Out of the mouths of politicians and players
"Take care of the sense and the sounds will take care of themselves."
---Lewis Carroll
"Don't start tryin' to do the right thing, boy-o. You haven't the practice."
---L.A. Confidential
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
---Martin Luther King, jr.
"Blogs are the same thing you flush down that's brown."
--- Riverside Ward Seven Councilman Steve Adams responding to public comment at the June 17, 2008 evening session of the city council meeting, about racism at City Hall.
Thanks to Mr. Adams, the golden tongue award goes to him for successfully linking a reference to scatology with a city council agenda item without committing a FCC violation.
Adams was just being Adams and it wouldn't be a proper meeting if he didn't make such comments. Long known for expressing his views about pesky city residents particularly those from within his own ward, he said at a Mayor's Nomination and Screening Committee meeting in January that people from Ward Seven had to have integrity to serve on the Planning Commission (which in itself is very true) and that two people (read, his former election opponents) didn't have any.
He also said that some people have no class including Yolanda Garland who speaks out on city issues on a regular basis. He's made inferences that other city residents were liars or lied in the past. An ethics complaint was filed against him by a city resident for one incident but like almost all complaints filed through the ethics process, it didn't go anywhere.
He's yelled at another one of his critics, James Martin, from Ward Seven for the simple act of taking a seat during a candidacy forum last year and let's face it, if an elected official can't hold onto his temper during one of those events, that's not a good sign of his or her ability to contain themselves in other venues. Because it's at forums when political candidates try to put their best sides on display to attract prospective voters to pull levers for them at the polls.
I'm not sure Adams is aware how off-putting trashing people in his own ward makes him appear as a politician. Still, he did win reelection by barely more than a dozen votes over a candidate he outspent at least 15 to 1 which should have provided him with some hint.
There's also at least one complaint filed against the city alleging that Adams made "retalitory" comments against two city employees.
Two lieutenants with the police department also alleged in a complaint filed with the city that he made comments to an officer that there would be no promotions because he or she backed another candidate besides Adams. Not impossible to believe given how Adams treats the city residents who criticize him or opposed him in elections. Still, it should be interesting how this episode plays out at a future trial if a lawsuit is filed and all the involved parties testify at it.
Some might say criticizing a city employee like City Manager Brad Hudson is an "assault" as Adams did. Some people might say the same about the above behavior committed by him against city residents and city employees who don't back his agenda or his candidacies. The people he implied were liars several years ago definitely felt "assaulted" at the time. And at least 90% of these actions have been right in the public arena of governmental discourse making him probably the greatest contributor of colorful quotes to the public record on the city council dais.
The city council is well aware that it has created a culture where few people bother coming to its meetings and speaking out on an issue especially critically unless they are in large numbers, because even though not all elected officials engage in this behavior, the few that do are defining its image. Around town, people will come up and talk to me and others who attend meetings to say that they can't do so themselves because either they can't due to their busy schedules or they fear they will be targeted with nasty comments by elected officials they entrust and pay with tax dollars to represent them.
It's not until you talk with city residents who watch the meetings on television, that you realize how many people feel they can't come down because they're afraid of what their own elected official will call them or how they will be treated by the politicians. Many watched from home as elderly women were escorted away from the podium or were told by several different city councilmen that they would be ejected from the building by police officers. That does leave quite an impression on city residents to see elderly people treated with such disrespect by elected officials. Some people call it Gadflying While Elderly but other elderly people don't want to be next in line to be treated like that.
That's a very unfortunate commentary on this city's elected government but what's been taking place at the polls during several recent elections may provide the necessary balance by promoting and selecting out candidates who don't fly into a tizzy or throw a tantrum any time a resident criticizes their actions on an issue. What the voters are showing at the polls is that they do not wish to be represented with people who behave in such a fashion and they are nudging the direction of the city council away from that grandstanding. And in the end that could save the city a lot of money because unlike its neighbor, Colton, it probably won't have to hire an etiquette consultant to evaluate its performance at meetings and give recommendations on how it can perform better.
It's really a damn shame on the democratic process that people are worried aboout being called liars or told they have no class, or yelled at for sitting down at public forums, but that's obviously how some city council members choose to serve their tenures on the dais by because if this weren't true, they would behave with the dignity and strength shown by the members of the city council who don't act out. Several city councilmen then say that the men and women of the military fought and died to preserve their freedoms to hold these meetings and they're right. Hundreds of thousands of people have died so that Adams can entertain people in the audience and at home with scatalogical references which is just indicative of the double edges of participatory democracy.
Some old-timers in Riverside say this is the most belligerent and disrespectful city council ever in power even above the notorious PALM quartet. It may just feel that way sometimes, but if you look at the dais again, there are some positive role models too. They are there. They're just not as loud.
Sometimes perhaps those who are rude and act out at meetings like children wonder why they either can't win "higher" office or have difficulty getting reelected at all, when the fact is, that it's people who cast the votes. It's people including those that they discourage from attending or speaking out at meetings who cast the votes. So after their losses, they shouldn't be shaking their heads at why they didn't win for very long or blaming it on an apathetic voting pool because if they couldn't fire up people to come out and vote for them, then their campaign is what is to blame because people will show up and vote for people who excite and inspire them.
It should be quite clear. People elect people they feel can do the job of representing them, who will listen to them, who will be courteous and responsive to them. They don't have track records of electing individuals who call other residents names or make personal attacks and most often, the city council members who engage in this behavior didn't do so when first elected. But power has different effects on different people and some elected officials have a very difficult time with that responsibility. But the voters often serve to remind them that it's important to learn that skill because it's the city residents who use their power to vote both individually and collectively to elect their leaders.
Developers from out of town don't vote here. Other organizations which endorse might have members who vote locally and members who don't. You alienate your voting base, you often get a pink slip and are sent home as was discovered by several Riverside City Council members last year. That's the bottom line because at the end of the day it's a popularity contest.
But then there are those who have strong support bases precisely because of how they handle the job including the criticisms.
Ward Two Councilman Andrew Melendrez who recently won a poll at one site as the choice for Riverside's next mayor is one example of a more positive role model on the dais. Melendrez never loses his temper, never calls people's names, never makes personal attacks, never does anything but behave as a mature, professional elected official should. With a bit more experience perhaps, he could be a great mayoral candidate and many city residents are impressed with his poise even while dealing with controversial city council issues. He's helpful and thoughtful with his comments when you discuss issues and he's a really good listener and if he has an ego, he parks it some place else. And there are others on the dais, a new majority that actually does behave itself, unfortunately causing the petulant behavior of a minority on the dais stand out in even greater contrast. If you have a civic issue that concerns you, it's probably more productive and you'll have much better dialogue if you talk with one or more of them even if they don't represent your ward.
After offering his perspective on blogs, Adams then thanked the city employees for going through a difficult time which is apparently a reference to the city's budget cuts faced by different employees. And there's truth to that because after all, city council members can now vote themselves pay raises now that the politician salary committee is gone, while city employees have to negotiate months and sometimes congregate at City Hall for a new contract. How much money will the city council pay Hudson not to leave and take Larry Parrish's job as CEO in Riverside County? The amount could be staggering, that is if Hudson could even muster the necessary votes from the Board of Supervisors there to get hired if he wants the job.
Hiring freezes, unfilled positions in city departments and a distinct feeling of standing still in a city that should be moving forward even as buildings are constructed but people are left behind. Even in departments like the public safety ones which the city manager's office advertised as enjoying budget increases, are facing frozen positions including possibly those at the supervisory level. With the possible freezes of sergeant and lieutenant positions within the police department, this raises the issue of whether or not the police department will remain compliant with several terms of its stipulated judgment with the state attorney general's office. These terms still remain in effect, a decision which was made at a workshop the city council held on the implementation of the police department's strategic plan in March 2006.
Those terms were that the police department maintains an officer to sergeant ratio that is no higher than 7 to 1 and have a lieutenant serve as watch commander, 24 hours seven days a week. These weren't hard and fast rules and there were shifts particularly involving the use of sergeant watch commanders that served as exceptions but the efforts were made to keep these exceptions to the rule to a minimum. And in the case of sergeant watch commanders, care was taken to either have this apply to only part of the work shift and to have a lieutenant on call in case he or she was needed.
Why were these two provisions of the consent decree so important? Why are they still very important? Because a lot of the problems which brought on the stipulated judgment against the city were related to inadequate staffing including of supervisors, particularly field sergeants and lieutenant watch commanders. If you want to know how large a role these problems played, the original writ, the stipulated judgment and the strategic plan are all on file in various departments at City Hall or in Riverside County Superior Court under The People of the State of California v the City of Riverside.
Why are they still in effect and why should they remain in effect? Because only the most misguided elected official or city employee would want to willfully recreate the same or similar circumstances which led to the original consent decree. Especially after more than $22 million spent and that's just during the five year consent decree. Because the need for more experienced supervisors on all shifts and a lower officer to sergeant ratio doesn't decline with time especially given how younger on average the department became during and after the consent decree. At least one local politician said that these issues concerned him greatly. And one thing that police officers say is that they want to move forward and not go back to what once was.
Also included in the cuts might be detectives who are called into work to handle cases outside the scheduling hours of the regular detectives. One of the divisions allegedly impacted is the department's sexual assault and child abuse unit. If this is the case, what a shame that women and children come in last once again in terms of the city's priorities.
The police department's implementation of the strategic plan was scheduled to be on the city council's agenda on June 17, but the consultant hired by the city to do the audit asked for a rescheduling, which was fine. Hopefully, the next date that it's scheduled, there will be more than five members of the city council attending the meeting. Even though it was continued to the next meeting, City Attorney Gregory Priamos said that there didn't have to be public comment so none was allowed, which is silly because they've allowed it on other occasions. But then the city council has made it clear through the actions of several of its members that being known for fully embracing the concept of public comment and participation isn't what it wants to be known for.
But what needs to be included in the discussion of the department's progress of the implementation of the strategic plan is how the fiscal budget cuts will impact the provisions of the stipulated judgment still in effect as well as the strategic plan itself. Hopefully, the city manager's office will brief the city government and city residents at this meeting on whether or not the budget cuts will impact the aforementioned services, the officer to sergeant ratio and the lieutenant watch commanders (as in does cutting back "on call" personnel if that's the case impact "on call" lieutenants who render assistance on shifts with sergeant watch commanders). But most likely, unless a city official asks these questions, they may or may not be addressed at all and too few of them seem more energetic about castigating their constituents from the dais than addressing what's going on in the city that they've been encharged to govern.
The city council meeting's evening session clocked in at about an hour and some business was done. Sit down and it's almost time to get going again. Several residents who attended the meeting thought it wasn't worth attending considering what gas prices are. Drive across the city and back attending an abbreviated meeting where your elected official may or may not make a derogatory comment about you. That's one reason why people stay home and maybe there's several council members who wouldn't have it any other way. But next years an election year, so under those conditions all bets will be off. It's already shaping up to be a great one.
It's important to remain involved in your city and your city government even though in Riverside, it means getting slammed at city council meetings and other public forums at times.
It's important to attend meetings and speak out including at the public hearing being conducted by the task force involving the expansion and renovation of the downtown library and museum, which will be held at City Hall tomorrow night. It's important to go to several meetings taking place involving neighborhood planning for the Eastside and University neighborhoods. It's important to attend city council meetings and speak out on the issues that impact the city and your lives. Don't let several disgruntled city council members discourage you. It's your government and they are your public servants, not the other way around.
The discussion about Mayor Ron Loveridge's crossing party lines to endorse Councilman Frank Schiavone in his failed bid for supervisor continues here.
In federal court, Judge Gary A. Feess barred the enforcement of a provision of the Los Angeles Police Department's federal consent decree which required officers in special investigation units to disclose their financial records.
(excerpt, Los Angeles Times)
Members of the civilian Police Commission who approved the policy argue that the financial disclosures are necessary to satisfy the terms of the court decree. The disclosures are intended to help supervisors monitor for signs of corruption among the specialty officers who frequently handle cash and other contraband. The union has argued vociferously that the requirement would invade officers' privacy and do little to detect corrupt officers.
Feess, who oversees the decree and eventually would have had to sign off on the disclosure policy, has scheduled a July 7 hearing. After listening to arguments from both sides, he could lift the ban or maintain it.
Union President Tim Sands said he was "gratified that the judge understood the harm that could be caused by implementing financial disclosures before the matter had its day in court."
Commission President Anthony Pacheco, meanwhile, said that after years of negotiating and battling over the issue, he was not troubled by the relatively short delay.
"This court is the proper place ultimately for this issue to be heard," he said. "It has been a long road, and I'm convinced that the judge will give it a fair hearing."
A New York City Police Department officer pleads guilty to bank robbery.
Two Akron Police Department officers were fired for using excessive force.
(excerpt, Akron Beacon Journal)
Fired were Christopher Seiler, who allegedly kicked a suspect, and James Givens, who allegedly elbowed a suspect.
Paul Hlynsky, president of the Akron Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, said Plusquellic's decision to fire the officers is extreme and political in nature."
Hlynsky said that "in neither incident was either felon hurt nor did they file a complaint."
He said the union plans to appeal the firings through binding arbitration and he is confident the officers will get their jobs back.
Neither officer has been disciplined before.
Hlynsky said the mayor is "just being politically correct to support his police auditor."
The Akron City Hall representative denied that the firings had anything to do with the auditor.
Free Ice Cream Social at Heritage House 8193 Magnolia Ave. on Sunday, June 29 from 12-4p.m.
Statistics:
Top 10 search terms this week:
five before midnight 0.2%
mary shelton five before midnight 0.1%
bill lockyer 0.1%
latest news illegal immigration- <>
ive to midnight <>
where can i find information o...programs for school employees? <>
what are head starts physical assets? <>
stan pampy barre <>
---Lewis Carroll
"Don't start tryin' to do the right thing, boy-o. You haven't the practice."
---L.A. Confidential
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
---Martin Luther King, jr.
"Blogs are the same thing you flush down that's brown."
--- Riverside Ward Seven Councilman Steve Adams responding to public comment at the June 17, 2008 evening session of the city council meeting, about racism at City Hall.
Thanks to Mr. Adams, the golden tongue award goes to him for successfully linking a reference to scatology with a city council agenda item without committing a FCC violation.
Adams was just being Adams and it wouldn't be a proper meeting if he didn't make such comments. Long known for expressing his views about pesky city residents particularly those from within his own ward, he said at a Mayor's Nomination and Screening Committee meeting in January that people from Ward Seven had to have integrity to serve on the Planning Commission (which in itself is very true) and that two people (read, his former election opponents) didn't have any.
He also said that some people have no class including Yolanda Garland who speaks out on city issues on a regular basis. He's made inferences that other city residents were liars or lied in the past. An ethics complaint was filed against him by a city resident for one incident but like almost all complaints filed through the ethics process, it didn't go anywhere.
He's yelled at another one of his critics, James Martin, from Ward Seven for the simple act of taking a seat during a candidacy forum last year and let's face it, if an elected official can't hold onto his temper during one of those events, that's not a good sign of his or her ability to contain themselves in other venues. Because it's at forums when political candidates try to put their best sides on display to attract prospective voters to pull levers for them at the polls.
I'm not sure Adams is aware how off-putting trashing people in his own ward makes him appear as a politician. Still, he did win reelection by barely more than a dozen votes over a candidate he outspent at least 15 to 1 which should have provided him with some hint.
There's also at least one complaint filed against the city alleging that Adams made "retalitory" comments against two city employees.
Two lieutenants with the police department also alleged in a complaint filed with the city that he made comments to an officer that there would be no promotions because he or she backed another candidate besides Adams. Not impossible to believe given how Adams treats the city residents who criticize him or opposed him in elections. Still, it should be interesting how this episode plays out at a future trial if a lawsuit is filed and all the involved parties testify at it.
Some might say criticizing a city employee like City Manager Brad Hudson is an "assault" as Adams did. Some people might say the same about the above behavior committed by him against city residents and city employees who don't back his agenda or his candidacies. The people he implied were liars several years ago definitely felt "assaulted" at the time. And at least 90% of these actions have been right in the public arena of governmental discourse making him probably the greatest contributor of colorful quotes to the public record on the city council dais.
The city council is well aware that it has created a culture where few people bother coming to its meetings and speaking out on an issue especially critically unless they are in large numbers, because even though not all elected officials engage in this behavior, the few that do are defining its image. Around town, people will come up and talk to me and others who attend meetings to say that they can't do so themselves because either they can't due to their busy schedules or they fear they will be targeted with nasty comments by elected officials they entrust and pay with tax dollars to represent them.
It's not until you talk with city residents who watch the meetings on television, that you realize how many people feel they can't come down because they're afraid of what their own elected official will call them or how they will be treated by the politicians. Many watched from home as elderly women were escorted away from the podium or were told by several different city councilmen that they would be ejected from the building by police officers. That does leave quite an impression on city residents to see elderly people treated with such disrespect by elected officials. Some people call it Gadflying While Elderly but other elderly people don't want to be next in line to be treated like that.
That's a very unfortunate commentary on this city's elected government but what's been taking place at the polls during several recent elections may provide the necessary balance by promoting and selecting out candidates who don't fly into a tizzy or throw a tantrum any time a resident criticizes their actions on an issue. What the voters are showing at the polls is that they do not wish to be represented with people who behave in such a fashion and they are nudging the direction of the city council away from that grandstanding. And in the end that could save the city a lot of money because unlike its neighbor, Colton, it probably won't have to hire an etiquette consultant to evaluate its performance at meetings and give recommendations on how it can perform better.
It's really a damn shame on the democratic process that people are worried aboout being called liars or told they have no class, or yelled at for sitting down at public forums, but that's obviously how some city council members choose to serve their tenures on the dais by because if this weren't true, they would behave with the dignity and strength shown by the members of the city council who don't act out. Several city councilmen then say that the men and women of the military fought and died to preserve their freedoms to hold these meetings and they're right. Hundreds of thousands of people have died so that Adams can entertain people in the audience and at home with scatalogical references which is just indicative of the double edges of participatory democracy.
Some old-timers in Riverside say this is the most belligerent and disrespectful city council ever in power even above the notorious PALM quartet. It may just feel that way sometimes, but if you look at the dais again, there are some positive role models too. They are there. They're just not as loud.
Sometimes perhaps those who are rude and act out at meetings like children wonder why they either can't win "higher" office or have difficulty getting reelected at all, when the fact is, that it's people who cast the votes. It's people including those that they discourage from attending or speaking out at meetings who cast the votes. So after their losses, they shouldn't be shaking their heads at why they didn't win for very long or blaming it on an apathetic voting pool because if they couldn't fire up people to come out and vote for them, then their campaign is what is to blame because people will show up and vote for people who excite and inspire them.
It should be quite clear. People elect people they feel can do the job of representing them, who will listen to them, who will be courteous and responsive to them. They don't have track records of electing individuals who call other residents names or make personal attacks and most often, the city council members who engage in this behavior didn't do so when first elected. But power has different effects on different people and some elected officials have a very difficult time with that responsibility. But the voters often serve to remind them that it's important to learn that skill because it's the city residents who use their power to vote both individually and collectively to elect their leaders.
Developers from out of town don't vote here. Other organizations which endorse might have members who vote locally and members who don't. You alienate your voting base, you often get a pink slip and are sent home as was discovered by several Riverside City Council members last year. That's the bottom line because at the end of the day it's a popularity contest.
But then there are those who have strong support bases precisely because of how they handle the job including the criticisms.
Ward Two Councilman Andrew Melendrez who recently won a poll at one site as the choice for Riverside's next mayor is one example of a more positive role model on the dais. Melendrez never loses his temper, never calls people's names, never makes personal attacks, never does anything but behave as a mature, professional elected official should. With a bit more experience perhaps, he could be a great mayoral candidate and many city residents are impressed with his poise even while dealing with controversial city council issues. He's helpful and thoughtful with his comments when you discuss issues and he's a really good listener and if he has an ego, he parks it some place else. And there are others on the dais, a new majority that actually does behave itself, unfortunately causing the petulant behavior of a minority on the dais stand out in even greater contrast. If you have a civic issue that concerns you, it's probably more productive and you'll have much better dialogue if you talk with one or more of them even if they don't represent your ward.
After offering his perspective on blogs, Adams then thanked the city employees for going through a difficult time which is apparently a reference to the city's budget cuts faced by different employees. And there's truth to that because after all, city council members can now vote themselves pay raises now that the politician salary committee is gone, while city employees have to negotiate months and sometimes congregate at City Hall for a new contract. How much money will the city council pay Hudson not to leave and take Larry Parrish's job as CEO in Riverside County? The amount could be staggering, that is if Hudson could even muster the necessary votes from the Board of Supervisors there to get hired if he wants the job.
Hiring freezes, unfilled positions in city departments and a distinct feeling of standing still in a city that should be moving forward even as buildings are constructed but people are left behind. Even in departments like the public safety ones which the city manager's office advertised as enjoying budget increases, are facing frozen positions including possibly those at the supervisory level. With the possible freezes of sergeant and lieutenant positions within the police department, this raises the issue of whether or not the police department will remain compliant with several terms of its stipulated judgment with the state attorney general's office. These terms still remain in effect, a decision which was made at a workshop the city council held on the implementation of the police department's strategic plan in March 2006.
Those terms were that the police department maintains an officer to sergeant ratio that is no higher than 7 to 1 and have a lieutenant serve as watch commander, 24 hours seven days a week. These weren't hard and fast rules and there were shifts particularly involving the use of sergeant watch commanders that served as exceptions but the efforts were made to keep these exceptions to the rule to a minimum. And in the case of sergeant watch commanders, care was taken to either have this apply to only part of the work shift and to have a lieutenant on call in case he or she was needed.
Why were these two provisions of the consent decree so important? Why are they still very important? Because a lot of the problems which brought on the stipulated judgment against the city were related to inadequate staffing including of supervisors, particularly field sergeants and lieutenant watch commanders. If you want to know how large a role these problems played, the original writ, the stipulated judgment and the strategic plan are all on file in various departments at City Hall or in Riverside County Superior Court under The People of the State of California v the City of Riverside.
Why are they still in effect and why should they remain in effect? Because only the most misguided elected official or city employee would want to willfully recreate the same or similar circumstances which led to the original consent decree. Especially after more than $22 million spent and that's just during the five year consent decree. Because the need for more experienced supervisors on all shifts and a lower officer to sergeant ratio doesn't decline with time especially given how younger on average the department became during and after the consent decree. At least one local politician said that these issues concerned him greatly. And one thing that police officers say is that they want to move forward and not go back to what once was.
Also included in the cuts might be detectives who are called into work to handle cases outside the scheduling hours of the regular detectives. One of the divisions allegedly impacted is the department's sexual assault and child abuse unit. If this is the case, what a shame that women and children come in last once again in terms of the city's priorities.
The police department's implementation of the strategic plan was scheduled to be on the city council's agenda on June 17, but the consultant hired by the city to do the audit asked for a rescheduling, which was fine. Hopefully, the next date that it's scheduled, there will be more than five members of the city council attending the meeting. Even though it was continued to the next meeting, City Attorney Gregory Priamos said that there didn't have to be public comment so none was allowed, which is silly because they've allowed it on other occasions. But then the city council has made it clear through the actions of several of its members that being known for fully embracing the concept of public comment and participation isn't what it wants to be known for.
But what needs to be included in the discussion of the department's progress of the implementation of the strategic plan is how the fiscal budget cuts will impact the provisions of the stipulated judgment still in effect as well as the strategic plan itself. Hopefully, the city manager's office will brief the city government and city residents at this meeting on whether or not the budget cuts will impact the aforementioned services, the officer to sergeant ratio and the lieutenant watch commanders (as in does cutting back "on call" personnel if that's the case impact "on call" lieutenants who render assistance on shifts with sergeant watch commanders). But most likely, unless a city official asks these questions, they may or may not be addressed at all and too few of them seem more energetic about castigating their constituents from the dais than addressing what's going on in the city that they've been encharged to govern.
The city council meeting's evening session clocked in at about an hour and some business was done. Sit down and it's almost time to get going again. Several residents who attended the meeting thought it wasn't worth attending considering what gas prices are. Drive across the city and back attending an abbreviated meeting where your elected official may or may not make a derogatory comment about you. That's one reason why people stay home and maybe there's several council members who wouldn't have it any other way. But next years an election year, so under those conditions all bets will be off. It's already shaping up to be a great one.
It's important to remain involved in your city and your city government even though in Riverside, it means getting slammed at city council meetings and other public forums at times.
It's important to attend meetings and speak out including at the public hearing being conducted by the task force involving the expansion and renovation of the downtown library and museum, which will be held at City Hall tomorrow night. It's important to go to several meetings taking place involving neighborhood planning for the Eastside and University neighborhoods. It's important to attend city council meetings and speak out on the issues that impact the city and your lives. Don't let several disgruntled city council members discourage you. It's your government and they are your public servants, not the other way around.
The discussion about Mayor Ron Loveridge's crossing party lines to endorse Councilman Frank Schiavone in his failed bid for supervisor continues here.
In federal court, Judge Gary A. Feess barred the enforcement of a provision of the Los Angeles Police Department's federal consent decree which required officers in special investigation units to disclose their financial records.
(excerpt, Los Angeles Times)
Members of the civilian Police Commission who approved the policy argue that the financial disclosures are necessary to satisfy the terms of the court decree. The disclosures are intended to help supervisors monitor for signs of corruption among the specialty officers who frequently handle cash and other contraband. The union has argued vociferously that the requirement would invade officers' privacy and do little to detect corrupt officers.
Feess, who oversees the decree and eventually would have had to sign off on the disclosure policy, has scheduled a July 7 hearing. After listening to arguments from both sides, he could lift the ban or maintain it.
Union President Tim Sands said he was "gratified that the judge understood the harm that could be caused by implementing financial disclosures before the matter had its day in court."
Commission President Anthony Pacheco, meanwhile, said that after years of negotiating and battling over the issue, he was not troubled by the relatively short delay.
"This court is the proper place ultimately for this issue to be heard," he said. "It has been a long road, and I'm convinced that the judge will give it a fair hearing."
A New York City Police Department officer pleads guilty to bank robbery.
Two Akron Police Department officers were fired for using excessive force.
(excerpt, Akron Beacon Journal)
Fired were Christopher Seiler, who allegedly kicked a suspect, and James Givens, who allegedly elbowed a suspect.
Paul Hlynsky, president of the Akron Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, said Plusquellic's decision to fire the officers is extreme and political in nature."
Hlynsky said that "in neither incident was either felon hurt nor did they file a complaint."
He said the union plans to appeal the firings through binding arbitration and he is confident the officers will get their jobs back.
Neither officer has been disciplined before.
Hlynsky said the mayor is "just being politically correct to support his police auditor."
The Akron City Hall representative denied that the firings had anything to do with the auditor.
Free Ice Cream Social at Heritage House 8193 Magnolia Ave. on Sunday, June 29 from 12-4p.m.
Statistics:
Top 10 search terms this week:
five before midnight 0.2%
mary shelton five before midnight 0.1%
bill lockyer 0.1%
latest news illegal immigration- <>
ive to midnight <>
where can i find information o...programs for school employees? <>
what are head starts physical assets? <>
stan pampy barre <>
songs of summer <>
site:rivercitycopwatch.blogspot.com
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http://www.rivercitycopwatch.blogspot.com/
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59:47 five to midnight
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8:24 riverside county sheriff department indio
Top five entry pages:
http://rivercitycopwatch.blogspot.com/
http://www.rivercitycopwatch.blogspot.com/
http://rivercitycopwatch.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html
http://rivercitycopwatch.blogs...rside-city-hall-retaliate.html
http://rivercitycopwatch.blogs...lection-2008-whos-bad-guy.html
Labels: City Hall blues, consent decrees and other adventures, Making the grade, public forums in all places
posted by Five Before Midnight | 3:26 PM
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