TMC: Thirty Miles of Corruption

Love my enemies, bless those who curse me, pray for their salvation.  – Book of Mayor William “Rusty” Bailey, circa at exactly February 12, 2018, 8:27am

THE RUSTY FILES: [queue eerie music] We present a few of the personal notes reflecting on a cornucopia of thoughts the Mayor wrote to himself for future reference as he brooded over the Russo/Geuss/Soubirous/Melendrez/MacArthur-led coup just days before.  In others words, “Did anyone get the license plate of that truck?”

      

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE JUST A SMIDGEN OF THE RUSTY FILES

Well, the City of Riverside doesn’t have any trouble, someone once said.  Well, we’ll just have to create some, another exclaimed!  See, we at TMC remember waaaaaaay back in 2016, shortly after City Attorney Gary Geuss came on board, back when the hotshot former L.A. litigator dreamt of a hostile takeover of the some of the elected Riverside County District Attorney’s duties.  Of course, it was all about efficiency in the court system.  “Hah!” we said, and thankfully, so did the voters.

A VIEW INTO THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE IF MEASURE A, THE RIVERSIDE CITY PROSECUTOR MEASURES WOULD’VE PASSED

Well according to the Rusty Files, Russo manipulated Geuss to test the waters against D.A. Mike Hestrin and whatever other power structures there were in Riverside County at the time, including seventy-billion-time re-elected former D.A. Grover Trask.  He is a troublemaker.

Moreover, the Rusty Files reveal Russo loves to create controversy, then come in and save the day.  And he loves to get credit for easy wins…such as Measure-Z, the Library, Museum and the Budget.  Rusty asks the question, “Is there a pattern here?” He is a front-runner.

He refers to other city’s where Russo was in the middle of conflict, then left when the going got tough.  He goes on to say that John loves to fight, argue and purposely create opposition just for the sport of toying with them.  He is a manipulator.

Does Russo do what he says he will do?  It appears according to the Mayor, that Russo cannot be counted on.  He says one thing, and does another.  He cannot be trusted.

Then our sweet, beloved, squeaky clean homegrown Mayor drops the bombshell, “How many wives?”  Is it a metaphor for how Russo treats the cities and the public who have paid for his ever-expanding waistline, or should we take this at its literal meaning and infer more?  Does City Manager John Russo have commitment problems?  He is disloyal.

What else lurks in the depths of the Rusty Files?  As a teaser for future TMC posts we’ll leave this at the door: it turns out Cindy Roth, the Chamber Queen and long-time ally of Mayor Rusty Bailey is not a bit amused by being cut from the General Fund gravy train by City Manager John Russo.  Her husband, Senator Roth, who profited as well from the legal gravy train provided by our fair city for many a year, is rumored to have helped the Mayor with his veto defense arguments.  A real State Senator vs. a wannabe State Assemblyman: it’s on like Donkey Kong!

CLICK ABOVE TO ENLARGE PIC

MIKE FINE’S MESSAGE:

Rusty refers to Mike Fine’s message, and to print it out so that the Council will read it.  Mike Fine, former deputy superintendent for RUSD and member of the Riverside Budget Engagement Commission (quickly becoming our favorite citizen-led commission of all-time), apparently had a bit to say about Measure Z monies being spent to fill the pockets of Mr. Russo.  And we have those Facebook messages for your viewing pleasure, including a little tiff with Councilman Andy Melendrez, where Fine takes the Ward 2 Councilman to school.  Some excerpts:

I volunteered to sit on the city’s budget commission as a way to give back to my hometown. I recently spent eight hours over two nights listening to the departments express their plans and needs. There was no mention of a hefty raise and home loan for the city manager. It wasn’t listed as a need. How do I do the job the city has asked me to do as a volunteer who has expertise in governmental budgeting when not all the information was shared? While I can still make a recommendation to the council regarding budget matters, what’s the point when the council acts recklessly in the midst of the budget process? 

My point is simple. The city has many needs -many more than resources will cover. At a time when you will have to consider cuts in services and programs you sent the wrong message to the residents, employees and partners of the city. City vendors are being asked to reduce their prices by 10% at the same time the council is awarding senior management raises and an unwarranted home loan.

You will recall that the city sold voters on a sales tax increase to support police and fire. But now, under the city manager’s direction, they are proposing cuts – to budgets, not taxes!

This is an issue of leadership – more precisely, a lack of leadership.

According to Fine the City is full of contradictions and flouts the perception of transparency but in reality has none.  Sounds to us like Mr. Fine has been listening to longtime city critic advocate Jason Hunter, who coincidentally tells us something B-I-G is coming (we can’t wait).

                        

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE THE FINE COMMENTARY

RUSTY FILES FOR TRIAL:  In a sign of the times Mayor William “Rusty” Bailey filed suit against the City of Riverside on Friday March 9, 2018, with reference to the veto issue , and the batshit, no self-serving contradictory legal opinion expressed by City Attorney Gary Geuss.  According to the City of Riverside’s Salary Regulations Section 2.32.030 the salary plan states, “The basic monthly compensation plan for City officers and employees shall be established by resolution of the City Council.”

We believe there has been malfeasance playing out within the confines of City Hall by the fact that current contracts for both Geuss and Russo accompanied no such ‘resolution.’  For years dear readers, every new contract that included new & improved terms for fatcat bureaucrats included a resolution which authorized the spending on behalf of the City; then all of a sudden, poof, it disappeared.

Why?  Well, our lying eyes have seen the in-fighting that has recently taken place between the Mayor’s Office and the City Manager’s Office, with Council taking sides, and believe this to be the cause.  We therefore presuppose that this omittance was done to strategically counter Bailey’s impeding veto.  See folks, according to City Charter, Rusty can legally veto a ‘resolution.’  Without the ‘resolution’ in the contract, technically, Rusty’s veto might not be valid.  This was orchestrated by design.  But it appears our Mayor is not in the mood to take any prisoners this time.

          

CLICK THIS LINK TO VIEW BAILEY’S FULL LAW SUIT

UPDATE: 03.12.2018: PRESS ENTERPRISE: RIVERSIDE MAYOR SUES HIS OWN CITY IN BATTLE OVER ‘EXPENSIVE’ CITY MANAGER’S CONTRACT

UPDATE: 03.12.2018: LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS: NEW RETIREES IN GARDENA, PASADENA AND RIVERSIDE MAKE OVER $200,000 PENSIONS

UPDATE: 03.12.2018: PRESS ENTERPRISE: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S AVERAGE PAY HIKE? $2 A WEEK

The Ides of February 2018 came and went.  The day of the veto, Rusty Bailey probably felt a bit like Caesar did when his Council Buddies were waiting for him at the Council Forum on that cold Tuesday afternoon…

TMC, RATED RIVERSIDE REGIONAL COUNTY’S MOST, “SCANDALOUS,” “NEGATIVE,” “WARPED,” “RAUNCHY,” “LOW CLASS,” “VISIONS OF GRANDEUR,” “FULL OF B.S.,” “REPREHENSIBLE,” “IGNORANT,” “MISGUIDED,” “BULLYISH,” “INDECENT,” “REPUGNANT,””IMMORAL,” “FILTHY,” “VILE,” “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 “POLITICALLY INCORRECT.” 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 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