Moving Forward (Part II)
Posted by: SB Pietas | 07/07/2008 7:08 AM
On Tuesday, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors convenes for the first time since the arrest of Adam Aleman last week. Considering Aleman's position as a top advisor and confidant of Assessor Postmus, the events of last week will certainly play a role in Tuesday's meeting.
Last Tuesday, I wrote an article discussing how San Bernardino County government could and should react to Aleman's arrest, as well as the Grand Jury report released the same day.
In that article, I stated that it was absurd for Adam Aleman to still be collecting a county paycheck after being arrested and charged with a six count felony indictment. Add to that, Aleman is currently on administrative leave--the paid sort--which means he is doing no county work, and still gets to collect money.
Now, a full week after his arrest, Aleman is apparently still collecting a county paycheck. That needs to stop.
These are charges that directly involve his work for the County of San Bernardino, not charges relating to his personal life. The search warrant affidavit seems to spell out the DA's case pretty well. Aleman clearly violated the law, and that violation is well documented. He apparently even admitted it to DA investigators.
Considering all that, why is Aleman still an employee of San Bernardino County? What justification can exist for his continued employment? Why Assessor Postmus hasn't terminated him is inexplicable.
BOS Chairman Paul Biane has offered a proposal in order to deal with this issue. The problem is, it remains unclear as to whether or not Biane's proposal would have either prevented, or would allow the Board to fix, the current situation with Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman.
In one part of the Sun's June 3 article on the topic, Sun staff writer Lauren McSherry writes "The proposed amendment would make it a requirement that the board approve any supervisors' hires by a four-fifths vote." Later, Biane is quoted as saying "If a staff member is so out-of-line and contrary to the best interest of the county, a tool should be available to the super-majority of the board to remove this person," which seems to contradict McSherry's earlier statement.
That is, McSherry is describing a system in which new hires would need 4/5 approval, but Biane is calling for the ability to remove a staff member with a 4/5 super-majority vote.
Perhaps Biane is proposing a 4/5 hiring requirement, but also saying that a 4/5 firing ability would be nice too. Regardless, it's difficult to be sure here.
In any case, one thing that clearly does need to be put into place is that 4/5 firing provision. If a 4/5 vote of the Board of Supervisors can remove an elected county officer, such a vote ought to be able to remove an elected official's staff. As I read current county code, that's not possible.
What I'd propose is an amendment to allow the firing by the Board of Supervisors, with a 4/5 vote, of any employee under the Exempt Compensation Plan who has been charged with a felony directly relating to his or her official duties. This would prevent political removals (and, of course, denials of hiring) of staff, a concern which Supervisor-elect Neil Derry has raised, but would allow the removal by the Board of an employee like Adam Aleman.
Of course, Postmus should have already removed Aleman. But since he seems to lack the courage to act, the Board of Supervisors needs the ability to remove him on its own. Before the county can move on from this mess, Aleman must first be removed from service. It is the first step to a restoration of what little respect San Bernardino County possesses.
Next, Supervisor-elect Derry's ethics commission is a good idea. Its need has been demonstrated by the Grand Jury's in-depth report on the Assessor's Office, which found many areas of concern. Clearly, a more permanent, better equipped body is needed to ensure that ethical standards are being followed in county government. An ethics commission with a 4-year term seems like it would suit the county's needs quite well.
The tuition reimbursement program should also be modified. As proposed by Assessor Postmus for his office, a good move county-wide would be requiring the County Administrative Officer, or his designee, to approve all requests for tuition reimbursement. Any reimbursement made should directly--not peripherally--relate to county work. Using Aleman as an example, taking an ornithology class to complete one's Bachelor of Science should not qualify. Taking a course on taxation law, regardless of its necessity to receive a degree, should qualify.
To be frank, the ethics training suggestions sound good, but are meaningless. Staff of elected officials know the sort of things that are appropriate for county time, and the sort of things that need to be left to personal time. The best way to combat campaign-related activity during government time is harsh punishment of any such violation. Ethics training, like campaign activity, is a waste of county time.
The Board of Supervisors will likely have a very busy meeting on Tuesday. These items should be a focus of discussion during that meeting.
Last Tuesday, I wrote an article discussing how San Bernardino County government could and should react to Aleman's arrest, as well as the Grand Jury report released the same day.
In that article, I stated that it was absurd for Adam Aleman to still be collecting a county paycheck after being arrested and charged with a six count felony indictment. Add to that, Aleman is currently on administrative leave--the paid sort--which means he is doing no county work, and still gets to collect money.
Now, a full week after his arrest, Aleman is apparently still collecting a county paycheck. That needs to stop.
These are charges that directly involve his work for the County of San Bernardino, not charges relating to his personal life. The search warrant affidavit seems to spell out the DA's case pretty well. Aleman clearly violated the law, and that violation is well documented. He apparently even admitted it to DA investigators.
Considering all that, why is Aleman still an employee of San Bernardino County? What justification can exist for his continued employment? Why Assessor Postmus hasn't terminated him is inexplicable.
BOS Chairman Paul Biane has offered a proposal in order to deal with this issue. The problem is, it remains unclear as to whether or not Biane's proposal would have either prevented, or would allow the Board to fix, the current situation with Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman.
In one part of the Sun's June 3 article on the topic, Sun staff writer Lauren McSherry writes "The proposed amendment would make it a requirement that the board approve any supervisors' hires by a four-fifths vote." Later, Biane is quoted as saying "If a staff member is so out-of-line and contrary to the best interest of the county, a tool should be available to the super-majority of the board to remove this person," which seems to contradict McSherry's earlier statement.
That is, McSherry is describing a system in which new hires would need 4/5 approval, but Biane is calling for the ability to remove a staff member with a 4/5 super-majority vote.
Perhaps Biane is proposing a 4/5 hiring requirement, but also saying that a 4/5 firing ability would be nice too. Regardless, it's difficult to be sure here.
In any case, one thing that clearly does need to be put into place is that 4/5 firing provision. If a 4/5 vote of the Board of Supervisors can remove an elected county officer, such a vote ought to be able to remove an elected official's staff. As I read current county code, that's not possible.
What I'd propose is an amendment to allow the firing by the Board of Supervisors, with a 4/5 vote, of any employee under the Exempt Compensation Plan who has been charged with a felony directly relating to his or her official duties. This would prevent political removals (and, of course, denials of hiring) of staff, a concern which Supervisor-elect Neil Derry has raised, but would allow the removal by the Board of an employee like Adam Aleman.
Of course, Postmus should have already removed Aleman. But since he seems to lack the courage to act, the Board of Supervisors needs the ability to remove him on its own. Before the county can move on from this mess, Aleman must first be removed from service. It is the first step to a restoration of what little respect San Bernardino County possesses.
Next, Supervisor-elect Derry's ethics commission is a good idea. Its need has been demonstrated by the Grand Jury's in-depth report on the Assessor's Office, which found many areas of concern. Clearly, a more permanent, better equipped body is needed to ensure that ethical standards are being followed in county government. An ethics commission with a 4-year term seems like it would suit the county's needs quite well.
The tuition reimbursement program should also be modified. As proposed by Assessor Postmus for his office, a good move county-wide would be requiring the County Administrative Officer, or his designee, to approve all requests for tuition reimbursement. Any reimbursement made should directly--not peripherally--relate to county work. Using Aleman as an example, taking an ornithology class to complete one's Bachelor of Science should not qualify. Taking a course on taxation law, regardless of its necessity to receive a degree, should qualify.
To be frank, the ethics training suggestions sound good, but are meaningless. Staff of elected officials know the sort of things that are appropriate for county time, and the sort of things that need to be left to personal time. The best way to combat campaign-related activity during government time is harsh punishment of any such violation. Ethics training, like campaign activity, is a waste of county time.
The Board of Supervisors will likely have a very busy meeting on Tuesday. These items should be a focus of discussion during that meeting.
