervisors

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to appoint State Senator John Benoit to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

Sources in the Schwarzenegger Administration have confirmed that the appointment of John Benoit as the replacement of Roy Wilson to the Board of Supervisors is imminent.

Apparently a deal has been cut between Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican Senator Dennis Hollingsworth (the Senate Minority Leader) that has cleared the way for Benoit's appointment despite the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of Roy Wilson's resignation letter.

As we pointed out last week dear readers,  Roy Wilson's resignation letter may have been forged.  And on top of that $200,000 has mysteriously disappeared out of Roy Wilson's campaign account only to turn up in a John Benoit for County Supervisor Account.  

But you can read about that here.  Let's get back to the deal that seems to have been made for Benoit to get the appointment to the Board of Supes.

What the deal that Dennis Hollingsworth cut with the Governor's office is exactly is unclear, although we believe it involves Hollingsworth lining up enough Republican votes in the State Senate to enact the Governor's prison early release program.  

Senator Dennis Hollingsworth had silently supported Governor Schwarzenegger's efforts to cut the State Budget by over $1 billion by letting about 30,000 convicted felons out of state prison before they have served their full sentences.  

Hollingsworth only came out against the prisoner release plan after the media began reporting that law enforcement groups were strongly opposed to the plan.

John Benoit's appointment will cost taxpayers close to $5 million for the special election to fill his vacant Senate Seat.  

But that appears to be part of the plan.  Benoit will support his protege Republican Assemblyman Brian Nestande for the position he is leaving. 

If elected to the Senate, it is fair to assume that Nestande will then have to pay back Benoit, Hollingsworth, and the Governor by voting to release 30,000 criminals from California's prisons.  

And to think dear readers John Benoit, Brian Nestande, and Dennis Hollingsworth all portray themselves as conservative Republicans.  But we guess that explains why the California Republican Party is on the endangered species list.  It's not because of politicians like Mike Duvall.  Well maybe Hollingsworth is, but we've already written about Dennis Hollingsworth's family values hypocrisy.

If the Republicans meeting in Indian Wells this weekend ever stop to wonder why their party is the permanent minority in California, they need look no further than the Riverside County delegation.  

It's because of hypocrites like Dennis Hollingsworth, John Benoit, and Brian Nestande who seem to be willing to waste $5 million on an unnecessary special election and let 30,000 dangerous criminals out of prison that no one believes that Republicans stand for anything.  

They campaign on one thing, do another, then blame the Democrats for the sorry condition of things. It's why Republicans lost the Congress in 2006.  And it's a big reason why they lost the White House in 2008.

It's a shame. But that's what happens when the voters elected people interested only in furthering their own interests are elected to office instead of real leaders.  

What Does John Benoit Know And When Did He Know It?

Some interesting things have happened on the road to fill the seat left vacant on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors by the resignation of Roy Wilson.

Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson, who had represented the 4th District that covers the eastern parts of the County since 1995, resigned his office on August 20th due to an undisclosed illness.  Wilson succumbed to this illness and died less than a week later on August 26th.

As we last reported there are those in Riverside County government who have said Roy Wilson was in a coma or otherwise incapacitated at the time he resigned from office.  This has been kept quiet because it would throw the validity of Supervisor Wilson's resignation into question.

Inside Riverside's review of Supervisor Roy Wilson's resignation letter has revealed that the signature on it does not match Roy Wilson's signature on the Supervisor campaign finance filings.

As you can see for yourself the signature on Roy Wilson's resignation letter

Download Roy Wilson Regisnation Letter

than Roy Wilson's signature on his campaign finance filing from only a month earlier

Download Roy Wilson Campaign Filing July 2009

and the resignation signature is different than a signature of Wilson's from 2007

Download Roy Wilson Campaign Filing Jan 2007

and it is different than Wilson's signature from 2006.

Download Roy Wilson Campaign Filing May 2006

Odd that none of Wilson's signatures on official public documents signed under penalty of perjury match Wilson's signature on the resignation letter, isn't it, dear readers?

Well, here's another puzzle.  In the campaign finance report that Roy Wilson filed on July 17, 2009, Wilson reported having $619,762.63 in the bank.   But the money's not all there now.

Inside Riverside has learned that $200,000 is missing from Roy Wilson's campaign account.

But don't worry dear readers, you don't have to look too far to find the disappearing $200,000.  

Wilson's money has mysteriously reappeared in State Senator John Benoit's campaign account.

Here's the so-called official story on how that happened:

Allegedly, the ailing Wilson transferred $200,000 from his campaign account to an account set up by John Benoit to run for election to the Board of Supervisors in June 2010, whether or not Benoit received the interim appointment from the Governor.

But is that version of events true?  

If Roy Wilson was in a coma and/or otherwise incapacitated when he is alleged to have signed his resignation letter, then did Roy Wilson really give John Benoit $200,000?

If someone forged Roy Wilson's signature on his resignation letter to the County, then did that same person also forge Roy Wilson's on a $200,000 check to John Benoit?

Also, what is the status of the over $419,000 that was left in Roy Wilson's campaign account?  Is it still there?  Or has that money been siphoned off to different politicians?

There are some very serious ethical and legal issues going at play here if any of this is true.  

If Wilson was not conscious when any of this went down anyone that participated in signing or submitting a fake resignation letter to the County has taken part in a major act of fraud on the general public.

And if Wilson was in a coma and/or legally incapacitated when $200,000 of his campaign funds were handed over to State Senator John Benoit, then the parties in involved in this transaction may have participated in an embezzlement of funds from Wilson's campaign.  

And if that's true, given Wilson age and infirmity at the time, they would have also taken advantage of a senior citizen who had trusted them.  That would be elder abuse.

These things need to be looked into before Governor Schwarzenegger chooses a replacement for Roy Wilson's seat on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

Particular attention needs to be given to State Senator John Benoit in this matter.  Why Benoit? 

Because John Benoit is the primary beneficiary of both Roy Wilson's resignation letter and the transfer of $200,000 out of Wilson's campaign account.

Senator Benoit has behaved shamelessly and without an ounce of class this entire time.  He had already scheduled a fundraiser for Supervisor before Wilson's funeral had even taken place.  Following this Inside Riverside report that outed Benoit for his lack of respect for the recently departed Roy Wilson, the Benoit fundraiser that was planned for October 7th was moved a week later to October 14th in an obvious attempt to discredit our reporting.

The people of Riverside County have the right to know what John Benoit knows in this matter. They also need to know when he knew it.  And Benoit has a responsibility to tell them the truth. 

After all Benoit wants to be the Supervisor for the 4th District.  If John Benoit won't be honest with the people of Riverside County now while seeking an office, will he ever be truthful with them?

EXCLUSIVE! Was Roy Wilson's Resignation Letter A Fake?

The resignation letter of Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson appears to have been a forged.

That's right dear readers, the signature on Roy Wilson's letter of resignation from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors does not appear to match Roy Wilson's signature on other public documents.

But don't take our word for it.  Take a look for yourself.  

Attached are Roy Wilson's purported resignation letter and three of his campaign financial filing forms.  One filing is from 2006, another from 2007, and the last from July 17, 2009 --- only a month before Wilson's resignation letter dated August 20, 2009.

We figured that the campaign filings would be the best source to find an authentic Roy Wilson signature to compare to the letter.  

First, there are multiple signatures to compare there.  Secondly, those forms are signed under penalty of perjury, making them more unlikely to be signed by someone that was not indeed Roy Wilson.

So which one of these four signatures dear readers would you say doesn't belong with the others?

Download Roy Wilson Resignation Letter  

Download Roy Wilson Campaign Filing July 2009 

Download Roy Wilson Campaign Filing Jan 2007  

Download Roy Wilson Campaign Filing May 2006  

It is clear to any fair minded person that all of the above the campaign documents were signed by that the same person, presumably former County Supervisor Roy Wilson.

However none of those signatures appear to match the signature on Roy Wilson's letter of resignation.  The signature on the resignation letter is not even similar to the other three signatures on Wilson's campaign filings.

As you can see from examining the documents, Wilson's signature on the three campaign filings all have very clear similarities.  The first being the very distinct way Wilson wrote the letter "R" in his first name.  The second being the long trailing line coming off the "n" at the end of his last name that makes it look more like a "y" than the letter "n".

Now look at the resignation letter.  The "R" is nothing like "R" of Wilson's hand writing in any way, shape, or form.  That's a pretty big discrepancy.  But so is the way the line trails off on the "n" of his last name.  Instead of trailing off the left like a "y", it doesn't trail off at all.  

At this point all of the folks who oppose the appointment of John Benoit to the Board of Supervisors will get all giddy and email this around hoping the mainstream corporate media will begin their own journalistic investigations into the authenticity of Roy Wilson's resignation letter.

Have at it kids, just remember it was Inside Riverside, the blog you all love to hate, that broke this story first.  

Also at this point all of Benoit's supporters will feign righteous indignation and ask how Inside Riverside could be so callous as to attack the resignation and last wishes of a good and decent man like Roy Wilson, et cetera and so on.

So let's get the point, shall we?  Frankly no one really cares to read the sophomoric and incoherent comments of those mindless hacks, so we shall spare our good readers the pain of their partisan rants by addressing their oral diarrhea without further haste.

Inside Riverside is not attacking the memory of Roy Wilson. We are defending it!

If someone other than Roy Wilson signed his name to his resignation letter then that is the person who has sullied Roy Wilson's good name.

And yes, it is that odd resignation letter that spurred us to take a closer look at it.  When Roy Wilson resigned from office he knew his condition was terminal.  He left knowing he only had days, maybe weeks, to live.  

Which is what makes the resignation letter odd in the first place.  Wilson had reached the end of the line and he knew it.  Most people when they get to that point, even those who have not lived the best lives, attempt to make whatever things right that they can. So it was odd that rather than making amends with his political rival Jim Battin that Wilson would elect to continue the feud.  

Now we are supposed to believe this is the same Roy Wilson who by all accounts was a decent and consummate gentlemen.  It's hard to believe that in his last days on earth he would exacerbate a political squabble.

That's not the Roy Wilson that so many people knew and loved.  

Roy Wilson would likely have made amends and let bygones be bygones.  But the resignation letter didn't do that.  Instead it created a political controversy by asking the Governor to appoint State Senator John Benoit as his replacement.

So why would Roy Wilson do something so markedly out of character as his last official action on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors?  It doesn't make sense.

But if Wilson did not write or sign his resignation letter that would explain why this document is out of alignment with Roy Wilson's character.  

And besides the signature discrepancy there are two other things that make us believe that the letter could be a completely fraudulent document.

1.  Roy Wilson's resignation was hand delivered to the Board of Supervisors.  It was driven all they way from Indio to Riverside.  Why not fax it in to the Board?  That would still be a legal method to deliver the letter.

Well, you might say that Wilson would want his letter to be in pristine condition since it was the last official act of his political career.  If that was the case, then Wilson could have faxed it in and mailed the original to the Board of Supervisors, like most lawyers do with legal documents.

But if the letter was fraudulent then faxing it or mailing it would have been a federal crime, wire or mail fraud, depending on the method of delivery.  

Since the letter asks for the appointment of Senator John Benoit to the Board of Supervisors, the letter would be helping Benoit gain financially, which is where the federal law on mail and wire fraud would come into play.

2.  Wilson did not call any of the members of the Board of Supervisors to let them know he was going to resign.  The receipt of the letter was how Wilson's fellow Supervisors found out.  Again this seems very out of character for Roy Wilson to inform his colleagues of such a major decision in such an impersonal and cold manner.

However, there are those in Riverside County government who believe Roy Wilson was in a coma or somehow incapacitated that day.  If that were true he could not have signed his resignation letter.  It would also explain why he didn't call any of his colleagues, who were all his friends, as to why he was so suddenly leaving office.

And even if Wilson was not in a coma, it is likely given the severity of his condition at the time that he would have been taking some very strong medication.  A person taking such medication or sedatives to ease their pain is legally incapacitated regardless of the state of consciousness.  

If any resignation letter was signed by Wilson while he was in such an incapacitated condition it would not be legal.

So there you have it dear readers.  Signatures you can check and facts to back up the possibility that Roy Wilson's resignation letter may have been a forgery and a fraud.  

We will continue to look into this matter and hopefully find out what exactly happened here and why.

John Benoit Commemorates Roy Wilson's Death With A Fundraiser

The collaborative team of Inside Riverside mourns the passing of Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson and we send our best wishes and thoughts to the Mr. Wilson's family during their time of grief.

In related news, Republican State Senator John Benoit, Wilson's anointed successor will be commemorating that passing of Supervisor Roy Wilson by holding a fundraiser.  

That's right dear readers, John Benoit, who hasn't even been tapped by Governor Schwarzenegger to fill Roy Wilson's position on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, has already put a fundraising event together for October 7th.

That all seems really, really fast doesn't it dear readers, given that Wilson only resigned from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors a week ago last Friday, August 21 and subsequently passed away this week on the evening of Wednesday, August 26?  

It somewhat makes Senator John Benoit seem rather shameless and callow to schedule a fundraiser for an office he hasn't been appointed only a day after Roy Wilson died and before the man's funeral.

But don't despair dear readers, it turns out John Benoit is far more shameless and callow than even that!  

Benoit scheduled the fundraiser before Wilson died!  

On top of that Benoit has been pestering and strong arming State Legislators and local elected officials to lobby the Governor to appoint him to the Board of Supervisors.

It's hard to believe that this is the man that Roy Wilson wanted to succeed him on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.  Where Wilson demonstrated decency and thoughtfulness, John Benoit since getting the nod in Wilson's resignation letter has been nothing but a complete jackass, showing the world how classless he really is.

We doubt that Roy Wilson would have picked Benoit to replace him if he knew how tasteless and classless Benoit would behave in the process.

It kind of reminds us of the 1988 Vice Presidential debates between Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen and Republican Senator Dan Quayle when Quayle compared himself to President John F. Kennedy.

The people of Riverside County knew Roy Wilson.  

Roy Wilson was a friend of theirs.  

Senator Benoit, you are no Roy Wilson.  

Frankly, Benoit comes off much more like that bumbling buffoon Dan Quayle in our honest assessment.

Yet, Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione who has witnessed John Benoit's despicable behavior, still cajoled Supervisors Marion Ashley and Jeff Stone into supporting the appointment of Benoit to the Board.  Even the often delusional Supervisor Bob Buster had good sense to question the need for his colleagues to so quickly and without real debate officially get behind the Benoit appointment.

As we wrote earlier this week there are many reasons for the Governor not to appoint John Benoit to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.  Topping the list of course is the $1 million cost to the people of Riverside County should they need to fill a vacancy left in the State Senate by the appointment of John Benoit.  

Where's the $1 million for that special election going to come from? Cutting Sheriff's patrols?  Furloughing nurses at the County Regional Medical Center?  Out of Bill Luna's bloated salary?  

But now we've all glimpsed the lack of character and decency in Benoit.  No one in good conscience could really want him on the Board of Supervisors the way he's behaving both before and after Supervisor Wilson's death.

Riverside County can do better than the likes of John Benoit, dear readers.  Much, much better.

John Benoit: The Wrong Man For the Job

As you've probably already heard, dear readers, Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson resigned his office on Friday afternoon.

Roy Wilson, who has represented Riverside County's 4th District since 1994, is stepping down for undisclosed health reasons.  Supervisor Wilson came from the old political school that is sorely lacking in our country today.  Wilson's presence will be sorely missed on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

Roy Wilson never made political disagreements personal.  Nor did Wilson plot vengeance against his allies whenever they took a position against something he strongly advocated.  He was a man of few words who put his best arguments forward when needed and voted his conscience on behalf of the district, even if he was on the losing end of a vote.  

You don't have to agree with Supervisor Roy Wilson on any or all issues to still respect the man.  He wasn't always right, but he could be counted on to do what he thought was right.  One must respect that.

So while we do respect the sincerity of Wilson's parting request that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger fill the vacancy he is leaving on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors by appointing State Senator John Benoit to the spot, we believe that it is a very bad idea.

Why do you ask?  Well it's simple.

The appointment of John Benoit to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors will cost $1 million.  

That's right dear readers, if Benoit gets the appointment then cash strapped Riverside County will have to come up with over $1,000,000 dollars for a special election to fill the vacancy his resignation will cause in the State Senate.  Special elections are not free and the State of California will not be covering those costs.  That money will come out of Riverside County's General Fund, which is not in good shape.  

The Board of Supervisors approved a budget in July that made 10 percent cuts across the board to all county services, including law enforcement and the County Regional Medical Center.  Then the State of California came in and took over $100 million away from Riverside County to balance its own budget.  A $1 million special election will result in additional cuts.  

Making deeper cuts that could lay of county nurses or deputy sheriffs simply so Senator Benoit can change his business card to read County Supervisor is not the best use of $1,000,000.

Yet that's the plan that County Supervisor John Tavaglione wants the Board of Supervisors to do at a special meeting that has been called for tomorrow.  Tavaglione allegedly has the support of the other three County Supervisors to pass a resolution asking the Governor to appoint John Benoit to Wilson's seat.  How Tavaglione knows he has the votes without violating the Brown Act is a good question.

We wonder if he truly does have the votes, dear readers.

The $1 million special election price tag is a liability for Jeff Stone, Marion Ashley, and Bob Buster.  

Supervisor Jeff Stone is running for the State Senate next year and is under fire for paying his sister as a political consultant.  A vote to spend $1 million on a special election will only cause more problems for him in a Republican primary where Stone must prove his conservative credentials to win the race.

Supervisor Marion Ashley has a similar problem.  Many of Ashley's constituents feel he is out of touch with their needs and looks out more for developers than the middle class.  Ashley's solid relationship with law enforcement has also faltered in recent months.  If Ashley votes to support the appointment of Benoit, thereby spending over $1 million while Riverside County's probation officers continue to work without a contract, its almost a sure bet that he will have an opponent for office next June.

Supervisor Bob Buster also has reason not to vote for a resolution supporting Benoit.  The SEIU is organizing a recall of Buster it will commence following the ratification of the contract that they just sent out to their membership for a vote.  If Buster votes to spend $1 million on a special election its easy to see nurses from the County Hospital standing out front of grocery stores gathering signatures to recall Buster for such an ill-conceived vote.

That being said, there are still a couple of other reasons why John Benoit should not be on the Board.

John Benoit just got to the Senate.  Why does he already want another job?  After six years in the State Assembly Benoit willingly and without reservation ran for the State Senate last year.  He was in a brutal primary fight with fellow Republican Russ Bogh.  Both spent truckloads of money and Benoit won a crushing victory over his younger opponent.

Benoit won the seat in November without much opposition despite the Democratic Obama wave that swept through Riverside County and nearly knocked Congressman Ken Calvert out of office.  Benoit was sworn in in December, and now after only 9 months on the job wants to bail on his constituents.  

That's not a sign of strength or leadership.  Its a signal of surrender and of weakness.  

John Benoit's eagerness to give up the prestige and power of being a State Senator to become a lowly County Supervisor is strange.  One goes from County Supervisor to the State Legislature, like Todd Spitzer did and County Supervisor Jeff Stone is attempting to do. 

By throwing in the towel John Benoit is practically telling the people who put him into office that he's not up to the challenge and that he's overwhelmed by Sacramento.  It's a sign of weakness and ineffectiveness that Riverside County does not need on the Board of Supervisors during these trying economic times. 

Which brings up another major defect about appointing Benoit to the Board of Supervisors.  What has John Benoit really accomplished as a State Legislator?  State spending is more out of control than when Benoit was first elected and taxes are higher.  Education is in shambles and the criminal justice system is being gutted.

  

While Benoit will claim that he voted against many of the items just mentioned it does not give him a pass.  It only highlights his ineffectiveness to protect the best interests of his constituents and the State as a whole.  Senator Benoit likes to blame Democrats and special interests for California's woes, but that's just an excuse for his lackluster performance as a legislator.  Excuses are like sphincters, and we don't need another one on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

As we stated above dear readers, with Riverside County going through the worst financial problems the County has ever experienced, it doesn't need a pass-the-buck politician like John Benoit on its Board of Supervisors.  It needs an experienced leader on the Board that won't cost the taxpayers $1 million and change because they can't cut their job in the State Legislature. 

Bob Buster's Car Problems

The Press Enquirer had an interesting tid bit a couple days back about Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster now driving a Toyota Highlander Hybrid instead of his "trusty old Chevy Impala."

Seems that calamity has befallen Bob Buster's Imapala, literally.  According to the PE's story "(a) massive pepper tree limb fell and squashed the car two Saturdays ago."

What a shame for the taxpayers of Riverside County. Especially in light of today's struggling local economy and the diminishing tax revenues of Riverside County.

But it got us thinking dear readers, who outside of Buster's colleagues, Buster's overpaid staff, county employees that Buster comes in contact with, and Buster's Marxist spouse would know that Supervisor Buster was driving a different car and not the Impala?

Why was it so important for Bob Buster to make sure this story was reported about the pepper tree falling on his Chevy Impala and that's why he is temporarily driving a much more expensive car?Certainly the Press Enterprise would not have reason to seek this story out.  Therefore the story is most likely Bob Buster generated in some fashion.

But to what end?   There are two very interesting possibilities dear readers.

First, many of those in the know believe that Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster or his Chief of Staff Dave Stahovich was the source of the Press Enterprise's article in February that exposed Riverside County Supervisors John Tavaglione and Marion Ashley for buying luxury cars at taxpayer expense.

Specifically the article detailed that:

Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley warned in October that no one in county government would be immune from dire budget cutbacks. One week later, he got himself a 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid that cost taxpayers almost $53,000, county documents show.

Supervisor John Tavaglione, who has repeatedly called for county departments to rein in spending, had the county buy him a 2008 GMC Yukon hybrid that cost nearly $54,000 with a rear-seat DVD player, Bose speakers, leather seats and other features. The purchase was last spring, just months after supervisors approved this fiscal year's 5 percent across-the-board budget cuts.

County supervisors and department heads have since called for deeper budget cuts, reductions in public services, layoffs and employee frugality. But that has not stopped several of them from ordering new, fully loaded county cars bought with taxpayer money, a survey of county purchases in 2008 and 2009 found.

Two supervisors' county cars, including Tavaglione's hybrid sport utility vehicle, do not meet the minimum fuel-efficiency guidelines supervisors recently approved.

Buster allegedly wanted this story out to weaken Tavaglione and Ashley's positions when it came to the County Budget and Buster moved forward with his scheme to decimate funding in both the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office.  

The tactic seems to have worked in regards to John Tavaglione who sided with Buster calling for deeper cuts in law enforcement funding last week.  Marion Ashley however withstood the initial outcry and criticism the article generated. So far Supervisor Ashley has remained true to his convictions and campaign positions by strongly supporting a new county budget that continues to put the citizens' safety first.

So, if Bob Buster generated the unflattering story for Ashley and Tavaglione, it only makes sense for him to want to get his side of the story out about his new Toyota Highlander.  Buster would want to do that before anyone could pounce on him for hypocrisy after outing his colleagues for their extravagant vehicle purchases on the taxpayer dime.

But what if Bob Buster was not the source of the February article? That's brings us to our next possibility in this matter.

What if Bob Buster crashed his car into the pepper tree?  That would explain the extensive damage to the vehicle and the need for Buster to get the story written.  

Pepper trees are notoriously light, hence why their branches frequently fall and they are frequently uprooted when a good wind comes by.  If a whole tree fell on Buster's Chevy Impala maybe the car would be totaled, but one branch would most likely not cause that much damage.  And to top it off, on the weekend in question, Riverside wasn't experiencing high winds that would have downed a pepper tree or one of its limbs.

This makes us wonder dear readers, is there more to this story than Supervisor Bob Buster wants us to know?  If he accidentally hit the tree upon returning home, he should have reported it that way.  No big deal.  We all have accidents and make mistakes.

But if Bob Buster was under the influence of alcohol or prescription medication that impaired his ability to operate a motor vehicle, he would want a story to cover that up, wouldn't he?

Now before all of our blog's detractors go crazy and say we are making things up just to attack Bob Buster, consider some additional evidence:

• Last year Bob Buster was in a single car accident in his county car.
• Bob Buster waited several hours to report the accident, a violation of county policy. 
• This accident was not covered by the media. 
• When the County of Riverside reviewed Bob Buster's single car accident it ruled that the accident was "preventable." 

Now a year later Bob Buster has another single car accident.  Something just doesn't add up.  And even Buster seems to know it.

In the recent article when asked about permanently replacing the totaled Chevy Impala, Bob Buster said "I'll probably get a bike before I get a car."   A very odd statement for someone to make that does not have a history of riding a bike to work, unless of course the person recognizes that they are a threat to safety of motorists and pedestrians.

Supporters and detractors of Bob Buster all know that he is victims of erratic mood swings and incoherent outbursts of anger.  In recent years the frequency of Buster's mood swings and outbursts has steadily increased.  Could this be because of a larger consumption of alcohol on Buster's part?  Or is Supervisor Buster taking medications to help him manage some sort of mental illness? 

We don't know dear readers, but will be keeping a keen eye on Supervisor Bob Buster and any further developments in this story. 

Nevertheless, if Bob Buster has a history of driving under the influence, then it all makes perfect sense why he would want to stop law enforcement from running DUI check points, why he would want the DA to limit prosecutions of these "non-violent offenders,"  and why he would want to stop the expansion of the County's correctional  system that currently does not require convicted drunk drivers to serve time in jail.

Bob Buster Moves To Gut Public Safety

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster agrees with President Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. You can never let a good crisis go to waste.

For years Bob Buster, a member of the 1960's counter culture, has had to bide his time and do his best to hide his anti-cop beliefs that can best be summed up by lyrics in the Rolling Stones song, Sympathy for the Devil: "Every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints."

But now with the current budget crisis that has been manufactured by County CEO Bill Luna, the time has arrived for Bob Buster to strike at the cops he so hates, gutting the the budgets of Riverside County's public safety agencies, and leaving them weak and ineffective for years to come.

Yes, you read that right dear readers, Riverside County's budget crisis has been manufactured by its power hungry CEO Bill Luna, with the consent of at least three county supervisors.  One of them is obviously County Supervisor Bob Buster.   The other two anti-cop votes have yet to reveal themselves. 

The fiscal predictions put forward by CEO Bill Luna at first were intentionally too optimistic, luring county department heads into a false sense of security that the economy was in bad shape, but by making a few cuts here and there, things would be alright. 

The budget shortfall was predicted to be $90 million this upcoming fiscal year.  With the 10% across the board cuts that Bill Luna wanted from each department, the Sheriff would be required to cut $72 million.  The District Attorney would have to cut $12 million, for a combined total of $84 million.

This raised some eyebrows.

Why was Bill Luna demanding such deep cuts in all departments, if the cuts he was insisting on from Sheriff Stan Sniff and District Attorney Rod Pacheco almost covered the entire shortfall before any other departments had submitted their budgets?

Because Bill Luna by his own account is treacherous.  Only after he had lured the county's department heads into a false sense of budget security could he spring the trap and take control of each department, even those run by elected officials, like the Sheriff Department and the DA's Office.

When Luna revised his budget projections, the sky had fallen.  The county's budget shortfall was now predicted to be $130 million.  Drastic actions would need to be taken.  Luna would need broad power from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to make deep cuts and keep the County solvent.  On a 4-1 vote, Supervisor Jeff Stone dissenting, the Board gave him the power earlier this month.

But Sheriff Stan Sniff and DA Rod Pacheco were still questioning Luna's numbers and his motives.  But far be it for Bill Luna to let elected officials get in his way.  He needs more power and is willing to do anything to get it, like manipulate Riverside County's budget process for his own purposes.

And it doesn't hurt when three County Supervisors support your duplicity and thirst for power.

As the Press-Enterprise reported on Saturday Bill Luna is proposing a County Budget for the upcoming fiscal year that expands his power and makes drastic cuts to public safety by:

• Giving CEO Bill Luna power over both the Sheriff's and the District Attorney's operations.
• 575 employees of the Sheriff's Department are to be laid off. 
• 110 employees of the District Attorney's Office are toe be laid off. 
• 7 county fire stations are to be closed. 
• The Larry Smith Correctional Facility in Banning is to be closed. 

As you can see in the article, Luna has the support of Bob Buster to take these steps.  And why wouldn't Buster support this?   After all these years, Bob Buster finally has the opportunity to put some restraints on law enforcement, to reverse the County's long held pro-cop stance, and to leave a permanent stamp on Riverside County long after Buster is gone from the Board.

Since both the office of Sheriff and District Attorney are constitutionally mandated, it is questionable as to what power and authority a non-elected County Administrator like Bill Luna could legitimately take from either elected official.  One could easily imagine Bill Luna being arrested and charged with obstruction of justice if he tried to interfere or run operations in either department without a clear legal precedent on his side.  

But it would be fun to watch and report on!

Now, should the full Board of Supervisors grant Luna the power to make the cuts he and Buster are supporting they would be devastating to Riverside's public safety operations.

The cuts to the Sheriffs Department will end almost all sheriffs patrols in the unincorporated areas of Riverside County.  Supervisor John Tavaglione who represents the largest populated unincorporated area of Riverside County would have to be out of his mind to vote for this.

Closing seven fire stations will put thousands of Riverside County residents at greater risk to losing their homes to wildfires and threatens lives by greatly increasing emergency medical response times.  Supervisors Marion Ashley and Jeff Stone had portions of their districts devastated by the Esperanza Fire.  Would they really risk greater fire dangers by shutting fire stations so Bob Buster can punish the firefighters that did not support his re-election efforts?

The closure of the Banning Jail will increase the number of criminals that get out out jail early each year to over 10,000. If memory serves, both Jeff Stone and Marion Ashely campaigned against ending the early release of criminals.  Stone even supports setting up tent city jails like those that exist in Maricopa County, Arizona.  Maybe its time to revisit that proposal.

The proposed layoffs and cuts to the DA's office are the most intriguing.  By imposing these cuts and giving Luna a voice in the DA's operation, it appears that Buster and Luna intend to force District Attorney Rod Pacheco to maintain his unyielding focus on prosecuting violent crime by cutting back on what they consider to be "less essential prosecutions", like those involving public corruption.  

Does this mean that the scandal involving Bob Buster's political consultant and county lobbyist Patrick O'Reilly goes deeper than we currently know, dear readers?  If so,does such a scandal implicate O'Reilly's other past clients like Marion Ashley, Roy Wilson, and the County of Riverisde?  

We promise keep you posted on that one as we keep digging.

The question now dear readers is will Supervisors John Tavaglione and Marion Ashley break their silence and speak out against the dangerous cuts Bob Buster and Bill Luna are proposing?  Or will they remain silent and let Buster have his way and continue to allow Luna to usurp the power the voters entrusted to the Board of Supervisors?

County Supervisor Roy Wilson is unlikely to participate in the budget deliberations since he broke his hip and is recovering from surgery.  Supervisor Jeff Stone has indicated that he has serious reservations about the cuts Luna is bringing before the Board of Supervisors. 

So the fate of public safety in Riverside County lays squarely at the feet of John Tavaglione and Marion Ashley.  They both have campaigned as strong public safety supporters.  Now is their chance to prove their credentials.  If they don't, at least the voters will have a chance to show their displeasure in any lack of leadership Tavaglione or Ashley show come the election next June.