The San Bernardino City Clerks Since the 1905 Charter

By Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law

There have been just seven San Bernardino City Clerks since 1903, when Harry Allison became City Clerk for the pre-Charter City of San Bernardino.  The original 1905 Charter of the City of San Bernardino kept the existing City Clerk until the 1907 election.  Harry Allison won that first City Clerk’s election, and served until 1911, when S.G. Batchelor became City Clerk.  John H. Osborne became City Clerk in the next election in 1915, and served as City Clerk until at least 1950.  In 1951, Jack Felton was elected City Clerk.  He served at least until 1970.  In 1971, Deputy City Clerk Lucille Goforth was elected as City Clerk.  She served until the late 1970s.  In 1979, Shauna Clark was elected City Clerk.   Rachel Mendoza Clark was elected City Clerk in 1991, and again in 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007.  She is now retiring, and one of the following will be elected City Clerk, only the eighth City Clerk since 1903: William Valle, Amelia Sanchez-Lopez, Gigi Hanna, Esther Jimenez, or Peggi Hazlett.  I would expect any of the candidates, if they win, to be in office for four or five terms, so it is important that voters examine the candidates and their positions.  Should the next City Clerk serve four terms, the time period between 1903 and 2028 (125 years), there will have been only eight City Clerks, an average of only one City Clerk for every 15.625 years.

Voters decided by an overwhelming percentage that they wanted to vote for City Clerk.  Make sure to make an informed decision on the candidate, as voters have only changed City Clerks six times since 1903.

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.

Copyright 2011 Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Address : 3o0 E. State St.#517

                   Redlands, CA 92373

Telephone: (909) 296-6708

Email: michael@michaelreiterlaw.com

Website: http://michaelreiterlaw.com

City Attorney candidate David McKenna: “I didn’t feel comfortable voting … so I chose not to participate”

By Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law

First, a disclaimer:  this site is neutral as explained in the post “Why We Try To Keep Partisan Politics Out of These Postings”  These postings are provided as a community service, and not to push a particular candidate, or slate of candidates.

In the International Baccalaureate program in high school, we had a required class called “Theory of Knowledge.”  Our teacher, Mr. Newman left me with the phrase “The Clock That Strikes Thirteen Puts Into Doubt The Previous Twelve.”

David McKenna has struck thirteen.

I am not big on aggregating news (you can go to the hyperpartisan blogs for that), but this piece in the Riverside paper, available online here, must be read by every voter:

 David McKenna, who is challenging six-term incumbent San Bernardino City Attorney Jim Penman in the Nov. 8 election, acknowledged a charge Penman leveled during a candidate forum: Until moving to San Bernardino this year, McKenna lived in Riverside County for the past five years without registering to vote.

McKenna said he had spent most of the past five years working in Riverside and visiting hisSan Diego and children in Virginia.

“I didn’t feel comfortable voting … when I was not part of the community and didn’t know the candidates, so I chose not to participate,” McKenna said. [Emphasis Added].

Not only does it feed into City Attorney James F. Penman’s campaign theme that David McKenna is a carpetbagger, but it shows questionable judgment for a position that requires a considerable amount of discretion.

Add the earlier gaffe when David McKenna did not do his due diligence and sent out thousands of electronic mail messages that wrongly accused City Attorney James F. Penman of accepting money from the Colonies defendants, when that money was an independent expenditure in support of City Attorney Penman’s 2007 opponent, Marianne Milligan.

Another incredible incident was when City Attorney challenger David McKenna reinforced the carpetbagger meme when McKenna said he didn’t know anything about the San Bernardino International Airport except that it was an airport.

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.

Copyright 2011 Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Milligan, Beswick, Levine & Knox, LLP

A: 1447 Ford St. #201

      Redlands, CA 92374

T: (909) 296-6708

E: mreiter@mblklaw.org

W: http://michaelreiterlaw.com