According to the information I was provided, it appears that Frink became a contract employee with the City on February 4th, 2008 and his contract was terminated on July 2, 2008.  During this period, Frink received $20,000 in compensation (for five months worth of work).

Apparently, nobody is leading the program.  At least, I haven't seen any media coverage of the program and its continued existence.

So, what do taxpayers have to show for this program?  From my understanding, a couple of field trips to amusement parks.

Some league... 

Let's tax both! That is of course the proposal AB 2769 by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine. San Bernardino lawmakers will make key votes on this issue in the near future.

The claim is that Californians don't recycle bags enough. People have proved that they will recycle when the option is available.

Recycling plastic bags makes sense because plastic bags make sense.  They are inexpensive and convenient, and most Californians prefer them.  People reuse plastic bags around the house and in the yard.

Paper bags are reused by Californians everyday.

Unfortunately, AB 2769, proposed by Assembly Member Lloyd Levine, would tax paper AND plastic bags.  Just what California needs with economic growth already slowing: new and higher taxes!

Certainly we can't afford another tax.  Since the levy would be imposed on bags used at grocery stores, it is essentially a food tax.  But food prices have been rising sharply, as well as the cost of gas, making every trip to the supermarket more expensive.

This burden would fall most heavily on those who can least afford it--both poor and larger families.  The per bag fee might not seem like much, but it would add up over the year.  And for many families in today's uncertain economic times, any cost increase is too much.

AB 2769 would also impose new, and frankly unrealistic, waste diversion targets for plastic bags.  The state also would have to enforce this dictate and collect the new tax with more bureaucrats of course.

AB 2769 is bad tax and a bad idea. The legislature or Governor should bag it!

The Safe Neighborhoods Act is a comprehensive criminal penalty and public safety funding initiative that targets criminal street gangs, felons with guns, and drug dealers with focused penalties, and provides sustainable funding to our local police, sheriffs, and prosecutors. It also increases public accountability for gang intervention and prevention programs.

Public Accountability:

• Creates an early intervention accountability commission to evaluate early intervention and rehabilitation programs for gangs to emphasize what programs are effectively spending public funds, and what programs are wasting tax dollars so that they can be eliminated.  Taxpayers deserve this type of accountability.

Dangerous Illegal Immigrants:

• Prohibits illegal immigrants, who are arrested for violent felonies or gang crimes, from being released on bail or on their own recognizance without a judicial hearing.

Criminal Penalties on Gangs:

• Imposes a 10-year penalty increase on gang offenders who commit violent felonies.
• Requires convicted gang offenders to register with local law enforcement each year for five years following conviction or their release from custody.
• Increases penalties for possession, possession for sale, and sale of methamphetamine to the same level as cocaine.
• Streamlines civil gang injunction process and increases penalties for violations.
• Increases penalties for multiple acts of gang-related graffiti.
• Requires that gang offenders previously convicted of car theft or joy riding be subject to a felony penalty for any subsequent car theft or joy riding offense.
• Enhances penalties for individuals providing contraband to gang members in prison.

Section 8 Housing Compliance:

• The Safe Neighborhoods Act ensures that anyone receiving public housing benefits (Section 8) who is caught buying or selling drugs, who is involved in gang activity, or illegally in possession of firearms will lose their public housing benefits.  It requires an annual criminal background check as a condition of housing benefits.

Intervention and Rehabilitation

• The measure provides funding for local law enforcement-run after school programs.
• Creates a mentoring and job training program to help parolees succeed upon release.

Criminal Penalties for Illegal Guns:

• Strengthens the 10-20-Life law to penalize not only offenders who personally use firearms in the commission of certain felonies but their accomplices as well.
• Goes after cop-killers by adding 10 years to dangerous felons who carry loaded or concealed firearms in public.
• Adopts "Use a gun and lose a car" - when car is used in crime, gun is in the car, and registered owner is involved.

Victim Protection:

• Protects children from gang predators by increasing penalties for gang recruitment of juveniles.
• Authorizes admission of sworn statements by witnesses to gang crimes who die or are unavailable to testify at the time of prosecution because of flight or intimidation.
• Protects victims by strengthening Department of Justice Witness Protection Program.
• Establishes statewide reimbursement program for information leading to arrest or conviction of criminal offenders.
• Creates a victim services website.

Community Policing

• The Safe Neighborhoods Act provides the programs and resources essential to community-based policing.
• Expands Neighborhoods Watch programs statewide.
• Informs and involves citizens in public safety through multi-media education.

Safe Neighborhood Public Safety Funding:

• Provides funding for GPS tracking equipment for monitoring gang offenders, sex offenders, and violent offenders.
• Adds resources to violent gang prosecution programs at the local level.
• Funding for county sheriffs for jails and gang enforcement.
• Enhanced city police enforcement targeting gangs and violent crime.
• Multi-agency gang taskforces and gang enforcement training for peace officers.
• Resources to county probation targeting high-risk probationers with weapons and caseload ratios.

Judi Penman.pdf

Danny Tillman.pdf

It is frustrating and exasperating...

So, what can I do, other than grin and bear it?

It may be petty and juvenile, but the only thing I can think of is to flood the office with additional public information requests.  So, today I submitted another request for all emails between the same individuals between March 1st and June 27th.

I suppose that if I do not get the information by Wednesday, I will submt another request for more emails going back to the first of the year and keep tacking on requests for more information.  Perhaps, the city should hire another employee just to handle my information requests since it takes a month to get one processed.

God knows, San Bernardino has plenty of money to burn.  After all, we are paying an Interim Director of Code Enforcement $65 an hour, while the Director is  on paid leave and the Assistant Director is apparently unqualified to "mind the store". 

FLASH: Fri Aug 22 2008 17:52:03 ET /// KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reports a company in Kansas City, which specializes in political literature, has been printing Obama-Bayh material... MORE... Gill Studios, would not confirm information about the material. They would not deny it either. At least three sources close to the plant's operations reported the Obama-Bayh material was being produced...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Argie Frudakis
E-Mail: info@redcountyvoterguide.com
Phone: 714-368-0406 x206

Red County has emerged as a leader in California politics in the online political debate.

With eight of the most closely watched political blogs in California, Red County has quickly become a powerful political brand. The magazine has featured editorial contributions from Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, Victor Davis Hanson, and Dennis Prager and includes a stable of over 150 writers from the ranks of California's most influential political insiders.

Today we are extending that brand and launching the 2008 Red County Voter Guide (www.redcountyvoterguide.com). It will serve as California's only statewide slate that combines the proven results of direct mail with exposure on one of the state's most influential political blogs.

By combining the proven effectiveness of direct mail with the power and flexibility of new media, the guide is an ideal way for your candidates and your ballot initiatives to increase name identification.

Via direct mail, the guide will target likely statewide Republican voters. Online and via email, we will target a proprietary database of Republican donors, activists, and community leaders.

If you are interested in counts or pricing on behalf of your clients, please contact us at 714-242-6747 ext. 206 or info@redcountyvoterguide.com.

I am the son of a former San Bernardino County worker. My father spent his entire adult life serving the citizens of San Bernarino County for over 27 years until his untimely death.

He was so honored to serve the Citizens of San Bernardino County as chief deputy sheriff and proud to work for the citizens of the county.

But I am very concerned by the newspaper headlines I read far too often, that tells the story of another betrayal of our trust by a county worker who has been indicted, convicted, and/or sentenced for crimes against our county.

But these wrongdoers are very few, only a handful, of the over 12,500 outstanding county workers who work hard and honestly to serve us every day.

I am concerned that some will judge our over 12,500 terrific county workers by the actions of a very few.

County workers not only perform services daily that keep our county running smoothly, but they are also the first to volunteers to be Little League coaches, volunteers, choic teachers, choir members and oh yes ... did I mention how generous they are with their personal money and time as they contribute to local United Ways in their annual fund raisers.

So let us tell every county worker we know or come in contact with how proud we are of them and their co-workers.

Make no mistake ... America's largest county is served by America's best county workers. 

When more details emerge, I will let you know.  I will leave you with Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" in the meantime.

"Whether California faces good or challenging economic times, we must always make public safety our number one priority. If our streets, parks and schools aren't safe from gang violence and other crimes, then nothing else really matters."

The opinions and endorsements from sheriffs - and from police chiefs, district attorneys, chief probation officers and from rank-and-file cops - is something that will resonate with voters who share the belief that providing safe neighborhoods is government's number one priority.

What won't resonate are the opinions of those who run the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, a left wing, out-of-touch think tank that seems more concerned with protecting criminals than law-abiding citizens.

- Disclaimer: I am an employee of Senator George Runner - Prop 6 Author.