TMC: Thirty Miles of Corruption

LATE NIGHTS (8:30pm, 2/29/2012) FOR CITY STAFF AT CITY HALL, WITH LIGHTS A BLAZING ON EVERY FLOOR..

WHILE THE CITY SCRAMBLES FOR DAMAGE CONTROL, THE CALIFORNIA STATE CONTROLLER, JOHN CHIANG, WILL BE SENDING THEIR AUDITING TEAM TO THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE TO INVESTIGATE CITY FINANCES.  THEY WILL BE ARRIVING MONDAY MARCH 5, 2012 AND STAY TILL MARCH 16, 2012 AND BE WORKING ON THE FOURTH FLOOR CITY HALL, PUBLIC WORKS, INTERUM DIRECTOR TOM BOYD’S DEPARTMENT.  PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR SIOBHAN FOSTER ABRUPTLY LEFT HER DEPARTMENT JUST MONTHS AGO FOR A POSITION WITH THE CITY OF PASADENA, UNDER PASADENA CITY MANAGER MICHAEL BECK (FORMER ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE).

FRIDAY 2ND, IN WHAT IS AN UNUSUAL MOVE, THE WHOLE FINANCE COMMITTEE WAS PULLED FROM THEIR OFFICES TO ATTEND A CONFERENCE.  A POSSIBLE BRIEFING ON HOW TO RESPOND TO AUDITOR QUESTIONS?

ALSO, FRIDAY, A CITY EMPLOYEE RECEIVED A FAVORABLE RULING ON AN EMPLOYEMENT RELATED CASE.  THE JUDGE HAD DETERMINED THAT THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE HAD FALSIFIED DOCUMENTS.

AS SELF APPOINTED AUDITOR VIVIAN MORENO ANNOUNCED THE COMING OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE CONTROLLER, COUNCIL MEMBER STEVE ADAMS AND THE MAYOR SURROUNDED CITY MANAGER SCOTT BARBER AND CITY ATTORNEY GREG PRIAMOS AT THE END OF THE COUNCIL MEETING.  THEY APPREARED TO BE PERPLEXED.  DID THE CITY MANAGER AND STAFF FAIL TO INFORM THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL??  OR WERE THEY SURPRISED THAT TMC KNEW BEFORE THEY DID?  TMC HAS BEEN REQUESTING THE COUNCIL AND MAYOR TO BRING IN THE STATE CONTROLLER TO AUDIT THE BOOKS, WE EVEN ASKED MIKE GARDNER AND RUSTY BAILEY WHEN THEY WERE RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL.  NOW BOTH ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING FOR MAYOR, HOW WILL THIS EFFECT THEIR CAMPAIGN?  WILL THEY ALL BE HIDING BEHIND THE COMPUTER WHEN THE CONTROLLER COMES ASKING QUESTIONS?  NOW WHAT?  SOMETIMES CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY IS JUST TO MUCH FUN!

IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS WE AUDIT..

STAY TUNED, MORE ON THE SPECIFICS TO COME…

THE EXAMINER’S, BILL SHEER’S LATEST ARTICLE DESCRIBES RIVERSIDE’S WOMAN ACTIVIST, SOMETIMES CALLED KOOKS OR CRAZY, BUT STAND FOR THE BASIC RIGHTS OF THE COMMUNITY, AND DEMAND ANSWERS FROM THE REPRESENTATIVES WHEN NECESSARY..

UPDATE:02/28/2012: WELL HALLELUJAH!  THE STATE CONTROLLER IS FINALLY COMMING TO OCCUPY CITY HALL MARCH 5TH.   SELF APPOINTED AUDITOR VIVIAN MORENO MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AT TUESDAY’S CITY COUNCIL DURING PUBLIC SPEEKING.  SHE ALSO ASKED THE QUESTION IF FORMER CITY MANAGER TOM DESANTIS WAS LET GO BY THE CITY BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN A CITY PARKING LOT?  ALSO MADE KNOWN, WAS DESANTIS’S EXORBITANT EXPENSES MADE TOWARD THE TAX PAYER TO THE EXTENT OF A MILLION DOLLARS OVER SEVERAL YEARS..  AND REGARDING FORMER BRAD HUDSON, ” IT TOOK SACRAMENTO APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS TO FIGURE HE WAS A LITTLE OVER THE TOP, AND TODAY YOU THINK HE DIDN’T OVER SPENT ANYTHING”.    IN THE FIVE YEARS THAT HUDSON WAS CITY MANAGER, WE SPENT ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS, A MILLION DOLLARS REGARDING COUNCIL AND STAFF LUNCH EXPENSE ACCOUNTS.  SHE WENT ON TO SAY, “IF WE NEED THE MONEY FOR THE LIBRARY, STOP GOING OUT TO LUNCH”… 

THERE WAS MUCH PRESS REGARDING FORMER CITY MANAGER BRAD HUDSON LEAVING THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE.   MAYORAL CANDIDATE WILLIAM “RUSTY” BAILEY, CURRENT COUNCILMAN, MADE THE STATEMENT BEFORE HE LEFT RIVERSIDE, THAT HE, HUDSON, WAS A “MORAL COMPASS”.

THEN COUNCILWOMAN NANCY HART BLURTED OUT A POSSIBLE BOND MEASURE FOR THE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY.  CONSIDERING THE REDEVELOPMENT DEBACLE THAT THE LIBRARY WAS UNDER FOR RENOVATION.. 

SHE WAS QUICKLY SQUASHED BY MAYOR LOVERIDGE AS IF THIS WAS AN ISSUE NOT TO BE PUBLICLY EXPOSED…THE MAYOR QUITELY STATED, “THAT’S LATER IN THE YEAR”.   COUNCILWOMAN HART ALSO MENTION THAT SHE KNOWS PEOPLE ARE FLEEING FROM CALIFORNIA, BUT DOESN’T THINK THAT THERE ARE AS MANY PEOPLE LEAVING CALIFORNIA DUE TO THE ECONOMY AS WE THINK..  BUT SHE FEELS THAT IT NECESSARY TO REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE TO COME TO RIVERSIDE.. AND THAT WE HAVE A GREAT SURPLUS IN REGARDS TO CITY MONIES..  AND ONWARD TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT..

COUNCILMAN STEVE ADAMS STATES THAT THEIR ARE A FEW THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF REGARDING THE RENAISSANCE. 

FIRST, JUST A BRIEF LITTLE HISTORY LESSON, THE RENAISSANCE WAS TO TAKE THIS CITY THAT WAS NOT DESIREABLE, TO MAKE IT THE MOST THE DESIRABLE CITY IN CALIFORNIA..NOT ONLY HAVE WE’VE DONE THAT, BUT WE HAVE MADE IT THE CITY THAT IS MOST CAPABLE TO BRING JOBS AND RETAIL TO THIS CITY…   “OK, WHERE IS IT”?  THIS IS WHAT MANY IN THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE ARE SECRETLY ASKING.. “WHERE IS IT”?  AND WHY SHOULD RESIDENTS BE AFRAID OF ASKING THESE QUESTIONS?  IS THE TRUE REALITY OF CITY COUNCIL, THE REALITY OF AN ILLUSIONARY AND DETACHED PREMISE?

 UPDATE: 03/01/2012: CITY OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA ON THE BRINK OF BANKRUPTCY, COULD BE LARGEST CITY TO FILE.  ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG THE CITY CAN’T EVEN PAY THEIR BONDS.   STOCKTON’S COUNCIL WILL BE ASKED TO REDUCE THE CURRENT BUDGET BY $15 MILLION BECAUSE OF NEWLY UNCOVERED ACCOUNTING ERRORS AND MISMANAGEMENT THAT HAVE LEFT THE CITY ALMOST BROKE, ACCORDING TO CITY MANAGER BOB DEIS.

TMC, RATED RIVERSIDE’S MOST “SLANDEROUS” AND MEZZSPELLED, “MISSPELLED” AND “OPINIONATED” BLOG SITE!   TMC IS NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON FILE WITH THE COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE’S DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, AND PROSSIBLY POSSIBLY ON FILE WITH THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE’S POTENTIAL SLAPP SUIT LIST…  AGAIN, THANK-YOU COMMUNITY OF RIVERSIDE AND THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE EMPLOYEE’S FOR YOUR SUPPORT!  COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOMED, ESPECIALLY SPELL CHECKERS!  EMAIL ANONYMOUSLY WITH YOUR DIRT OR FOR CONTACT!   THIRTYMILESCORRUPTION@HOTMAIL.COM