Inland Empire Progressive

Why are Progressives backing a measure that on it's face seems anti-union? If you don't live here in San Bernardino you wouldn't understand. But if you were to stay awhile, you would feel that something is fundamentally wrong. When I first moved here 10 years ago, I didn't pay attention to local politics much but as I did I started to get that feeling of wrongness. The wrongness is that the public safety union (whom up to 80% don't live here) dictated our budget. There was a palpable fear on the council dias to cross them and when anyone did public safety moved swiftly to remove him/her. When we stood up in a bi-partisan fashion in 2011, we dealt a severe blow to that wrongness. However, work to build a San Bernardino for San Bernardino residents continues. Some residents are so consumed by the fear of the "criminal element" that they vote no on this measure. Public Safety at any expense, budget be damned!! This is the wrong mentality to have because ...

Prop 1 - Yes The water bond will be like a mini-stimulus package for local projects, but the price tag ($7B) has me worried about the cost of compromise for future water proposals. Prop 2 - Yes I'm like meh on this measure, we keep passing raining day funds and Sacremento keeps ignoring them. Prop 45 - Yes A single point person to blame for increasing insurance rates is better than the back door shenanigans we have now. Prop 46 - No Doesn't feel fair somehow. Prop 47 - Yes Join Inland Empire Churces in backing this measure. Sending folks to prison for minor offenses only makes them hardened criminals, not reformed citizens. Prop 48 - Yes I don't even know why this is on the ballot. A deal was made with this tribal nation, honor it.

Governor - Jerry Brown* The governor really needs to step up his leadership in the Inland Empire and other inland areas by tackling the issue of poverty headon. Lt. Governor - Gavin Newsom Secretary of State - Alex Padilla Padilla has show some love for the Inland Empire, stopping here twice on the campaign trail. Controller - Betty Yee Yee has also shown some love for the Inland Empire, speaking at the Democratic Luncheon club. She is also a genuine data geek!! However, her endorsement by the San Bernardino Peace Officers Association leaves a question mark in how she will deal with pensions. Treasurer - John Chiang Attorney General - Kamala Harris Insurance Commissioner - Dave Jones Board of Equalization #4 - Nader Shahatit Shahatit is from Highland! Superintendent of Public Instruction - Tom Tomlarkson LOCAL RACES 31st Congressional District - Pete Aguilar Needs to work on connecting with the working class voter, but better than Chabot. 40th Assembly District - Katy Henry Board o...

I have to hand it to the Republicans in this election year here in the Inland Empire. They have launched a concerted effort to stave off their irrelevance, not by switching their stance on issues but by trying to paint themselves as the aribiters of good governance with a homely appearance. Republicans have tried to make some cities more competitive, targeting specifically San Bernardino and Highland but have generated mixed results. In San Bernardino, the advantage is with the Democrats and remains a bastion of working class populism due to its impoverishment and general malaise due to bankruptcy. While Pete Aguilar has struggled here, Paul Chabot's extremism is a turnoff to those rely on government benefits directly to make ends meet. Chabot's talk of cutting taxes and not saying how you will pay for them means giveaways to so called job creators will be paid for on the backs of the poor. No matter how much Chabot harps on his belief that conservative Democrats are the major...

Increasing awareness of the disparities of our judicial system will eventually lead to systemic changes in that process. Officer invovled shootings or OIFs in the judicial parlance are rarely deemed unjustified. In San Bernardino County, there have been no charges brought against officers who were involved in shootings even in the most egregious of circumstances. Being shot 5, 6, or 17 times are instances of overkill that should not be deem justified because law enforcement have semi-lethal methods to defend themselves. However, the District Attorney fails to prosecute because politically he needs the support of law enforcement to get reelected. As the chart above notes, black men are 21 times as likely to get shot by police than whites. 31 folks per 1 million might seem low, but multiplied by the total population of the United States (approximately 300 million) those numbers jump to 9405 black teenage men killed every year by law enforcement. To break this vicious cycle, we have to ...

 Seven years after Congress banned payday-loan companies from charging exorbitant interest rates to service members, many of the nation’s military bases are surrounded by storefront lenders who charge high annual percentage rates, sometimes exceeding 400 percent. The Military Lending Act sought to protect service members and their families from predatory loans. But in practice, the law has defined the types of covered loans so narrowly that it’s been all too easy for lenders to circumvent it. Full Story here and more here.

Economic Development needs to be a priority. This budget doesn’t reflect that priority. This council pays lip service to economic develop ment  but if the money doesn’t back the words, then the words  are just wind  instilling false hope in our residents who need jobs .  Hiring just one person, even a great person will ensure slow growth at best.  We need a professional  economic development team. Right now Riverside has 25 planners, Rialto has 12, and Fontana has 15. We only have 2.   And those cities also have other economic development personnel which puts us in a distinct disadvantage.  San Bernardino and its residents will continue to suffer and not develop any competitive advantage if  this council doesn’t  make economic development a priority by the putting the money behind their words. In o rder to grow our way out of this  bankruptcy and develop the quality of life we deserve ,  we  need an econo...

  Lawmakers Push Payday Lender Bill House lawmakers are pushing new legislation that would allow nonbank lenders, including payday lenders, to choose to operate under a federal charter instead of following different state laws. Backers of the measure say it would help consumers who are unable to obtain affordable credit from traditional sources. Introduced by Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) and Joe Baca (D-Calif.), the bill would allow the payday loan industry to circumvent rules enforced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Instead, nonbank lenders that received a federal charter would be under the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. However, the proposal would prohibit loan periods of less than one month; and firms could not make loans that they do not believe consumers can pay back. But consumer advocates say the law would not ban predatory lenders from charging excessive fees and other unscrupulous practices. The legislation would actually block regu...

Full Story Excerpts: Joe Baca weakens regulation of Payday Lending Industry   Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), chairman of the subcommittee with authority over consumer credit issues, had once advocated extending to all Americans an effective ban on payday lending for military personnel that Congress passed in 2006. By last year he had scaled back, urging an amendment that would have limited to six the number of loans a borrower could receive in a year. Gutierrez’ less-restrictive amendment died when Democrats including Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), threatened to vote against the entire consumer protection act if the payday provision was included. It also faced opposition from Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.), who countered Gutierrez with an amendment the industry regarded as favorable because it had the potential to open payday lending to new markets. Baca said in a statement last year that while "fly by night lenders" should be banned, he wanted to “ensure that ...

The revolving door. It is a feature of American politics, whenever a Congressmemeber or a person from any administration retires, resigns, or quits they immediately go join a firm where they use their contacts to influence the very folks they used to be apart of or worked for. Why? Because these contacts are worth money, sometimes big money and here is case in point. After being summarily fired by the folks in the 35th Congressional District, Joe Baca co-founded a lobbying firm called the Financial Services Innovation Coalition . This coalition specializes in keeping regulation lax for predatory payday loans to low income families and veterans.  According to the California Department of Business Oversight, San Bernardino  has 51 active payday lending institutions the most in San Bernardino County. And if you think that payday lending is banned for veterans and military service-members, think again!  Oceanside has 29 active payday lending i...