SB Pietas

Statement from Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt on Assessor Bill Postmus

By SB Pietas | 09/05/08

Here is a press release from the office of 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who served as then-Supervisor Bill Postmus' Chief of Staff.It is rather strong in parts. Near the end, Mitzelfelt writes, "However, I remain convinced that it is my responsibility to hold all county officials accountable, therefore if Mr. Postmus refuses to address these concerns to the public, and soon, I will call on him to resign or be removed from office." Of... read more »

Assessor Bill Postmus for Vice President?

By SB Pietas | 08/28/08

First, congratulations to Jessica Austin for her post late last night. It seems she was one of the first, if not the very first, to publish the fact that John McCain had selected Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate.Anyway, I don't really mean that Bill Postmus should be considered as a vice presidential candidate. But when one examines the résumés of both Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and San Bernardino County Assessor Bill... read more »

Sun: Elected officials voluntarily drug tested

By SB Pietas | 08/19/08

Lauren McSherry has penned a story for today's edition of the San Bernardino Sun. You can see the results of Treasurer-Tax Collector/Public Administrator Larsen's drug test in a Red County posting below.Elected officials voluntarily drug testedLauren McSherry, Staff WriterArticle Launched: 08/18/2008 08:57:51 PM PDTAt least two elected officials in San Bernardino County have voluntarily undergone drug testing after the revelation that Assessor... read more »

PE: Proposed San Bernardino County drug test policy ruled unconstitutional

By SB Pietas | 08/15/08

Here is the Press-Enterprise's story on BOS Chairman Paul Biane's response to Treasurer-Tax Collector Dick Larsen's proposal to randomly drug test all exempt employees. Proposed San Bernardino County drug test policy ruled unconstitutional07:13 AM PDT on Friday, August 15, 2008By ZEKE MINAYAThe Press-EnterpriseA proposal by a top San Bernardino county official that the county's department heads, executive staff and elected leaders be subject to... read more »

PE: Sounding Paranoid

By SB Pietas | 08/15/08

Here is Cassie MacDuff's latest from the Press-Enterprise.Sounding Paranoid10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, August 14, 2008CASSIE MACDUFFAssessor Bill Postmus isn't doing himself any favors with his paranoid-sounding reactions to the calls for him to refute allegations that he was addicted to methamphetamine, or to resign.The embattled official, rather than tackling the illegal drug-use accusations head-on, accused Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul... read more »

Sun: Random drug testing of county workers not legal

By SB Pietas | 08/14/08

So much for that idea. The way it reads, government employers cannot, but private businesses could. I don't know why government employers are restricted from testing their employees in a way that private businesses can. People are choosing to work for the government, after all, and the government isn't testing the entire population. Random drug testing of county workers not legalJason Pesick, Staff WriterArticle Launched: 08/14/2008 09:13:58... read more »

Drug Testing of Exempt County Employees: What then?

By SB Pietas | 08/14/08

Treasurer-Tax Collector Dick Larsen recently proposed random, mandatory drug testing of exempt employees in San Bernardino County. Exempt employees include department heads, elected officials, and senior staff.While this is a good idea on its face, and would certainly add to the "transparency" sought in County government, it has one main issue: if there is a "positive" result to a test for illegal drugs, what happens then? That next step should... read more »

PE: San Bernardino County treasurer calls for mandatory drug testing of elected officials in the county

By SB Pietas | 08/14/08

Here is the PE's take on Larsen's proposal:San Bernardino County treasurer calls for mandatory drug testing of elected officials in the county10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 13, 2008By ZEKE MINAYAThe Press-EnterpriseA top San Bernardino County official has called for mandatory random drug testing for the county's elected officials, top administrators and executive staff in response to recent allegations of methamphetamine use by Assessor Bill... read more »

Sun: Mandatory drug testing for top county officials urged

By SB Pietas | 08/13/08

Treasurer-Tax Collector / Public Administrator (though the third title is frequently omitted) Dick Larsen tends to keep a low profile. Rarely is his name seen in print, aside from in a discussion of his official duties as a fiscal officer.However, it seems he has decided to be a bit more public. The San Bernardino Sun is reporting that Larsen has delivered a letter to the Board of Supervisors that calls for mandatory, random drug testing for... read more »

Daily Press: Two supervisors confirm Postmus' rehab stint

By SB Pietas | 08/13/08

Ryan Orr of the Victor Valley Daily Press has a story published discussing the comments of four of the five County Supervisors on the allegations of drug use by Assessor Bill Postmus.Here is that story:Two supervisors confirm Postmus' rehab stintAugust 13, 2008 - 4:45PMRYAN ORR Staff WriterSAN BERNARDINO -- Two members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors said Wednesday that they were aware of a 2006 trip to a drug rehab facility by... read more »