Inside Riverside

Jeff Stone's 51st State Plan Just a Fundraising Ploy

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone's proposal to create the 51st state of "South California" minus southern California's largest and populous county, Los Angeles, fell flat at the Riverside County Board of Supervisor meeting on Tuesday.

Stone could not garner any support from his colleagues for his hare-brained scheme.

Supervisor John Tavaglione, a wannabe Congressman and profile for lack of courage, criticized the plan and left the meeting without casting a vote for or against the plan.

John Benoit, failed former state legislator and $100k plus public pension recipient, cited over 200 failed attempts to split California into two or more states.

Board Chairman and closeted liberal Bob Buster read from the Federalist Papers and practically likened Jeff Stone to confederate secessionists who wanted to leave the United States in order to keep the abhorant practice of slavery legal.

And in the end Jeff Stone was fine with this, as his colleagues gave a weak blessing to him privately pursuing a roundtable of counties and cities to discuss ways to reform California and protect cities and counties from Sacramento taking away their revenue. The Board prohibited Stone from using county staff, including his own personal staff, to coordinate the effort.

Stone gleefully pronounced that he would be able to privately raise the money as people were already contacting him stating their support for his inane 51st State Plan. Which brings us to a major motive for Jeff Stone's new state proposal. His campaign coffers are empty. He needs money to run for re-election next year.

At the end of 2010, Stone only had $24,574 in his County Supervisor campaign committee, while carrying a debt of $30,607 in his failed State Senate campaign committee. Stone is broke and in very deep trouble if he faces a well-known and/or well-financed challenger next year.

With Riverside County's economy stil in the toilet, the developers that have bankrolled the County Supervisors campaigns are no longer stepping up to the plate. They don't have projects being built and they don't have plans that need to be approved. Ergo, they aren't cutting the fat checks these days.

Riverside County's labor unions, specifically the Riverside Sheriff's Association (RSA) and the Service Employees Union International (SEIU) 721 have had enough of Stone. He pretended to be their ally when he needed money, but stabbed them in the back when he falsely attempted to re-invent himself as a conservate in his failed State Senate bid last year.

Stone's traditional donor base has also had it with him, having watched him divert over $300,000 in money they contributed for his election campaigns into his sister's bank account.

So what's a career politician like Jeff Stone to do when he's out of campaign cash and unable to raise what he needs for his re-election bid? He creates an issue to generate media attention to introduce him to people who do not know him and are unfamiliar with his baggage so he can raise money from these uninformed saps.

His colleagues on the Board of Supervisors know what Stone is up to as well. Hence why they gutted his new state proposal but endorsed his concept to put together a conference of California's cities and counties to strategize how best to deal with the state. They understand a politician in need of campaign cash and would never get in the way of one of their brethren struggling to collect it.

So dear readers, does Jeff Stone's roundtable of cities and counties have merit anyways? Absolutely not. It's a duplication of efforts, which according to Stone is a waste of time and money, since such groups already exist.

California's cities belong to a group called the League of Cities. It's Counties belong to an organization called the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), which Stone's colleague John Tavaglione currently chairs. Even with all of the public money that is contributed to them to fund full time staff and lobbying operations, neither the League of Cities nor CSAC is effective in dealing with Sacramento.

Jeff Stone's roundtable won't be effective either, but as we've just shown it's not about policy or principle. It's about the dollars Stone needs to raise for his re-election, plain and simple.

The Motives Behind Jeff Stone's New State Publicity Stunt

No one has ever accused Riverside County Supervisor of being a man of high intelligence or effective leadership. Instead many who know Jeff Stone joke that his frequent hare-brained schemes may have been formed after experimenting with substances in his the pharmacy he owns.

But make no mistake dear readers, whether you think Stone's crazy or just under the influence of some substance, when it comes to seeking publicity Jeff Stone's is a master.  We need look no further than his current publicity stunt to create a new state.

Stone's plan may be appealing on its surface but it ludicrous to propose the State of South California while excluding the majority of Southern California's population in Riverside County.  That's because Jeff Stone isn't serious about creating a new state.  He's interested in creating publicity to divert attention from the growing list of problems that are likely to end his political career in the next year.

What are those problems you ask?  

1. Money Laundering 

In February, San Jacinto billionaire Larry Minor was convicted of illegally laundering over $40,000 to Jeff Stone's failed 2010 State Senate campaign.  While Stone was not implicated in the scheme, it's hard to believe that Minor would have taken such legal risks without either direct or indirect pressure applied by Stone for Minor to give him more money than state law allowed.

2. Hiding Political Contributions

Last month California's Fair Political Practices Commission leveled a $16,000 fine against Jeff Stone's 2010 Senate campaign for failing to report $84,052 in contributions.  Stone's accountant, Joseph Kuebler agreed to pay the fine saying the fault for the violation was his. But didn't Jeff Stone have a legal responsibility to understand California's campaign finance laws when he sought a seat in the State Senate?  Shouldn't he have reviewed disclosure requirements before he signed his campaign reports under the penalty of perjury that they were true and accurate?

3.  Pay To Play Politics

Jeff Stone introduced and passed Riverside County Ordinance 884 that undermines the First Amendment by limiting protests outside of the Church of Scientology by its dissenters.  While Stone likes to quote Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers, when there's money on the table Stone appears to be willing to ignore the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  Scientologists are reported to have given the Stone's failed 2010 Senate campaign at least $50,000 in contributions. 

4. The Six Figure "Volunteer" Sister 

Lori Stone, the Supervisor's younger sister is an albatross around his political neck.  Sadly, Stone placed this her around his own neck.  He has no one else to blame but himself.  After getting elected to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in 2004, Stone brought little sister Lori on to his county staff. Nepotism laws prevented him from putting her on the county payroll, but that did not prevent Stone from giving his sister use of county cars, county phones, and county computers.  

Stone defended this saying Lori was a volunteer and a bargain for to the taxpayers.  However, he failed to mention that he was paying his sister a six figure salary out of his campaign account.  Over the course of three years Jeff Stone paid his sister over $330,000 to work in his county office.  Many question the legality of Stone having a campaign staffer working in a government office.  To avoid an investigation by District Attorney Paul Zellerbach whom Stone opposed in 2010, he ended little sister's employment.

There are many more reasons for this stunt, including Stone's goal to reinvent himself as a small government conservative to fend of a challenge from former State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth or to challenge Republican Ken Calvert for Congress next year.

As you can see dear readers, there are many motives behind the madness of Jeff Stone who we see once again is willing to say and do anything to get headlines and raise campaign cash.

Sheriff Backs Down Bob Buster, As Jeff Stone Turns Against Sniff

At Tuesday's meeting of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Sheriff Stan Sniff forcibly defeated Supervisor Bob Buster's reckless public safety budget cuts.

Sheriff Sniff made a strong case about the harm Buster's plan to effectively gut the Sheriff's Department would have on public safety, as we previously reported.  Sniff deftly man-handled Bob Buster, County CEO Bill Luna "The Tick," and Luna's incompetent Chief Financial Officer, Ed Corser  

Luna quickly jumped to his minion's defense and chided the Sheriff.  Most observers agree with Sheriff's Sniff's comments that Corser was not telling the truth about the budget numbers.  Heck, Luna and Corser probably wouldn't show up at work with their shoes tied if they didn't have the other to help.

While Sheriff Sniff may have won this first skirmish, public safety funding is still on the chopping block. Bob Buster and John Benoit are definitely united in their desires to cut the Sheriff's Department, and quite surprisingly County Supervisor Jeff Stone appears to be swinging their way.

According to sources close to the offices on the 5th Floor of the County's Administrative Center, these three Supervisors - Buster, Benoit, and Stone - intend to cut the Sheriff's budget as a form of retribution against the union for the department's deputies, the Riverside Sheriff's Association.

It appears dear readers that three politicians are willing to risk increased crime simply to carry out their short sighted plans for revenge against the Sheriff's deputies.

Those who follow county politics understand the animosity Buster and Benoit have towards the RSA. They have each attempted to strong-arm the union into supporting their political campaigns.  Their tactics backfired and the Association has worked against them in their elections.

Jeff Stone's behavior is a bit puzzling though, dear readers.  In 2004 Stone was supported and funded by the Riverside Sheriff's Association when he knocked County Supervisor Jim Venable out of office.  The RSA also supported Stone's re-election in 2008 and his suicidal run for the State Senate last year.

So why is Jeff Stone now calling out his political ally?  We're looking into it, and according to a source we've talked to who was on Stone's Senate campaign he's upset about his loss. Stone appears to have expected the Sheriff's Association to set up an Independent Expenditure for him during that election.  That did not happen and Stone seems to want pay back for this.

This does have a sense of truth to it since immediately after losing the senate race to San Deigo's Joel Anderson, Stone led the way for the Board of Supervisors to put a competing initiative on the ballot to counter RSA's Measure L last November.  

That was a clear an act of hostility on Stone's part towards the county's deputies.  It's likely even a sorer subject now that Stone's Measure M received more votes than Measure L, which seems to dictate that M takes precedence over L.

We'll dig further into the reasons behind Jeff Stone's about face with Sheriff Sniff and his deputies.  If Stone had indeed solicited an Independent Expenditure on his behalf, that would be illegal under state law and Stone could find himself in some extremely warm if not hot water.

District Attorney Paul Zellerbach as a candidate for the office last year stated his desire to investigate Stone for allowing his sister to use taxpayer resources as a volunteer staff member in Stone's office. That may explain Stone's other about face in recent months. Stone who had been a staunch supporter of ousted DA Rod Pacheco is now solidly in DA Zellerbach's camp and has been helping to retire Zellerbach's campaign debt.

This may simply be a matter of politics, since Stone's re-election is next June and he has no desire to have the new DA weigh in against him should former State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth challenge him. Or it could be a matter of Stone trying to create a conflict of interest with Paul Zellerbach so Stone can't be investigated for any of his actions that could rise to the level of criminal offense.

As always dear readers, we'll let you know what we find out and then you can make up your minds about what's really going on in this septic tank known as Riverside County.

 

Bob Buster's Budget Plan Likely To Increase Crime

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster has long been the lone liberal on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. He's supported spending taxpayer money to give clean hypodermic needles to drug addicts, he was the only County Supervisor to favor President Obama's national health care legislation, and he's consistently worked to undermine the safety of the people he's been elected to represent.

Given that history it shouldn't come to a surprise to any of us dear readers that Supervisor Bob Buster is proposing cuts to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office that will have a devastating impact on public safety throughout Riverside County.  A trial balloon of how this scheme will be received was floated out by County CEO Bill Luna "The Tick" in today's local media outlets.

Desert Sun: County Mulls Cuts In Deputies Ranks

Press Enterprise: Freeze Deputies Hiring

Bob Buster, the Chairman of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, has a budget plan to reduce funding for sheriff's patrols in Riverside County which are already at a dangerously low level.  Former Sheriff Larry Smith had wisely increased patrol strength during the 1990's so that there were 1.2 deputies on duty for every 1,000 residents in county policed territory.  Buster went along with the plan even though he was not an adamant supporter of such a strong police presence.

Once the Great Recession hit, Buster was able to stop hiding behind the facade of supporting law enforcement and was able to bring the cuts he salivated to make forward with the help of Riverside County's under-qualified and uniquely inept CEO Bill Luna.  The Board of Supervisors cut funding to the Sheriff's Department and reduced the deputy to resident ratio from 1.2 to 1 deputy per 1,000 residents.

Most law enforcement experts agree that 1 cop per 1,000 residents is the minimum staffing required to maintain law and order in a community and keep crime at bay.  Such expert opinion has never been able to stifle Bob Buster's Harvard hippie mentality where "every cop's a criminal."  

Disguising his cuts as a "hiring freeze" Buster's budget plan will effectively cut the number of deputies on the streets of Riverside County.  On top of that, Buster's budget will prevent Sheriff Stan Sniff from being able to put deputies into the Banning Jail which has been expanded to relieve the overcrowding of inmates.

So what will the consequences of Bob Buster's budget proposal be?  While it's impossible to predict the future, dear readers, its not hard to see how this will play out if Buster gets his way.  

If the Riverside County Board of Supervisors reduces the Sheriff's patrol strength AND fails to properly staff the Banning Jail then crime will likely go up.  Criminals in the unincorporated communities will be able to do as they please since deputies will only be responding to 9-1-1 calls and won't be able to do any pro-active policing that has helped drive crime to historic lows.  

Things will only get worse as the criminals on the street are joined by inmates given early release from the County's Jails because they were released to relieve over-crowding.  And if Governor Jerry Brown releases another 30,000 felons from the state prison that will only make things spectacularly worse.

The Board of Supervisors has a major choice to make tomorrow as they deliberate Riverside County's 2010-2011 Budget.  Do they follow Supervisor Bob Buster's ludicrous scheme and make these dangerous and unnecessary cuts?  Or do they stand on their principles and vote on the platforms they all ran for office on - to always make public safety their top priority?

County Supervisor John Benoit has already signaled his willingness to go with Buster and make the cuts. Supervisors Marion Ashley, Jeff Stone, and John Tavaglione are all on the fence at the time of this posting.

Our prediction dear readers is that Bob Buster will prevail on a 3 -2 vote.  Marion Ashley and John Tavaglione who are rumored to be retiring after their current terms will give speeches about how they hate to do it, but its the only option they have.

Supervisor Jeff Stone will drone on and on and on, then vote against the plan simply because he wants one more term on the Board.  His election will be next June and he desperately wants to prove that the thumping he took in the 2008 race for the State Senate was nothing but a fluke.

Which leaves John Benoit who we believe will show his chameleon self on this issue.  He'll make strong arguments for the cuts to the Sheriff's Department and the DA's office, providing the cover for Tavaglione and Ashley to vote with Buster.  But then at the end Benoit will say that as a 30 year CHP veteran he just can't conscience these cuts and vote against Buster's plan even though he supports it.

We'll keep you posted on how this one turns out dear readers, but no matter how you slice Riverside County's budget it's going to be an interesting year. 

Is 60/91/215 Interchange Riverside County's "Big Dig?"

The similarities are uncanny between Massachusetts "Big Dig" and Riverside County's 60/91/215 Interchange project.  Both were intended to solve a major traffic problem.  Both ran grossly over budget. Both were delayed so long that drivers questioned whether either project would ever be finished.  

Most noticeably, both projects were deemed so large and complex that the so-called transportation experts of each state broke the jobs up into smaller jobs to be designed then built.  While this may sound reasonable it also raises questions of the competency and the ethics of those designing and building the projects.

Shoddy workmanship resulted in thousands of leaks at the "Big Dig."  The Massachusetts State Police investigated one of the builders and found that sub-standard concrete had been used in construction of the tunnel.  Then on July 6, 2006 a three-ton ceiling panel fell on a car traveling in the tunnel killing its driver.

Now Riverside County's 60/91/215 Interchange project is having problems some could easily see as similar to those in New England.  Parts of the Interchange are literally falling apart.  In August the Press Enquirer reported that a 3' x 2' piece of concrete fell out of the freeway down to the city street below. Fortunately no one was hurt.

Unfortunately, Cal-Trans and the Riverside County Transportation Commission did not make the repair of the crumbling overpass from the 215 to the 60 a high enough priority.  The hole was patched, but permanent repairs were not scheduled until 2012, despite the continuing risk to motorists.

Those risks reared their heads last week when the torrential rains fell upon Riverside County and the troubled Interchange.  Concrete again dropped out of the overpass down to the surface street below.

The Press Enquirer reported today that "Transportation officials blamed the unique design of the overpass" as the reason for the freeway falling apart. Reminds you of the "Big Dig" don't it?

While Cal-Trans is assuring the public that the Interchange is safe, how can we be sure?  Cal-Trans allowed the overpass to open up to cars with the flawed pieces in place.  Cal-Trans re-opened it with a patch that could not withstand a heavy thunderstorm.  What other problems exist at the 60/91/215 Interchange that have not yet been made public?

This is still earthquake country and we have not had a strong quake in southern California for many years.  One could argue that we are due.  Will there be anything left standing of the 60/91/215 Interchange should a magnitude 7 quake or stronger hit the area?

Local representatives on the Riverside County Transportation Commission have a duty to find out how safe the Interchange is.  They must then report to the public any dangers they discover and to fix those problems before there is a fatality like there was in the tunnel of the "Big Dig" in 2006.

 

A Couple Questions for Frank Robles

Frank Robles wants to be Riverside County's Sheriff - but he doesn't want answer any tough questions during the campaign.

Riverside County's mainstream media (The Press-Enterprise, the Desert Sun, and the Californian) are content on giving Frank Robles a pass on tough questions since Robles is incessantly spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on full page advertisements in their papers, even though print is dead.

So once again dear readers, it is up to Inside Riverside to ask the questions that the dying print media won't.

1.  Why Is Los Angeles County Businessman Leo McIntryre Bankrolling Frank Robles' Campaign?

Frank Robles has received $200,000 from the Southern California Braiding Company located in Bell, California . While its not unheard of for large contributions to come into these types of campaigns, seldom do such large infusions of cash come from sources outside of the County, as we have reported on twice.

The most logical reason for Leo McIntrye to be giving Frank Robles all of this money is that he expects something in return.  But what is that something?  Is it a no-bid county contract that Robles could dole out were he the Sheriff?  What exactly does McIntrye's Southern California Braiding Company do?

Was Leo McIntrye a member of Bob Doyle's old Executive Council that had badges and/or concealed weapons permits that they were not capable?  If so, is McIntyre backing Robles to bring back the Executive Council so that he and other contributors can get badges or gun permits again?

Is Frank Robles blackmailing Leo McIntyre?  There is a rumor in Sheriff's Department that Frank Robles (and possibly Bob Doyle) did a huge favor of some kind for Leo McIntryre when McIntyre's wife passed away.  We have no information that can confirm or deny this, but if there is any truth to it, is is possible that McIntrye is supportig Robles (and supported Doyle) to buy their silence? Hopefully, that's not the case, but still it's a question that truly needs to be examined, if only to be dismissed as untrue.  

2.  Will Frank Robles Open His Personnel Files for the Public?

When Stan Sniff became the Sheriff of Riverside County after Bob Doyle resigned in disgrace, Sniff did a bold thing:  He opened his Personnel File for public inspection.  The same dying newspapers that have been bought off by Robles' advertising binge, jumped at the opportunity to review Sniff's confidential file.  

What did they find when looking at Stan Sniff's Personnel File?  Nada. Zip. Zero.  

Stan Sniff had an exemplary service record and had been terminated by Doyle for no cause whatsoever. Doyle had again lied to the public saying he had reason to let Sniff go. The truth turned out that Doyle had felt threatened by Sniff as Sniff had become overly concerned about the corruption of the Doyle regime. To rectify the problem, Sniff was considering running for Sheriff so Doyle got rid of him.

Frank Robles now needs to do that same and demonstrate that he has the character and qualifications it takes to be Sheriff. Robles needs open up his Personnel File not only at the Riverside Sheriff's Department, but also from when he was the Police Chief of Desert Hot Springs.

Since Robles wants to be Sheriff, the public has the right to know what kind of a cop Robles was. We need to know what history of discipline exists or does not exist when Robles was with the Sheriff's Department. After all, Robles suddenly retired when Sniff became Sheriff, just like all of Bob Doyle's other egomaniacal cronies.  Why was that?

And what happened at Desert Hot Springs? We know Robles mismanaged the DHS' Police Department to the point of implosion, and the Sheriff's Department had to come take over the Department.  But Robles was also fired during his time there and mysteriously rehired. There are also old newspaper reports that Frank Robles threatened city officials when he did not get his budget requests.

Specifically, Robles was accused of threatening former Desert Hot Springs City Manager Duane Gassaway and former City Councilmember Daniel Been. These are very serious allegations and need to be investigated and reported. The first step is having Frank Robles waive his confidentiality rights that he once enjoyed as a peace officer and allow the public to review his Personnel Files.

These are very serious questions that Frank Robles as a candidate for Sheriff should have no problem answering.  Unfortunately, both he and the main stream media are silent on these topics.

While law enforcement operations often must be handled in secrecy to protect the lives of cops and the integrity of the investigation, the Office of Sheriff is an elected position.  There needs to be a large degree of transparency from the person who wants that job.

From the current Sheriff, Stan Sniff, the people have that.  From Frank Robles there has yet to be a hint of openness or transparency. That's a shame dear readers, because the voters should be allowed to examine the records of both Sniff and Robles and make an informed decision.

The only reason Frank Robles has to hide from answering these questions is that he would lose some political capital or credibility as a candidate if he were to honestly answer them. Hopefully he will.

Lackluster Challengers Take On County Elected Officials

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters released a list of candidates in the various races throughout Riverside County for the June Election.  Only one word comes to mind dear readers:  Yawn.

2nd District County Supervisor John Tavaglione is being challenged by Herb Higgins, a former Norco City Councilmember.  Higgins has not raised any money and does not have a campaign organization from what anyone can tell.  Tavaglione on other hand has locked up the key endorsements of his district and has over $400,000 in the bank.  That's hardly a contest.  Tavaglione's next four years are quite secure.

5th District Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley, despite being the target of a half-hearted recall last year, is running unopposed.

Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff is being challenged by his former Chief Deputy Frank Robles.  Robles is relying on the financial assistance of Los Angles County businessman Leo McIntrye.  Sniff, like Tavaglione, has picked up all of the major endorsements and has his deputies and their gigantic Political Action Committee in his corner.  Robles' failure to mount a takeover of the Riverside Sheriffs' Association last year pretty much doomed his campaign.

Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco is being challenged by Judge Paul Zellerbach. While this is being billed in the main stream media as the clash of the titans, in reality that's far from the truth. Pacheco too has all of the major endorsements for his race and has close to $500,000 on hand to Zellerbach's $0.00.  

Zellerbach came out swinging at Pacheco in his announcement claiming that under Pacheco, the District Attorney's office has been losing more than half of the cases it prosecutes.  Zellerbach's statistics were debunked last week by the Press Enterprise in an article that showed Pacheco's DA's office gets convictions of about 95% of the defendants it prosecutes.  It's going to be next to impossible to argue with those results, especially after the very newspaper that hates Pacheco has already outed Zellerbach for his exaggerations.

The only race really worth watching this spring is probably the one that will go down in the desert.

4th District County Supervisor John Benoit, who was appointed to the Board of Supervisors by Governor Schwarzenegger after the resignation and death of Roy Wilson, faces retired Palm Springs Police Chief Gary Jeandron.  Benoit is an experienced and hard edged campaigner with close to $300,000 in the bank and all of the endorsements one needs to get elected in eastern Riverside County, except one very important one.

The Riverside Sheriffs' Association is backing Jeandron.  This endorsement so outraged Benoit that he retaliated against them by cutting the pay of the Probation Officers the RSA represents and imposed furloughs on them.  The RSA didn't take it lying down and is now running radio advertisements in the desert informing the public of Benoit's role in cutting law enforcement since joining the Board of Supervisors.

Benoit is also being hobbled by his affiliation with developers Steve Holgate and Robert Osborne who have been indicted in the San Jacinto corruption case.  Benoit was forced to give $10,000 to charity that came from their tainted contributions.  And a few weeks ago a Sacramento political consultant had his office raided by Riverside County District Attorneys investigators.  The consultant was doing work for Holgate on behalf of Benoit in the 2008 Republican Primary Election.

While it is unknown how much money RSA will give Jeandron in his battle against Benoit, Jeandron is already running his own radio advertisements.  This is probably a good indication that he's had a major infusion of cash since announcing his candidacy.

Despite all of this, the odds are still in Benoit's favor.  He's been in office for over a decade, has a professional team with him, and never misses an opportunity to be in the media.  

We'll keep tabs on things for you as always, but leave you with one final thought:  In a county with over 2 million people, isn't there a better list of challengers out there?

Who Is Frank Robles' Sugar Daddy?

The latest round of campaign finance disclosures are out and wannabe Sheriff Frank Robles has only $12,474.03 left in his bank account.  

That's not enough to run a successful campaign for countywide office in Riverside County, so Robles' campaign is effectively already over.  Or is it?

The big news contained in Frank Robles' disclosure is the fact that he raised $110,693.00 last year. That's quite impressive for a failed police chief and political nitwit.  

But what's most intriguing about that money raised is that $100,000 of it came from a single source:  You guessed it dear readers, Southern California Braiding Company, Inc.

As we previously reported, Southern California Braiding Company is owned by Leo McIntyre.  McIntrye's contributions to Frank Robles make up more than 90% of all the money Robles has raised. 

It remains a mystery why a Los Angeles County based business and its Los Angeles County based owner have taken such a strong interest in electing Frank Robles as Riverside County Sheriff.  But the words "bought and paid for" do come to mind here.

The pervasive rumor around the County is that when Frank Robles ran the Coroners Office he met Leo McIntrye when McIntryre's wife died.  The two allegedly formed a friendship then that resulted in McIntryre making big monetary contributions to Robles' 1994 campaign for Sheriff and to Bob Doyle's campaigns as well.

If that's the case, then something is fishy.  Did Frank Robles do something inappropriate when he was at the Coroner's Office?  Is there a case there that should be re-opened and examined by the District Attorney or the Attorney General?  We honestly don't know what the real motivation for McIntyre is here.

Robles hasn't talked about the subject and no one in the dying traditional media is looking into the matter.  Which shouldn't surprise us at all.  After all, the Press-Enterprise got the nickname the Press-Enquirer from us because it spent more time sensationalizing gossip while covering over important facts in the interest of promoting its political agenda.

Hopefully someone will come forward and tell us just why Leo McIntyre is Frank Robles' sugar daddy. Until then dear readers, we will just have to keep digging into this story and the mysterious past interconnections of Frank Robles and Leo McIntyre.

Can Gary Jeandron Unseat John Benoit?

Gary Jeandron is challenging appointed County Supervisor John Benoit in the upcoming June Election.

Jeandron is the President of the Palm Springs Unified School District and the retired police chief of Palm Springs.  Jeandron spent three decades as a cop with the Palm Springs Police Department.

John Benoit was appointed by to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors by Governor Schwarzenegger after Benoit voted for the pork-filled $11 billion water bond the Governor was pushing.  Benoit filled the spot left vacant by the sudden resignation and death of County Supervisor Roy Wilson.  

Wilson's resignation letter, which appears to be a forgery, asked the Governor to appoint Benoit to the job.

As you know, dear readers, this entire process has not set well with a lot of people, including us.  Many voters were clamoring for someone like former State Senator Jim Battin to challenge Benoit and take the seat from him.  Battin appears to have no interest in the race, but Gary Jeandron is a different story.

The question dear readers is:  Can Gary Jeandron unseat John Benoit?

The answer to that question is:  Maybe.

Now before you go off and say that anyone "might" be able to win any campaign, let us clarify what we're saying, dear readers.

In any campaign, the natural advantage goes to the incumbent.  Although he is appointed, John Benoit is the incumbent.  He's been shamefully raising money for months and he's been a very visible politician for almost ten years now. 

On top of that, sitting members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors are seldom beat in an election.  Yes, Jeff Stone did unseat County Supervisor Jim Venable in 2004, but prior to that the last time a sitting County Supervisor was defeated in Riverside County was 1972!

All that aside, Gary Jeandron has a very good shot at unseating John Benoit in June.  

This race could be a nail biter and should be considered a toss up because Gary Jeandron is the most formidable opponent John Benoit has ever faced in an election.

In 2002, Benoit handily defeated lobbyist Patrick O'Reilly's right hand man, Lou Monville in the Republican Primary.  Monville who had a resume that looked decent on paper had no real life experience that mattered much to the voters.  Benoit on the other hand had 30 years with the California Highway Patrol.  

This was the first election after the Al Qeada attacks of September 11, 2001.  George W. Bush was beating the drums of war.  Safety was first on the minds of voters.  So who should they vote for to keep them safe?  The questionably disabled CHP Commander beats the PR Executive in that match up no matter what.  This was a safe Republican seat, so the General Election was of no consequence.

Forward to 2008 and Assembyman John Benoit faced a more formidable challenger in former Assemblyman Russ Bogh for the California State Senate.  They were running to fill Jim Battin's seat, as Senator Battin fell victim of California's term limits.  Battin was backing Bogh.

Both Benoit and Bogh could be considered conservative Republicans, although Bogh was more socially conservative, as Benoit frequently provided the necessary votes for the State to approve the legislation that funded Medi-Cal.  

Medi-Cal is used to provide family planning services and health care to the poor despite their immigration status. While it is illegal to cut off this funding, conservative Republicans typically vote against these bills as they do provide taxpayer funding for abortions of for health care for undocumented immigrants, which conservative Republicans allegedly oppose. Benoit's votes outed him as a moderate on these issues important to the GOP's Republican base.

What should have been a much closer race, turned into a blow out, as Benoit capitalized on mistakes made by Bogh.  Bogh's campaign foolishly started handing out attack flyers months before the Primary Election highlighting Benoit's moderate voting record.  Benoit was able to introduce legislation to paint himself as a social conservative to provide him political cover on these issues. Not the best use of taxpayer money by Benoit, but it did turn out to be politically profitable for him.

As the campaign moved on, John Benoit attacked Russ Bogh and his family business for questionable dealings that Bogh failed to adequately respond to. On top of that, the main issue of the time was illegal immigration, which gave Benoit the same advantage that he had in 2002 against Lou Monville.

The question became who should voters trust to kick illegal immigrants out of California, the bald highway patrolman or the youthful businessman?  Businessman Bogh never had a chance in that climate. Again, the Senate seat was safely Republican. Even with the Democratic tidal wave of 2008, Benoit was going to the State Senate.

Now John Benoit is going up against Gary Jeandron. There are many similarities between Benoit and Jeandron.  Both are long time residents of the Coachella Valley.  Both have served on school boards. Both are cops, but that's also where they differ.  

While both Gary Jeandron and John Benoit spent 30 years in law enforcement, Benoit's service however pales compared to Jeandron's.  In fact when you place their service records side by side, Gary Jeandron makes John Benoit seem like little more than a meter maid.

Gary Jeandron was shot in the line of duty, kept working, and does not take his retirement pay tax free for the injuries he sustained. John Benoit on the other hand gets a portion of his retirement tax free because he got skin cancer on his ear. Questions abound about Benoit's disability, and running against Jeandron won't help him make those questions go away.  In fact Gary Jeandron makes John Benoit look like an out-and-out fraud.

But the issue on the minds of the voters today does not appear to be safety.  If something happens in the next five months it may but, but as of today it's the economy, stupid. That means the playing field is level for both Jeandron and Benoit, which is why this race is a Toss Up. 

However, given the anti-incumbent wave that is sweeping America these days, don't be too surprised if John Benoit is out of a job next January.  

Can Steve Pougnet Beat Mary Bono Mack?

Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack is facing a challenge from Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet.

Steve Pougnet is seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party this June to challenge Congresswoman Bono Mack in the 45th Congressional District come November.  The District covers the Coachella Valley and central and southern portions of the County.

If he succeeds in ousting Bono Mack from her seat, Steve Pougnet would be Riverside County's first openly gay member of Congress.

Steve Pougnet came to prominence in Palm Springs when he was elected to the City Council in 2003 along with Ginny Foat and then-Mayor Ron Oden.  Their victory significantly changed the Palm Springs City Council from one of latent conservative leanings to one with a Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender (GLBT) majority and a active GLBT agenda.

In 2007, Steve Pougnet was elected as the Mayor of Palm Springs.  The transition of mayoral power from the openly gay Oden to the openly gay Pougnet marked another milestone in Palm Springs GLBT movement.  It proved 2003 wasn't a fluke.  The GLBT movement had staying power in Palm Springs.

After Barack Obama carried the 45th Congressional District in his 2008 victory, Steve Pougnet set his sights on the Congress and challenged Bono Mack.  A real estate agent by trade, Steve Pougnet was able to campaign virtually non-stop last year since there was little action in Riverside County's home buying market in 2009.  

Politically, Steve Pougnet offers a stark contrast to Republican Mary Bono Mack as he is definitely in line with the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's liberal-progressive agenda.

Since economics will likely dominate this year's campaigns, it's important for us to look at Steve Pougnet's economic policies.

On the Palm Springs City Council Steve Pougnet has shown he is not afraid to raise taxes.  If elected to the Congress, Pougnet will support raising income taxes, which will happen in 2011 after the Congress allows the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 to expire. 

Steve Pougnet has been evasive about his position on Health Care Reform, but it is clear that he would have supported the plan that was approved by House last year which included a single-payer public option for health insurance.

Steve Pougnet also supports increased federal spending.  He has constantly criticized Mary Bono Mack for not supporting the Economic Stimulus legislation last year, even though the only "success" of the Stimulus has been to vastly increase the National Debt.  The Stimulus has not revived America's economy or resulted in any net job creation.

This should be an interesting contest dear reader.  Steve Pougnet has the money to give Bono Mack a solid challenge.  There are plenty of issues for them to debate and discuss beyond economics, but in the end the edge still goes to Congresswoman Bono Mack.

The 45th Congressional District is more of a centrist-right leaning seat.  Bono Mack's positions on most issues line up better with the voters there than Pougnet's positions do.  While Steve Pougnet's progressive, GLBT politics may gain him votes in Palm Springs, it is doubtful that his positions will help him outside of his own city.