Larry A. Lee | Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law Blog

Once again, a preface: Why We Try To Keep Partisan Politics Out of These Postings. These posts are provided as a public service to inform the voting public about who is running and what they are saying. If I get it, this blog posts and comments about the campaign material. With the dearth (and death) of good reporting coming from our local newspapers, this may be one of the few places to get neutral reporting about the candidates.

There have been a lot of posts regarding Gigi Hanna because she has been the most active among the candidates, perhaps because her name recognition was second lowest (I had only heard of one of the candidates before they announced, because I had worked for the City of San Bernardino at the same time as Peggi Hazlettt) among the five candidates (with only William Valle lower). The previous Gigi Hanna posts have included her video profile, her letter and resume to voters, a discussion about donations that included information about Gigi Hanna, an overview of all the San Bernardino City Clerk candidates, an overview of expenditures and donations of all the City Clerk candidates, a discussion about ballot order, a review of Gigi Hanna’s first mailer, a recap of the City Clerk’s forum, and a closer look at the San Bernardino City Clerk’s race on November 8, 2011.

More recent Gigi Hanna literature arrived. This is the material distributed by the candidate or the candidate’s campaigner’s while walking the precincts. Here is the front, and here is the back.

The front of the pamphlet has Gigi Hanna’s portrait with an American flag, the words “Vote Gigi Hanna City Clerk 2011″ and the legend “Public Records Expert Experienced Record-Keeper Always Neutral.’

Also on the front, if you open and lay the pamphlet flat is this information:

In choosing your next City Clerk,
chose the candidate who will:

Continue the legacy of competency and friendly professionalism in the Clerk’s office

Keep politics out of the office, remaining neutral on city politics and personalities

Run the department efficiently and effectively

Be the citizen’s link to their government

Expand digitization of city records to improve public access to its government

Keep elections fair and accurate, so everyone’s vote counts

Elect the one who is qualified and who best serves
the interests of all
San Bernardino residents

Vote Gigi Hanna
The clear choice
for City Clerk
Created in-house. Printed by Crown Printers.
Please support San Bernardino businesses

The inside, or reverse depending on how you look at the pamphlet has a photograph of Gigi Hanna and her husband Tony:

I moved to San City Clerk when I took a job in town as a reporter. Years later, after transitioning into a senior public relations position in Los Angeles, I realized I was spending too much time commuting to a job that did nothing to benefit my community.

In order to expend my energies and talent for the good of my city, I accepted the position of Associate Director of the Water Resources Institute at Cal State San Bernardino.

Since then I’ve worked and volunteered with the Downtown Harvest Market, Healthy San Bernardino Coalition, Lytle is Vital (Water Quality) Project and the new Water Conservation Demonstration Garden at Cal State.
I’m married to Tony Barber, a glass artist from Fresno. We’re not blessed with children, but I serve three cats and a dog, and take care of my
father, David, a retired firefighter and a real-bearded Santa Claus.

City Clerk must be professional, qualified and not beholden to any faction

We can all recall instances recently where political bickering has held up the business of getting on with business. This hasn’t helped our nation or our state and it won’t help San Bernardino.

As the elections officer and record-keeper for the city and the public’s main link to its local government, the City Clerk must be committed to ethics, value open government and be an effective administrator.

I am all those, and the only candidate with professional City Clerk training. I have remained neutral on local politics built a career committed to open government and records and have the professional experience and education to effectively run the City Clerk’s department.

When you go to the Clerk’s office, you need efficient and professional service, no matter what your take on the issues are or who you support.

[In red letters:] This is about posting agendas

Not promoting one [End red letters]

The last third of the reverse side is a pledge card to be mailed back to Gigi Hanna.

Larry Lee recently sent a mailer, his first: here is the front, here is the back.

The front has a portrait of Pastor Lee with the headline: “UNPACK YOUR BAGS, PUT YOUR WORK CLOTHES ON AND LET’S GET TO WORK”
It continues with some phrases that almost sound like proverbs:

We can change the image people have of our city by changing the way we think about it.

To change the way we think about it we have to change the way we talk about it.

It continues with bullet points:

The 5th ward needs jobs. We need restaurants and more retail business.

We need our streets and sidewalks repaired. We need our street lights fixed.

We need our blighted areas cleaned up and beautiful.

We need our fair share of tax revenue to fund projects that will benefit the whole 5th Ward and city.

We despise wasteful spending and a deficit mentality.

We are proud of Cal-State University and want to partner with them for economic development.

The bullet points are accompanied by stock photos of a waitress, a college graduate and a family.

The front ends with “Larry Lee will fight to make San Bernardino the great city that it is!” and “Elect Larry Lee for City Council 5th Ward” followed by his website.

The back has a word cloud that forms an American flag, with buzz words such as “Land Development,” “A Megacity” and “Teamwork”

More information: Using historical data to handicap the 5th Ward Race; Chas Kelley’s Mailer Number One.

The information you obtain at this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is established by reading or commenting on this blog. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation.

Address : 1255 W. Colton Ave., Suite 104

Redlands, CA 92374

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Filed under City Clerk, City of San Bernardino, Elections, Municipal Law, San Bernardino City Charter, San Bernardino City Clerk Tagged with Chas Kelley, City of San Bernardino 5th Ward, Election 2011, Gigi Hanna, Larry A. Lee, San Bernardino City Clerk

League of Women Voters of California Education Fund Smart Voter Profiles

October 17, 2011 Leave a comment

Third Ward Council Member Tobin Brinker;

According to its website:

The League of Women Voters of California Education Fund conducts our voter service and citizen education activities. It is a 501(c)(3) corporation, a nonpartisan non-profit educational organization, which:

Builds citizen participation in the democratic process.

Studies key community issues at all government levels in an unbiased manner.

Enables people to seek positive solutions to public policy issues through education and conflict management.

The League of Women Voters of California Education Fund has a website called Smart Voter ®. On that website, they have all the local San Bernardino County races in one place.

This is a good way for the candidates to put out information about their candidacy in a place that has the trappings of neutrality. Putting up a profile also works as good search engine optimization of the candidates main website. As of today, October 17, 2011, the following candidates have put up profiles at the site:

City of San Bernardino races

Seventh Ward Challenger James L. “Jim” Mulvihill;

City Clerk Candidate Peggi Hazlett.

San Bernardino City Unified School District Candidates:

Anna M. Cox;

Gil Navarro;

Daniel William Deane;

Elsa Valdez.

These are the only candidates that have completed profiles. It appears that all the candidates were invited to fill out profiles, and that it does not cost the candidate any money to submit the profiles.

Address : 1255 W. Colton Ave., Suite 104

Redlands, CA 92374

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Filed under Charter, City Attorney, City Clerk, City Council, City of San Bernardino, City Treasurer, Elections, Municipal Law, San Bernardino, San Bernardino City Attorney's Office, San Bernardino City Clerk, San Bernardino City Unified School District Tagged with Amelia Sanchez-Lopez, Anna M. Cox, Chas Kelley, Damon L. Alexander, Daniel William Deane, David C. Kennedy, Elsa Valdez, Esther Jimenez, Gigi Hanna, Henry William Nickel, James F. "Jim" Penman, John Valdivia, Juan M. Lopez, Larry A. Lee, Lynda K. Savage, Margaret Hill, Mike Gallo, Peggi Hazlett, Rikke Van Johnson, San Bernardino City Attorney, San Bernardino City Clerk, Sharon "Bobbie" Perong, Teresa Para, Wendy McCammack, Willard A. Hughes, William Valle

Using Historical Data To Handicap The City of San Bernardino Fifth Ward City Council Election in November 2011 Between Chas Kelley and Larry Lee

September 21, 2011 Leave a comment

This is the latest installment in my series about historical election results, and what they may mean in the November 2011 San Bernardino Municipal Election. The previous posts are about the Third Ward and the City Attorney’s Race. I was unable to attend the candidates forum held at San Bernardino City Hall yesterday because I was busy watching the City of Redlands Council Meeting on television in Redlands. I read the highlights in the local newspaper, including the microblog (via Twitter) which has apparently replaced the defunct SBNow blog. The Fifth Ward race does not look particularly exciting. Other than yard signs and billboards, and participation in the candidate debate, I have not seen any new information from the incumbent, Chas Kelley. What I have seen from the challenger, Larry A. Lee, (as found on his website) is that his platform is:

·      No Tax or Fee Increases

·      Fair Share of City Services for all 5th Ward neighborhoods

·      Promote Development

·      Work to Bring Jobs back to the City.

·      To be a Team Player for the Good of the Whole City.

·      To Represent the Entire 5th Ward and City Well.

·      Promote Civility, Respect, and Honor

·      Build a Strong Network of Communication through Healthy and Personal Relationships.

·      To Connect and Work with Our Youth (Our Next Leaders)

·      To Change the Perceived Image of Our City, by first Changing the way we think of it

There is no doubt in my mind that Chas Kelley would agree with these principles, so Larry Lee needs to do a better job of showing why he can do a better job than Chas Kelley if he wants to be a council member. Though I have heard mild grumblings about Chas Kelley over the years mostly personal attacks that cannot be taken seriously, and occasionally policy disagreements), I do not think he is unpopular in the 5th Ward, at least not like his predecessor. Larry Lee’s talking points listed above do suggest possible angles to differentiate Pastor Lee from Council Member Kelley. “Fair Share of City Services for all 5th Ward neighborhoods.” The achievements that Council member Kelley likes to talk about (the Community Center, the trail system, Ronald Reagan Park) tend to serve Kendall Hills and Verdemont. Pastor Lee should point that out to the people living adjacent to Little Mountain. “To Be A Team Player for the Good of the Whole City” and “Promote Civility, Respect and Honor” sound like they are generic platitudes, but it alludes to the confrontations between Mayor Morris and Council Member Kelley. Strangely, Larry Lee has not put his endorsements up yet. However, judging from the Facebook photos of Mayor Morris at his fundraiser, comments from Sixth Ward Council Member Rikke Van Johnson on his Facebook Wall, and a comment from City Attorney candidate and recent San Bernardino resident David McKenna, we can conclude that he is squarely in the Morris camp. I have no idea how popular the Mayor is in the 5th Ward, but I find it puzzling that Pastor Lee has not updated his webpage with endorsements.

Here is the last race, November 2007:

COUNCIL MEMBER – CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO WARD 5

Vote For 1

17 of 17 Precincts Reporting

CANDIDATE	VOTES	PERCENT
CHAS A. KELLEY	1638	59.80%
CAROLYN A. TILLMAN	596	21.76%
RICK AVILA	417	15.22%
RANDY LEE	85	3.10%
Write-In	3	0.11%

Council Member Chas Kelley won easily in a four person field. I would expect a similar turnout in this election. The relationship between Council member and Mayor Morris has stayed relatively the same since the last election, so I would guess the Mayor’s supporters will vote for Pastor Lee, and Chas Kelley, as long he has not been ignoring his constituents in the last four years, should be reelected. The demographics of the 5th Ward have changed with the collapse of the housing markets, but I doubt that will have an impact on Council member Kelley since Pastor Lee’s platform is not markedly different from what I expect Chas Kelley’s platform to be once he sends out campaign fliers or has a website or a Facebook account. Pastor Lee has to demonstrate the City’s and Ward’s failings (one only has to look at the lack of street lights on the Kendall curve), and try to connect those to Chas Kelley. In short, he has to give a reason for 5th Ward voters to dump the incumbent.

Chas Kelley was well-liked enough to come in third in the first electoral battle in 2005 between now-Mayor Morris and City Attorney James F. Penman:

City of San Bernardino – Mayor

113/113 100.00%

	Vote Count	Percent
PAT MORRIS	11,249	43.42%
JAMES F. ‘JIM’ PENMAN	6,648	25.66%
CHAS A. KELLEY	4,079	15.74%
RICK AVILA	3,425	13.22%
MICHAEL ELLISON-LEWIS	466	1.80%
Write-In	42	0.16%
*Total*	*25,909*	*100.00%*

Here is the data from Chas Kelley’s first election over incumbent Joe Suarez. This election was impressive because it is difficult to beat an incumbent in San Bernardino. But he did not beat Joe Suarez, he trounced Joe Suarez in November 2003:

CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO

Member City Council,

Ward 5

CHAS A. KELLEY 1,519 64.72

JOE V. C. SUAREZ 816 34.77

WRITE-IN 12 0.51

The powers-that-be in 2003 underestimated Chas Kelley, and that was a mistake because he is a good local politician, and he had a grass-roots view of the 5th Ward.

The last election data I have is the 1999 election when Joe Suarez beat Jim Erwin and Mike Vasquez:

CANDIDATE	VOTES	PERCENT
JAMES H ERWIN	678	36.2%
MIKE VASQUEZ	183	9.7%
JOE SUAREZ	1011	54.0%

I’m not sure what you can draw from this data, except that the population has grown, as have the likely voters. Also, the Ward boundaries changed between the 1999 and 2003.

Address : 1255 W. Colton Ave., Suite 104

Redlands, CA 92374

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Filed under City Attorney, City Clerk, City of San Bernardino, City Treasurer, County of San Bernardino, Elections, Inland Empire, Kendall Hills, Municipal Law, San Bernardino, San Bernardino City Attorney's Office, San Bernardino City Charter, San Bernardino City Clerk, San Bernardino County District Attorney, San Bernardino County Incorporated Cities and Towns, Shandin Hills, Verdemont Tagged with Chas Kelley, City of San Bernardino, City of San Bernardino Fifth Ward, David L. McKenna, Election 2011, James F. "Jim" Penman, Larry A. Lee, Mayor Patrick Morris

Anecdotal Evidence: More Larry Lee Signs Than Chas Kelley Signs Along Kendall Drive

September 16, 2011 Leave a comment

By Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

While traveling north on Kendall Drive and also on Sheridan, I saw more Larry A. Lee yard signs then Chas Kelley signs. I am not sure that means anything, other than maybe Larry Lee had a head start on walking.

I am not sure of the genesis of Pastor Lee’s run, though there are a few scant clues on a Larry Lee door hanger that has been provided to me. The door hanger says, on the front: “Better things are yet to come. Better things are still to be done in the city. join me in making San Bernardino a place people want to move to. Help me make San Bernardino a place people are proud to be from and not ashamed of. It’s time for a change”

The back says “Larry Lee understands: The seriousness of the problems we face. The stewardship of our city’s resources and affairs. The necessity of interdependence.

“Larry Lee will: Represent the entire 5th ward and city passionately. Work hard on issues of jobs and the economy. Maintain and help to find ways to improve the safety and protection of our residents. Not support any new taxes and will fight to lower them, when and wherever possible. Larry Lee is a community servant at will lead with courage, veracity and fortitude.”

This is a “get to know you” piece, and there are no explicit swipes at Council Member Kelley. If I were to guess the motives present, I would focus on “It’s time for a change” and Pastor Lee’s understanding of the ” necessity of interdependence” suggesting those times when Council Member Kelley has voted differently then the current Council majority.

In other non- news, I also saw the first Esther Jimenez for City Clerk yard sign.

Filed under City Clerk, City of San Bernardino, Elections, Inland Empire, Municipal Law, San Bernardino, San Bernardino City Charter, San Bernardino City Clerk, San Bernardino County Incorporated Cities and Towns Tagged with Chas Kelley, Esther Jimenez, Larry A. Lee, San Bernardino 5th Ward

Contact Information for City of San Bernardino Candidates Election 2011

September 14, 2011 Leave a comment

[Updated October 18, 2011]

The City of San Bernardino’s municipal election in November 2011 is very important to the people of San Bernardino. Traditionally, there has not been a lot of quality information, and as local news-gathering diminishes, I thought, as a public service, I could provide a list of contact information. I was frustrated a few years ago in a “Pick 4″ election for a school board. I knew two of my votes, but rather than undervote, or randomly vote, I tried to find information about the other people running for office. It was very difficult to do. In our online age, that should no longer be an issue. In that spirit, here is the contact information that I have so far as of October 18, 2011 for the November 8, 2011 election. I am including the contested races. The phone numbers and email are from the public internet, usually the campaign website or the public Facebook Info Page. If any candidate wants any of this information changed, updated or removed, I will do so upon contact by the campaign. Once again, the order is the same as on the San Bernardino Registrar of Voters Candidate list :

City of San Bernardino Third Ward

Tobin Brinker: Website, Facebook. As of the morning of October 7 2011, there is no phone number on the official campaign website, Email.

John Valdivia: Website, Facebook, Phone number: (877) 825–3270, Email.

City of San Bernardino Fifth Ward

Chas Kelley: Friends of Chas Kelley sent a letter with a magnet. The magnet says, among other things, “Visit Chas on Facebook,” but I’m still unable to find a Facebook profile for Council Member Kelley as of October 7, 2011. The magnet also gives a Phone Number: (909) 648-3506 and an Email.

Larry A. Lee: Website, Facebook, Email.

City of San Bernardino Seventh Ward

Wendy McCammack does not appear to have an online campaign presence at this time. I was unable to locate an email address nor a phone number as of October 18, 2011

Jim Mulvihill: Facebook, Phone Number (from public Facebook Page): 909-886-1333, Email.

City of San Bernardino City Clerk

Georgeann “Gigi” Hanna Facebook, Website, Phone Number from Public Facebook Page: 909-709-2019, Email.

Peggi Hazlett: Facebook, as of October 6, 2011, no other information.

Esther Jimenez: Facebook, Email.

Amelia Sanchez-Lopez: Website, Facebook, Phone number (from Jim Penman’s mailer #2) (909) 882-7085, Email.

William A. Valle: Website, Facebook, Phone Number from Public Facebook Page: (909) 486-5636, Email.

City Attorney

David L. McKenna: Website, Facebook, Phone Number from Campaign Flier and Campaign Website: (909) 264-9021, Email.

James F. “Jim” Penman: Website (as of 10/18/2011, not yet functional, but mentioned in second mailer), Phone Number from Mailers: (909) 882-8986, Email.

Address : 1255 W. Colton Ave., Suite 104

Redlands, CA 92374

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Filed under City Attorney, City Clerk, City of San Bernardino, City Treasurer, Elections, Inland Empire, Municipal Law, San Bernardino, San Bernardino City Attorney's Office, San Bernardino City Charter, San Bernardino City Clerk, San Bernardino County Incorporated Cities and Towns, San Bernardino Municipal Code Tagged with Amelia Sanchez-Lopez, Chas Kelley, City Treasurer David C. Kennedy, David L. McKenna, Election 2011, Gigi Hanna, James F. "Jim" Penman, Jim Mulvihill, John Valdivia, Larry A. Lee, Peggi Hazlett, Rikke Van Johnson, San Bernardino 5th Ward, San Bernardino City Attorney, San Bernardino City Clerk, San Bernardino Seventh Ward, San Bernardino Third Ward, Tobin Brinker, Wendy McCammack, William A. Valle

Signs of Fall: Election Billboards and Campaign Signs Popping Up in San Bernardino for Election 2011

September 13, 2011 Leave a comment

Chas Kelley, before he was elected to the Council, told a story of how he kept calling a local billboard company to make sure that he would be able to rent the billboards. Apparently, he still is in contact with the billboard company because the Chas Kelley billboard, appropriately in Kelly green, is up on Kendall Drive. There is also a Gigi Hanna lawn sign on the Habitat for Humanity house built on E Street, and a Larry Lee yard sign further south on E Street, including a website address on the sign.

Let’s look at the state of affairs in the 2011 election so far (taken, in the same order, and same ballot titles as the San Bernardino Registrar of Voters Candidate list :

The candidates

Third Ward:

Tobin Brinker, Teacher/Councilman

John Valdivia, Advertising Representative

Fifth Ward

Chas A. Kelley, City Councilman, 5th Ward

Larry A. Lee, Minister/Sr. Pastor

Sixth Ward

Rikke Van Johnson

Seventh Ward

Wendy J. McCammack, Councilwoman/Business Owner

Jim Mulvihill, University Professor/Businessman

City Clerk

Georgeann “Gigi” Hanna, Communications/Administration Manager

Peggi Hazlett, Assistant to Mayor

Esther Jimenez, Senior Legislative Assistant

Amelia Sanchez-Lopez, Health Education Specialist

William A. Valle, Maintenance Clerk

City Attorney

David L. McKenna, Civil Litigation Attorney

James F. “Jim” Penman

San Bernardino City Attorney

City Treasurer

David C. Kennedy
Where are we in this campaign? It’s just getting started. As I related in the earlier discussion regarding the City Clerk’s race; local candidates wait until after Labor Day, but can be punished if they wait too long because of the effect of vote by mail. According to the Registrar, the first day that Vote by Mail ballots can be mailed is October 11, 2011. Similarly, early voting at the Registrar of Voters begins on October 11, 2011, a little than a month before the elections. This is the “get to know you” part of the campaign, where candidates extoll their virtues rather than attack their opponent (the City Attorney’s race notwithstanding).

So, which candidates are on the ball and have working internet sites (that can be found at this date and time)?

As of the morning of September 13, 2011, less than two months from the election, in the same Registrar of Voters order:

City of San Bernardino Third Ward

These are the most notable sites of all the elections:

Third Ward council member Tobin Brinker has a functional, up-to-date website, and a Facebook page. The main site has a blog. There are links to YouTube endorsement videos, which is a cost-effective use of video.

Third Ward challenger John Valdivia has a website, too. And a Facebook page and a Twitter feed. They are not quite as polished as council member Brinker’s sites, but they are full of enthusiasm that any challenger could use as a model.

City of San Bernardino Fifth Ward

Fifth Ward council member Chas Kelley does not appear to have a website up and running at this moment.

Fifth Ward challenger Larry A. Lee has a website and a more active Facebook page.

City of San Bernardino Sixth Ward

Rikke Van Johnson is running unopposed. Council member Johnson does have a personal Facebook page. There is a link to website on the page, but it is currently a dead link.

City of San Bernardino Seventh Ward

Seventh Ward Council member Wendy McCammack does not appear to have an online presence at this time.

Perennial Seventh Ward challenger Jim Mulvihill has a Facebook page, but does not appear to have a website.

City of San Bernardino City Clerk

This is a rare open race with no incumbent.

City Clerk candidate Georgeann “Gigi” Hanna. It took a little searching, but Ms. Hanna does have a Facebook page.

City Clerk candidate Peggi Hazlett, does not appear to have a web presence at the moment beyond a LinkedIn page that is not related to her bid.

City Clerk candidate Esther Jimenez has a Facebook page. She does not appear to have a website.

City Clerk candidate Amelia Sanchez-Lopez has a brochure-style website. Ms. Sanchez-Lopez does not appear to have a Facebook page.

City Clerk candidate William A. Valle has a Facebook page. He also has a website.

City Attorney

City Attorney challenger David L. McKenna has a very simple website. He may have a Facebook page, but I was unable to find it.

San Bernardino City Attorney James F. “Jim” Penman does have a website, electpenman.com that still features his last Mayoral campaign.

City Treasurer

City Treasurer David C. Kennedy is unchallenged, and virtually absent from the Internet.

The most interesting information that I have found on the web is the Third Ward race. I think the other candidates in contested elections should look at the two contenders in that race for ideas about what to do.

Address : 1255 W. Colton Ave., Suite 104

Redlands, CA 92374

Telephone: (909) 708-6055