The Absolute Last City Attorney James F. Penman For City Attorney Mailer for the November 8, 2011 Election

By Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law

Now that most of the election is over, it is time to refocus this blog on law.  So, let me start with this election campaign maxim from California Civil Code section 3357:

Superfluity does not vitiate

On that note, the absolute last campaign mail for the November 8, 2011 election arrived on Election Day, the ninth mailer from San Bernardino City Attorney James F. Penman.  It is an oversized postcard mailer printed in black and white.  On the front it says:

“We all know City Attorney Jim Penman personally, we have all worked with him professionally for many years and we all endorse him for re-election as City Attorney.

If Jim was ‘divisive, disruptive, intimidating, a bully and a liar’ (as his opponents falsely claim) NONE of us would be endorsing him.

But, we are all proud to endorse him.

He IS the City Attorney San Bernardino needs for the next four years!”

 

Judith Valles                              Tom Minor                                            Evlyn Wilcox

Mayor (1998-2006)             Mayor (1993-1998)                              Mayor (1985-1989)

Honorable Paul Bryant                    Honorable Stanley W. Hodge                    Honorable John Wade

Superior Court Judge (ret.)            Superior Court Judge (ret.)                       Superior Court Judge (ret.)

Chief B. Warren Cocke (ret).                                                                                  Chief Dan Robbins (ret.)

San Bernardino Police Dept.                                                                                 San Bernardino Police Dept.

Chief Ben Gonzales  (ret.)                                                                                                    Chief Lee Dean (ret.)

San Bernardino Police Dept.                                                                                             San Bernardino Police Dept.

P.S. Jim does NOT make over $200,000 a year as his opponents claim.  He is one of the lowest paid full-time City Attorneys in the state and he voluntarily turned down his last 6 raises.

The back of the mailer has a San Bernardino Police Officers Association return address, but also says paid for by Jim Penman for City Attorney 2011

Responding to a David McKenna charge, the back of the mailer says: “Jim Penman was never charged, convicted or pled guilty to ANY Crime.  McKenna’s campaign is trying to deceive you.” The Honorable Craig S. Kamansky ~ Superior Court Judge (ret.)

Under a portrait of City Attorney Jim Penman, the mailer says “City Attorney Jim Penman ‘A Tough Prosecutor.”   Next to the photograph is a quote from retired Superior Court Judge Hodge: “Penman is a tough prosecutor, not a bully.  Those who say differently may have something to hide.  Honest government officials have nothing to fear from Jim Penman but dishonest ones should.”

To the left is this blurb from the San Bernardino Sun:

Penman cleared in illegal contributions probe

The District Attorney’s Office has informed City Attorney James F. Penman that “there is no credible evidence” that he received an illegal gift of $5000.  Investigators were looking into whether Penman took the payment for Attorney’s fees related to his court challenge of language in pro-Measure C ballot arguments, and as a bribe not to sign off on supporting the proposed downtown Regal movie theater.  In a letter to Penman, Deputy District Attorney Michael Abney said “we are closing our files” on this matter. [SB Sun ~ 9-23-11]  . . . but the last minute lies keep coming.

I never saw the mailer or the talking point, or even the newspaper article until receiving this mailer, so I don’t have any details on the allegation.

This post is cross-posted on the new San Bernardino Politics Blog: SBDpolitics.com

Copyright 2011 Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Address :300 E. State St. Suite 517

                Redlands CA 92373-5235

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Email: michael@michaelreiterlaw.com

Website: http://michaelreiterlaw.com

Last Minute Mailers from Amelia Sanchez-Lopez and City Attorney James F. “Jim” Penman

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.

These are the seventh and eighth mailers (not including slate mailers) that I have seen from incumbent City Attorney Jim Penman. Both say they they were paid for by Jim Penman for City Attorney 2011, though one has a return address for Amelia Sanchez Lopez for San Bernardino City Clerk 2011.

The first of the two mailers is a black and white mailer with the Amelia Sanchez Lopez for San Bernardino City Clerk 2o11 return address on the back.  The front says:

Candidate David McKenna joins the

Republican Assault

against Working Families!

ELECTION WARNING!

MORE LAYOFFS

Candidate David McKenna says he supports more layoffs for city workers.

Source: San Bernardino Sun – Sept. 28, 2011

UNFAIR BUDGET CUTS

Candidate David McKenna supports slashing retirement and other benefits for employees who have already been forced to accept furloughs and pay cuts. [Source: Press Enterprise Interview – Oct. 13, 2011]

“Mr. McKenna has betrayed local Democrats.

Please join the working families of the AFL-CIO, the Assoc. of Colton Educators, and the San Bernardino Public Employees Assoc. in Voting for Jim Penman on November 8th.”

~ Laurie Stalnaker, Executive Secretary/Treasurer

Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO of the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

To contact Jim Call (909) 882-8986 or

Email friendsopenman@yahoo.com.

The second column, taking up one quarter of the right side of the front of the mailer says:

City Attorney

Jim Penman

Fights For

Working Families!

Proudly Endorsed by

Labor and Democrats

• Central Labor Council-AFL-CIO
• San Bernardino Public Employees Assoc.
• Association of Colton Educators
• San Bernardino/Riverside Building Trades & Construction Workers
• San Bernardino Police Officers Assoc.
• Former Mayor Judith Valles

~ Partial List

The back of the mailer features a picture of City Clerk candidate Amelia Sanchez-Lopez.  The copy says:

Amelia Sanchez Lopez

Our Democratic Choice for City Clerk!

Endorsed by:

The AFL-CIO Central Labor Council

Former Mayor Judith Valles
Democrat

The San Bernardino County Democratic Central Committee

Congressman Joe Baca

Democrat

To Contact Amelia Sanchez-Lopez call (909) 882-7085

Email: friendsofamelialopez@yahoo.com

On the front of the second of the two last-minute mailers is a letter:

Dear Fellow Citizen, [with pictures of Judith Valles, Tom Minor, and Evlyn Wilcox]
We were all honored to serve as your Mayor.
We love our community and want the best for San Bernardino’s future.
Today we are putting aside our personal political differences and joining together
in support of City Attorney Jim Penman.
Jim Penman is truly dedicated to the people of San Bernardino. He has spent his
entire adult life working to make our city a better place as a former Executive
Director of the Horne of Neighborly Service, as a firefighter, Police Commission
Chairperson, Civil Service Board member, Human Relations Commissioner,
Scout Master (Boy Scout Troop #21), PTA treasurer, as an active community
volunteer for four decades, and as our City Attorney.
Sometimes we agreed with Jim, sometimes we didn’t, but we have never doubted
his outstanding professional abilities or his sincere commitment to our
community. His office has always won the vast majority of lawsuits filed against
our City, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
As Mayors, we worked well with the City Attorney’s office under Jim Penman’s
leadership. We appreciated his integrity and willingness to stand up for his
principles.
Jim has brought innovative leadership to his office through the use of
Administrative Civil Penalties against absentee landlords and his use of legal
injunctions to combat gang crime. Jim’s record and his close relationships with
many of our police chiefs, has earned Jim the endorsement of former Police Chief~
B. Warren Cocke and Ben Gonzales, Lee Dean and Dan Robbins, all of whom
worked closely with Jim when they headed our Police Department.
please join us in supporting City Attorney Jim Penman. He is the best choice for
San Bernardino’s future.
Judith Valles
Mayor (1993-1998)
Tom Minor
Mayor (1998-2006)
Evlyn Wilcox
Mayor (1985-1989)

The front concludes with “On NOV. 8th, RE-ELECT City Attorney Jim Penman.”

The back of the mailer reads, superimposed on a picture of a gavel:

Who do all
3 Former Mayors,  4 Police Chiefs (ret.) and
5 Superior Court J (ret.) unanimously endorse?
“Between the two candidates for City Attorney we choose Jim Penman, the
better choice, beyond a reasonable doubt. He brings competence,
integrity and commitment to
the City Attorney’s office.”
Craig S. Kamansky
Superior Court Judge (ret.)

Stanley W. Hodge

Superior Court Judge (ret.)

John Wade

Superior Court Judge (ret.)
Paul Bryant
Superior Court Judge (ret.)

Robert W. Fawke

Superior Court Judge (ret.)

Copyright 2011 Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Address : 300 E. State St. Suite 517

                  Redlands CA 92373-5235

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Email: michael@michaelreiterlaw.com

Website: http://michaelreiterlaw.com

Who Will Win The San Bernardino City Attorney’s Election on November 8, 2011?

New City Attorney James F. Penman / San Bernardino Police Officers Association Mailer

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.

This is the sixth mailer that I have seen from incumbent City Attorney Jim Penman.  The front of the mailer is glossy and in color  On the front, the headline says in blue letters on a red background “FBI Raids San Bernardino Airport!”  In the top middle of the front is a picture of FBI agents loading seized files at the San Bernardino Airport.  Flanking the photograph are these words: “The County Grand Jury Report (June 20, 2011) found specific irregularities (GJR pg. 2-29) and “a clear conflict of interest” (GJR pg. 2-31) with contracts awarded to a federally “convicted felon” at the San Bernardino Airport. [Press Enterprise – Sept. 22, 2011][.]”

It continues in the next paragraph:

“Mayor Morris, as President of the Airport Authority, is the “man in charge” there, as he is at City Hall.”
On the other side of the photograph of the FBI agents loading seized files at the San Bernardino Airport is this paragraph “San Bernardino Mayor Patrick Morris is the only elected official named in the federal search warrants served at the airport on Sept. 21, 2011.  The warrants seek “evidence of bribery, theft, fraud, money laundering and more”. [Source: Press Enterprise, 9-22-11.]”

Below the picture and the two sets of text flaking it are blue letters that say “City Attorney Investigators are also investigating charges of irregularities in contracts at City Hall.  The same City officials who are in charge at the airport are also in charge at City Hall.”

Below that paragraph is a paragraph in white text on a black background:
“‘For the City to move forward we must investigate and, if verified, expose any mismanagement or corruption at City Hall similar to that now being investigated by the FBI at the San Bernardino airport.  The people of San Bernardino deserve honest city government.’ ~City Attorney Jim Penman”

Below that is a San Bernardino Police Officers Association badge with the text: “San Bernardino Police Officers Association Members Say: ‘On Election Day, Let Jim Penman finish the City Hall Investigations.”

The back of the mailer has the Police Officers Logo and their address, and is in black and white.

The headline of the back of the mailer says “Question: Why is Mr. McKenna running for City Attorney?  Answer: To Stop City Attorney Investigations into charges of contract irregularities at City Hall.”

Below the headline is a quote from Mayor Patrick Morris from May 10, 2011 in the State of the City Speech “Corruption and scandals are not our concerns”.  To the right is a quote form challenger David McKenna and a picture of David McKenna.  It says “Corruption is not a priority for me.” with this legend below “[David McKenna, Oct. 11, 2011, Rotary Club debate.]”

Below the Mayor Patrick Morris quote of “Corruption and scandals are not our concerns” are these quotes:

“County Public Defender David McKenna, under pressure from the Board of Supervisors . . . after disclosing that he had intentionally violated County spending policies for nearly a decade . . .” resigned today.

“. . .  he was violating county policies for years . . . it’s imperative the Board . . . appoint a public defender that we have confidence in.  Someone who complies with all the regulations of the County,” said Supervisor Fred Aguiar. [Source – Press Enterprise, July 2, 1999]

In the middle of the back side is a question to the reader: “Is McKenna a responsible public servant and citizen? (You decide – see left and below.)  Left, refers to the Press-Enterprise article about David McKenna’s resignation as San Bernardino County Public Defender.  Below the rhetorical question is this quote: “Until moving to San Bernardino this year, McKenna lived in Riverside County for the past five years without registering to vote.”   This is a quote from the Riverside Press Enterprise, October 23, 2011.

Finally, below the picture of David McKenna, which for political  attack ads is not a bad photo at all, says “. . . (if elected) I will eliminate the City Attorney (corruption) Investigators”.   The mailer attributes the quote to David McKenna at the October 11, 2011 Rotary Club debate.  The picture of David McKenna also has the wording “Paid for by Jim Penman for City Attorney 2011” on it.

What City Attorney Jim Penman campaign themes have been addressed in this, the sixth mailer?  City Attorney Penman as elected watchdog.  David McKenna as carpetbagger.  David McKenna as Mayor Morris surrogate.  Corruption.  Corruption at the San Bernardino International Airport.  David McKenna’s past as an appointed official.

Earlier, there were posts on the Rotary Club of San Bernardino City Attorney Forum and the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce City Attorney Forum.

Copyright 2011 Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

Address : 300 E. State St. Suite 517

                  Redlands CA 92373-5235

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Email: michael@michaelreiterlaw.com

Website: http://michaelreiterlaw.com

The October Surprise In The San Bernardino City Attorney’s Race

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.

There is a memorandum on the Internet that purports to be a memorandum from a department head to the City Attorney, with carbon copies to a variety of people in the City Attorney’s Office.   I have this to say, I have read the writing of many engineers, and many attorneys, and the memorandum reads as if an attorney wrote it.  Note the memorandum is dated October 11, 2011, but came to light on October 28th.  Consider who might have released it to the press and blogs.

However, it is the very definition of an October Surprise: an attempt to release something in late October to influence an early November election.  We will have to see what effect, if any, it has on the election.  Probably none, because voters probably made up their minds a long time ago.

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 : 300 E. State St. Suite 517

                  Redlands CA 92373-5235

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Email: michael@michaelreiterlaw.com

Website: http://michaelreiterlaw.com

Attack Mailers: City Attorney James F. Penman versus David McKenna

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.

The United States Postal Service has been busy.  We have arrived at the point in the campaign when the negative mailers have replaced the ads that focus on the candidate sending the mailers touting their achievements.  I am not using “attack” as a pejorative. Election politics is about pointing out the differences among the candidates, not just the positives of each candidate.  The reader can judge whether these mailers are fair or unfair.

Two fliers from David McKenna arrived to one Jim Penman mailer, so I’ll present them in a McKenna – Penman – McKenna format.  Again, these are posted as a community service, and not to push either candidate.

The second mailer from David McKenna is a  single sheet, glossy, two-sided heavyweight piece of paper.  Here is the front, here is the back.

City Attorney Jim Penman has sent his fourth mailer, though it says it is from the San Bernardino Police Officers Association, it also says it is paid for by Jim Penman for City Attorney 2011, so it is treated as a Jim Penman mailer.   Here is the front, here is the back.

The third mailer from David McKenna has the same color scheme as the second mailer.  Here is the front, here is the back.

These fliers will be discussed at greater lengths another time.

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 : 300 E. State St. Suite 517

                  Redlands CA 92373-5235

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Email: michael@michaelreiterlaw.com

Website: http://michaelreiterlaw.com

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

Third James F. Penman for San Bernardino City Attorney November 8, 2011 Mailer

By Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law

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.

The third mailer from the Jim Penman for City Attorney 2011 campaign has arrived, quick on the heels of the first mailer.  This mailer is in color and is four pages long.  Here is page 1, page 2, page 3, and Page 4.

Page one, or the cover of the mailer, has a manila  folder labeled “The People of San Bernardino vs.Politician David McKenna” with the headline in red letters: “UNFIT for Public Office”

The case file theme continues as the reader opens up the mailer.  Again, in red, “The People vs. Politician David McKenna”

The flier continues:

Exhibit A: Financial Misconduct

• David McKenna was forced to resign as San Bernardino County Public Defender after he was caught illegally spending millions of dollars.
• McKenna admitted that he “intentionally violated” county rules by spending public monies without authorization because he knew the County “would turn down his requests.

A quote from the Press-Enterprise from January 1999 reads “Public defender to resign today” By David Wert – January 1999:

San Bernardino Public Defender David McKenna under pressure from the Board Supervisors after disclosing that [highlighted in yellow]  he had intentionally violated county spending policies for nearly a decade, [end yellow highlighting] on Thursday notified the county that today will be his last day on the job . . .

“He was violating county policy for years,” said Supervisor Fred Aguiar.  “… it’s imperative that the Board of Supervisors appoint a public defender we have confidence in.  Someone who complies with all the regulations of the county.”

The third City Attorney Jim Penman mailer continues with a quote attributed to the Inland Empire Taxpayers Association which reads “McKenna’s arrogant and unethical behavior as County Public Defender disqualifies him from holding a position of trust in city government.”

Starting on the bottom of page 2 and continuing to page 3 reads:

Exhibit B: Lack of Integrity

• David McKenna sent an unsolicited email to thousands of San Bernardino voters which falsely accused City Attorney Jim Penman of taking campaign funds from the scandalized Colonies Developers
• Those Developer monies were actually used to OPPOSE City Attorney Penman who is known for his hard-line stand against political corruption.

There is another quote from the Press-Enterprise titled “McKenna apologized for erroneous email” by Brian Rokos, dated August 2, 2011.

San Bernardino city attorney challenger David McKenna today phoned incumbent Jim Penman to apologize for an email McKenna sent to 6,000 people that inaccurately said Penman’s campaign for city attorney in 2007 received $8,605 in “Colonies scandal payoff money.”

[Yellow highlighting] The money … actually was an independent expenditure … opposing Penman’s election.

The flier continues on page 3 with the text “Exhibit C: Soft on Crime”

• Since 1983, McKenna has represented criminals as Public Defender and a Private Defense Attorney.
• McKenna says that, if elected, he will eliminate City Attorney investigators even though it means reducing enforcement measures against street gangs.

Next to the Exhibit C text is a picture of facsimile San Bernardino police badge and shoulder patch.  “‘The last thing San Bernardino needs is a pro-parolee, soft on crime City Attorney like Mr. McKenna.’ Mike Reynolds San Bernardino police Detective.

The third page of the  flier finishes with “The Verdict Is Clear! David McKenna is unfit to serve as our City Attorney.”

The fourth page of the flier says, in red letters “You Just CAN’T Trust Politician McKenna!”:

LIED about his residency                                   ——–>                  FACT: McKenna is a carpetbagger

On his Facebook Page, McKenna says                                             McKenna has not lived in San Bernardino for many years.  He moved from Sun City to San

he has “lived and worked here for decades.”                                 Bernardino on June 24, 2011 just to run for political office here.

LIED about his law experience                       ——–>                   FACT: McKenna defends criminals
McKenna told the Sun newspaper that he                                      The Riverside Law Firm where McKenna works lists him as “Chief Defense Counsel” on its

did most of his legal work on “civil                                                   Corporate website.

litigation and family law.”

LIED about his government record                ——–>              FACT: McKenna ousted for corruption

In his official ballot statement, McKenna                                   McKenna was forced out of his County job for “intentionally” violating county spending rules and

claims he was a “reform leader” and a                                          wasting millions of taxpayer dollars.

“taxpayer’s advocate”.

Certainly, this is a hard-hitting mailer.  It hits the carpetbagger issue, the resignation from the public defender’s office (mentioned in both endorsements of McKenna from the Press-Enterprise and the Sun.  The design is very clean and not too cluttered with facts.   The only other thing expected is tying David McKenna to Mayor Pat Morris, a figure that no one is linking themselves with at this time, except Tobin Brinker.  Perhaps that is for future mailers, perhaps with a quote from David McKenna from the Rotary City Attorney forum wherein he said that he knew nothing about the San Bernardino International Airport except that it was an airport.  That would work with the carpetbagger theme and tying David McKenna to Mayor Patrick Morris.

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 : 300 E. State St. Suite 517

                  Redlands CA 92373-5235

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Email: michael@michaelreiterlaw.com

Website: http://michaelreiterlaw.com

The Impact of Early Voting On Campaigning in the San Bernardino City Elections

By Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law.

I received my vote by mail ballot Monday and I voted on Tuesday by turning in the ballot to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters.  I am certain that many other voters did the same thing.  What that means is that if you, the candidate did not reach me by yesterday, then you potentially missed out on my vote.  Vote by mail (which is a misnomer, because I always deliver my ballot in person) is a convenient way to vote, and it allows you to get an “I Voted” sticker.

I was able to obtain my ballot and vote before any of the negative campaign mailers and before any of the slate mailers.  Neither were going to impact my voting, because my choices became clear after writing about the candidates for a month, attending forums, reading their literature, reading the ballot statements (which caused me to rethink my support of one candidate),  reviewing campaign filings, and in some cases, personally interacting with the candidates.  The only thing I learned from campaign signs is who likes to post in the public right-of-way, and who likes

I would like to thank the candidates for running.  Though they are not all quality candidates, thirteen candidates for four spaces on the San Bernardino City Unified School District Board shows that democracy is alive in San Bernardino.  I am just sorry that there were no candidates in the Sixth Ward and for City Treasurer, because single candidate elections smacks of totalitarianism.  Hopefully, there will be significant undervotes and write-ins to protest the lack of competitive races for those two positions.  There is no need for term limits if there is an active electorate.

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 : 300 E. State St. Suite 517

                  Redlands CA 92373-5235

Telephone: (909) 708-6055

Email: michael@michaelreiterlaw.com

Website: http://michaelreiterlaw.com