THE KEY IS TEMPERATURE AND GOOD QUALITY CALVADOS..
I found this recent story released by the Press Enterprise to be quite amusing. For the record, TMC, Vivian Moreno, Dvonne Pitruzzello, Mary Shelton and many others had been talking about the over spending at City Hall for years. We started investigating when the Finance Department was under the direction of the accounting legend, former CFO Paul Sundeen. The Master of Manipulating the books. He would come to city council to tell the council and mayor how great our credit rating was. We were so disgusted, we knew otherwise, all you had to do was read their documents and follow the money. What is quite sidesplitting in the PE article is that some council members were puzzled by how the city went from a budget that appeared balance in June 2015, to a deficit estimated at $8 million in February 2016 (we believe the deficit is more like $19-25 million). The response that hit the jugular was that one council member asked the question whether officials had manipulated the numbers.
But City Manager John Russo, stated in the PE that he thinks the problem in not malfeasance, but outdated systems of practices…well alrighty now, should his answer be taken at face value or seriously? But he goes on to say, “I don’t think there was malicious intent there; I think the attitude was, ‘This is the way we’ve always done it.'” He went on to say, “They won’t be doing it that way anymore.” Mr. Russo don’t we pay you to know? Maybe we should hire another consultant to find out for sure? OH, we can’t afford it!
I have to say that there is only one way which comes to accounting practices, and that is the right way, it’s called BEST PRACTICES. But, I ask the question, as myself with a science background. There are many statistical applications that can be utilized to receive a favorable or desired result. Is this what happened?
What is more disparaging is that the City will not comment on the reasons for Mason’s departure, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth, because what they are doing is not being upfront with the facts and being transparent. I thought Mr. Russo was all about transparency? We the taxpayer, the CEO, the Employer, needs to know what is going on with our company…our City!
Mr. Russo again sugar coats everything and will hold no one accountable for the misdeeds that occurred in our city. He has so far found that the City officials did not follow policy in the City Attorneys Office or Finance Department. Former City Attorney Greg Priamos paid his friends by issuing no contracts and therefore was no accountability. Russo has now dismantled the Finance Department for what is believed, as “cooking the books.” Brent Mason, Michael Gomez and Scott Catlett are GONE! I think Human Resources is next. I’m sure all the Department heads are looking for new jobs.
Thirty Miles of Corruption started receiving the news of Brent’s departure about a month ago from an anonymous source who sometimes appears to be wholly inadequate… Vivian Moreno was at the RRR neighborhood meeting March 7th, she asked John Russo very specifically if Brent Mason was leaving and are we headed for BANKRUPTCY? He stated “He could not respond to personal issues, but the Finance Department is wholly inadequate for an organization I am in charge of.” As far as the bankruptcy issue he would not really elaborate but basically said “no!” Do I believe him? NO!
When Councilmember Mike Gardner states “There’s always this magic pot of gold that appears,” common sense will tell there is no pot of gold, there is no magic money, and there is no money tree. The Councilmembers were so stupid they actually believed there was a pot of gold? Now you have Assistant City Manager Marianna stating the imbalances were disguised? We do not live in the Emerald Green Land of OZ either. We live in Riverside. They were STEALING from Riverside Public Utilities. The City always spent way more than what was budgeted. It was a ticking time bomb..
THERE IS NO MAGIC MONEY….. why do I say that? The City of Riverside magically found 10 million dollars to pay off our Prop 218 lawsuit. The $10 million was to be paid from the General Fund back to the Water Fund. The creative finance people seemingly found the money? More pots of gold? Or is this the straw that breaks the camels back. I suggest all you really smart council people check to see how legal that was, to take the magic money the way you approved it. Let me give you a very simple explanation, we tax retail, “YES!” We tax wholesale, “NO!” Council approved a wholesale tax… “STUPID!” Again, there is no Magic Money…..there was no real payment from the general fund of $10 million. You had electric pay water. Let me explain that to you even easier. You had the Electric Ratepayer pay the Water Ratepayer.
Paul Davis stated they were ‘cooking the books’… Mike Gardner believes there was no wrong doing, Mike Gardner also believes in pots of gold… Who do you believe? The Council is ultimately responsible for the disguising, cooking, and lying about the true financial position of the city.
City Manager John Russo stated the Finance Department was wholly inadequate. Mr. Russo, we think Former Mayor Ron Loveridge, Cindy Roth, Brad Hudson, Scott Barber, Michael Beck, Paul Sundeen, Scott Catlett, Brent Mason, Tom Desantis, Belinda Graham, Deanna Larson, Mayor Rusty Bailey, Chris MacArthur, Mike Gardner, Steve Adams, Andy Melendrez, Paul Davis, Jim Perry, Nancy Hart, and all the special interest groups and citizens that supported and benefited from all the wild spending, were wholly inadequate and responsible for the current financial mess we are in.
Council member mike Gardner sums it up by stating ” The old way has hurt the city.”
The Old way hasn’t hurt the City Mr. Gardner….. The Mayor and Council did….. and you did!
UPDATE: 03.21.2016: CITY OF RIVERSIDE NAMES SCOTT MILLER NEW INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR.
VOTE MORENO FOR RIVERSIDE MAYOR 2016!
TMC, RATED RIVERSIDE’S REGIONAL COUNTIES MOST, “NEGATIVE,” “RAUNCHY,” “LOW CLASS,” “VISIONS OF GRANDEUR,” “FULL OF B.S.,” “IGNORANT,” “MISGUIDED,” “BULLYISH,” “FILTHY,” “SICK,” “PERVERTED,” “DEFAMATORY,” “STUPID,” “PATHETIC,” “DESPICABLE,” “DISAPPOINTING,” “BELOW THE BELT,” “A NEW LOW,” “SHOCKING,” “OFFENSIVE,” “OBNOXIOUS,” “INAPPROPRIATE,” “HURTFUL,” “MEAN SPIRITED,” “DISTASTEFUL,” “EMBARRASSING,” HORIFFIC,” “SLANDEROUS” “FIT TO BE VIEWED FROM THE REAR” AND MEZZSPELLED, “MISSPELLED” AND “OPINIONATED” BLOG SITE! YES WE ADMIT WE OUR ALL OF THAT AND MORE, WHICH IN CURRENT TERMS IS KNOWN AS “UNPOLITICALLY CORRECT.” TEMPORARILY BLOCKED BY THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE AT PUBLIC ACCESS SITES WITHIN THE CITY, THEN UNBLOCKED. I GUESS YOU CANNOT DO THAT ACCORDING TO THE ACLU. RATED ONE TWO ONE STAR OUT OF FIVE IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY APPROVAL RATINGS.. … AGAIN, THANK YOU COMMUNITY OF RIVERSIDE AND THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE EMPLOYEE’S FOR YOUR SUPPORT! CONTACT US: thirtymilescorruption@hotmail.com
IG
Javier Moreno
TMC: Thirty Miles of Corruption 
Riverside, the best little criminal organization in the nation — Innovative book keeping!
After the vote on the Utility Reserve, do you still think Soubirous is a “reformer”? You guys got taken in by that “here to serve you” rhetoric. What a bunch of guff. He has his own agenda – the City Prosecutor, which he is strongly advocating and which we can’t afford.
He’s just like the rest of them. Perhaps worse because he says one thing and does another. He is implicated in this as well.
I agree Mike Soubrious is really a game changer…. He’s changing his own game. Action speak louder than words! Vivian