Welcome to The Banning Informer ! This website is dedicated to take you behind the scenes of the political arena in the City of Banning, CA.  Here you will find information that you won’t find anywhere else. Our mission is to provide you with reporting based on careful research and documentation. You may contact The Banning Informer by clicking here 

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Creep With A Badge: Banning Cop Who Sexually Harassed Two Women Remains On Duty

2/2/24 – According to a 2021 Internal Affairs Investigation ordered by the Banning Police Department, Banning Sergeant Michael Bennett was found to have sexually harassed two different women on a total of five different occasions, while of duty. He remains on the job. – click here for the article 

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Measure H: Is it Wise to Put Your Life – and Tax Dollars – Into the Hands of a “D” Rated Hospital?

11/17/21  – With Measure H, the San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital (SGMH) once again is asking for more of your tax dollars to support their “emergency room”. What they are not telling you is the following. – click here for the article

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Video Shows Former Banning Mayor Engaging in Sexual Misconduct in the Presence of Minors

6/18/21 –  A few years before becoming Mayor of Banning in 2020, Daniela Andrade worked as a full time security guard at the Val Verde Unified School District (Perris).

Last month, after a 2-year long legal battle, Riverside Superior Court Judge Chad W. Firetag ordered the School District to release a disturbing video. The video shows a 2014 incident in which Daniela Andrade, in uniform and acting in her official capacity, shoves her hand clear into the dress of a female employee, reaching into the victim’s cleavage area in the process. – click here for the article

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Fact Checking Councilman Don Peterson’s Resignation Letter 

1/17/20 – When councilman Don Peterson submitted his resignation on January 2nd, he went out with a bang. Peterson’s resignation letter (view here) made numerous stunning claims, many Banning residents may have never heard of. – click here for the article
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Councilman Peterson’s Stunning Resignation Letter – A Wakeup Call For Banning?     

– click here

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Banning Sinks To New Low: Freshly Bankrupt Daniela Andrade Becomes Mayor

12/12/19 – For the first time in Banning’s 100-year history a recently bankrupt council member got appointed to the position of Mayor. – click here for the article
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Internal Audit of Banning Electric Utility finds Over $1.2 Million In Overbilling, Outdated Software

9/17/19 – For years, the citizens of Banning had demanded a forensic audit of the Banning Electric Utility – to no avail. Bowing to public pressure, a reluctant City council eventually approved the audit in 2018, the results of which are now made public. – click here for the article
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Insider Exposes Mayor Art Welch & Co For Blatant Ethics Violations

8/3/19 – A newly released 2017 declaration by Councilwoman Daniela Andrade accuses Mayor Art Welch, as well as former council members George Moyer and Debbie Franklin of violating public meeting laws (Brown Act), when they secretly plotted an illegal vote, presumably to fire Planning Commissioner David Ellis from his position. Ellis had just been re-appointed to the position a few weeks earlier.  – click here for the article
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City Manager Doug Schulze Exposed As Serial Deadbeat And Tax Dodger

6/4/19 – He proclaims to be an “expert” on running multi-million dollar budgets.

But public record shows that City Manager Doug Schulze seems to be a complete loser when it comes to managing his own money.  – click here for the article
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“House of Decision”: How The Sun Lakes Charitable Trust Funneled $50,000 Into A Millionaire’s Pocket

5/5/19 – What you are about to read will show that – without a doubt – the Sun Lakes Charitable Trust has funneled about $50,000 into the pockets of a shady millionaire businessman, who for 10 years solicited charitable donations by masquerading as a charity, when in reality he was operating a registered commercial for-profit business. – click here for the article
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CORRUPT BANNING : Attorney General Gets Ready to Shut Down Sun Lakes Charitable Trust

4/7/19 – The Sun Lakes Charitable Trust, funded largely by well meaning, but somewhat naive Sun Lakes residents, has not filed a tax return since 2016. Now the Attorney General is getting ready to shut down the delinquent organization, and has prohibited them from “soliciting or disbursing charitable funds” – click here for the article
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City Manager Schulze Grants Unrestricted Access To Police Officers’ Protected Personnel Files

3/22/19 – Newly hired City manager Doug Schulze has been off to a controversial start in Banning – and judging from the latest developments, it’s not getting any better: Schulze’s latest stunt could potentially cost the city millions in liability payouts. – click here for the article
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Documents Show CM Schulze Failed To Disclose Pending Ethics Investigations

2/8/19 – Documents contained in emails released by the City of Bainbridge Island, WA show that newly hired Banning City Manager Doug Schulze has been under investigation by an international body (International City/County Managers Association – ICMA) for alleged ethics violations committed while at Bainbridge Island. – click here for the article
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Banning City Manager Schulze Funnels Obscene Million Dollar Contract To His Old Crony

1/9/19 – Immediately after voters rejected a $2M ballot measure for additional funding of Police and Fire (Measure P), and while already operating on a projected $2M annual deficit, the City council has thrown caution to the wind and has approved an unprecedented, fully burdened million dollar contract for a new Police Chief. – click here for the article
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Record Gazette Endorses Convicted Criminal For Banning City Council

10/29/18 – There is a good reason people call the paper the “fishwrapper”: The Record Gazette just endorsed a convicted criminal, Colleen Wallace, for Banning City council. – click here for the article
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Mega-Developer Joins Forces with Morongo Tribe To Destroy candidates Westholder and Ellis In Coordinated Smear Campaign

10/22/18 – Out of town special interest groups have decided to buy Banning’s elections. Their goal is clear: smear popular frontrunners Jerry Westholder and David Ellis and install two faceless, obedient yes-men on the council. Their names : David Happe and Patrick Cork Irwin. – click here for the article
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Banning Voter Guide

– click here
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Supervisor Candidate Jeff Hewitt – Just Another Deadbeat Tax-Dodger Running For Public Office

10/13/18 – Most of us have seen his campaign poster. It’s the one with the guy giving us that “know-it-all” look. The guy with those beady eyes, who seems to have trouble cracking a smile. That’s Jeff Hewitt, candidate for County Supervisor District 5.

What’s wrong with him? Short answer: pretty much everything. – click here for the article
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Unbelievable : City Openly Promotes District 4 Candidate David Happe In Taxpayer Funded Video

9/29/18 – Mayor George Moyer and interim city manager Rochelle Clayton are meddling in our elections – again! – click here for the article

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Sheriff Sniff Has Gay Captain Cry Crocodile Tears In Order To Steal The LGBTQ Vote

9/26/18 – The Sheriff’s Race has entered its final phase, and the Sniff campaign is mired in mud. Sniff knows he is trailing Bianco, so out come the dirty tricks. – click here for the article
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 2018 Candidate Forums District 4 and 5  

click here
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Leaked Document Proves Moyer Secretly Plotting To Give Away Millions To Diamond Hills Chevrolet – After The Election!

9/17/18 – The Banning Informer has obtained a leaked copy of a secret agenda document, which unequivocally proves that Mayor George Moyer is plotting to divert millions of taxpayer dollars to Diamond Hills Chevrolet – after the election – click here for the article
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Swamp Creatures Moyer, Welch and Franklin Assure Voters: “No Corruption” in Banning!

9/1/18 – The swamp is doubling down, and they’re doing so by insulting everyone’s intelligence: Mayor George Moyer, Art Welch and Debbie Franklin, those longtime gatekeepers of Banning’s corruption, have signed a joint statement, in which they declare that despite a total of 3 Grand Jury investigations, no corruption has ever existed in Banning – click here for the article
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Here Are The 2018 Candidates For Banning City Council

8/21/18 –   Voters will be able to chose from five candidates in District 4, while there will be three candidates on the ballot in District 5.- click here for the article
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It’s Over : Sheriff Stan Sniff’s Top Brass Jump Ship, Now Endorse Chad Bianco

8/7/18 – In an amazing move, Captain Leonard Purvis, one of Sheriff Stan Sniff’s closest allies, has turned his back on his boss, and comes out in support of Chad Bianco. Purvis is commander of the Hemet station and former Banning Police Chief. Also supporting Bianco is another Captain, Mathew Jimenez. – click here for the article
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Proposed New Banning Interim Police Chief Reportedly Cost Fontana Millions In Liability Payouts

7/7/18 – Having been on the job for less than 3 months, interim Chief Bob Fisher already finds himself on the chopping block. This despite the fact that Fisher’s Department is running smoothly and he enjoys the support of the vast majority of his officers.

Fisher’s proposed replacement, as published on the City council agenda for Tuesday, July 10, (view) is retired Fontana Police Lt. Robert Ratcliffe. According to press reports and court documents, Ratcliffe’s previous actions in Fontana appear to have created a financial nightmare for the Fontana School District: press reports point to $8.8M in damages – and counting.- click here for the article 
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Banning Sinks Into Total Lawlessness As Council Majority Declines Holding Art Welch Accountable For Malfeasance

6/28/18 – Every citizen with a sense of righteousness in their heart will be appalled by what they are about to read : Despite the Riverside Grand Jury finding clear and convincing evidence of malfeasance in the backdoor dealings of councilmember Art Welch, four out of five members of the Banning City council reject a motion by councilmember Don Peterson to censure Welch for his lawless conduct.  – click here for the article 
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Art Welch Formally Charged With Ethics Violations

6/14/18 – During the council meeting of June 12, councilman Art Welch has been served with formal charges for two ethics violations. The charges were brought by Councilman Don Peterson in accordance with Sec.10.5 of Banning’s “Manual of Procedural Guidelines” . These Guidelines call for a public hearing for censure of Welch to be agendized for June 26, 2018. –  click here for the article
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Grand Jury Faults Councilman Art Welch For Handshake Agreements and Giving Campaign Donor 28-Year Long Sales Tax Break 

5/6/18 – The Riverside County Grand Jury just released another devastating report (click here to view), which blasts one particular councilmember for ethics violations, as well as violating City policies and ordinances. –  click here for the article
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Sheriff Stan Sniff Facing Accusations of Covering Up RSO Child Molestation Scandal

3/31/18 – Amidst public pressure, Sheriff Stan Sniff has issued a Press Release on March 28, in which he publicly admits – for the first time in 9 years – that his Department had “sustained” an investigation into a former Senior Investigator, Kevin Duffy, committing sex crimes against one child in 2007 and in 2009.–  click here for the article
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City Council Thugs Franklin and Welch Illegally Diverted $20M From A Clean Water Bond To Their Pet Project – Now They Have The Nerve to Increase Bannings WATER AND SEWER RATES By 15% !

.3/17/18 – After illegally syphoning $20M from the Banning Water Utility for a new police station, self-righteous City Council thugs Franklin and Welch , once again aided by notorious sellout George Moyer, have managed to form a council majority to approve a 15% Water Rate Increase.
In short, Franklin and Welch have stolen from us and are now spitting in our faces by making us pay for the theft they committed.–  click here for the article
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Banning Police Chief Confirms: Sheriff Stan Sniff and his Henchman Purvis Plotted to Paralyze Banning PD, so they could take it over

2/15/18 – For quite some time, rumors have been circulating persistently around Banning, alleging that its small Police Department was at one time being set up by its former Chief, Leonard Purvis, to be taken over by the Sheriff’s Department. Purvis left the position of Chief in late 2013. –  click here for the article
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A New Banning “Chamber Of Commerce” Is In The Works

1/8/18 – If things go as planned, Banning will soon have a new Chamber of Commerce, one that will be lead by actual business people, in stark contrast to the current entity which caters to failed politicians, vain socialites and even outright thugs.–  click here for the article
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Councilmember Peterson Explains Banning’s Culture of Corruption – and why he is so hated for exposing it

10/28/17 – In the following video from the October 24 council meeting, Don Peterson gives a multitude of examples of the culture of Corruption that governs Banning.-  click here for the article
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Councilwoman Debbie Franklin Files Bogus Restraining Order Against Outspoken Critic, But Judge Sees Right Through It

9/18/17 – Political discourse in the City of Banning has just reached an all new low. Critics of Banning councilwoman Debbie Franklin must now be concerned that they are dragged into court and sued for criticizing her, because it may make her feel “threatened”.   –  click here for the article
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Did Lying Debbie Franklin Sell Out Banning In Order To Build A Palace For Her “Prince in Blue” ?

9/5/17 – Struggling to explain her 2008 decision to recklessly spend $17M on a Police Station Banning could never afford, councilmember Debbie Franklin has claimed that “a Sea of Blue” pressured her to approve the spending. The record is clear, however, that Franklin received ample warning at the time that this spending would wreak financial havoc for the City in the years to come.  –  click here for the article
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Another Military Fraud? US Army Has No Record Of Councilman Art Welch Ever Serving

9/13 – ART WELCH RELEASES DISCHARGE DOCUMENT AS PROOF OF HIS MILITARY SERVICE. ………………. IS IT FOR REAL?

.8/26/17 – The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has no record of Banning Councilman Arthur Lee Welch, born December 4, 1937, SSN 499-38-XXXX, ever being enlisted in the US Armed Forces (see request and response). This raises the question : Is Art Welch a legitimate veteran – or is he yet another military fraud? –  click here for the article

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Payback Time? Banning School Board May Demand Reimbursement From Phony Vietnam Cockroach Jan Spann

8/9/17 – It may just have become even uglier for fraudulent Banning School Board cockroach Jan Spann. After being forced to resign from the Board in response to being exposed as a military fraud, it may soon be payback time for Spann.  –  click here for the article
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Banning School Board Trustee Nationally EXPOSED As Military Imposter

.7/17/17 – Once again, Banning lives up to its reputation of being a cesspool of filth and corruption. This time, America’s leading “stolen valor” website, “Thisainthell.us” , has exposed School Board Trustee Jan Spann as a phony VietNam Vet.-  click here for the article_

7/24/17  –  PRESS ENTERPRISE: “Banning school trustee says she will resign over service flap”  –  click here 
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What’s Wrong with Record Gazette’s Gail Paparian? Mentally ill? Oxygen Starved? Under The Influence?

6/23/17 – Gail Paparian, the Record Gazette’s twisted “columnist” who in the past had insulted Banning residents as “rats”, just released another rant which is as incoherent as it is bizarre (view here). Fasten our seat belts as we wander off into Paparian’s demented parallel universe – one sentence at the time.  –  click here for the article
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Developer Puppet About To Be Installed On Planning Commission? You Bet !

5/7/17 – The citizens of Banning ought to be on high alert. On Tuesday May 9, the Banning City council will fill two vacant seats on the Planning Commission.–  click here for the article
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WATCH : Clueless Auditor Unable to Answer Simple Questions About Electric Utility

5/3/17 – For those who still believe that the Banning Utility is properly managed and supervised, the following shocking video provides clear evidence to the contrary.–  click here for the article
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Council Member Calls For Second Ethics Investigation of City Manager

4/21/17 – As it was made public two months ago, the Banning City council had unanimously found City manager Michael Rock to be in violation of his professional ethics, after it was discovered that he had attempted to manipulate Banning’s 2016 City council elections ( see previous article and announcement here).

Since then, further facts have come to light that suggest Rock may have been involved in other actions that could have violated his professional ethics. –  click here for the article
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Your Tax Dollars at Work : City Workforce Used to Clear Vegetation For Private Business

4/5/17 – On Monday, April 3, 2017, City workers could be observed cutting down freeway vegetation along the westbound lanes of Interstate 10, just West of Sunset. Apparently the brush clearing was done on behalf of a private business.  –  click here for the article
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Mayor Slams City Manager Michael Rock For Inappropriate Election Interference

2/18/17 – On February 14, Banning Mayor George Moyer read a prepared statement slamming controversial City Manager Michael Rock for inappropriately interfering in the 2016 Banning City Council election.  –  click here for the article
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Record Gazette Writer Gail Paparian – A Traitor To Banning ?

2/6/17 – The following is Part 2 of our investigation into emails by Record Gazette writer Gail Paparian to City manager Michael Rock (part one can be found by clicking here).

As our analysis will show, the deceptive Record Gazette writer has engaged in insulting a senior citizen, fabricating fake news and even maliciously fomenting a lawsuit against the City of Banning. Her latest emails expose shocking details about what can only be described as a sinister agenda by this “for rent” Record Gazette writer.  –  click here for the article
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Struggling With High Utility Bills ? Your Money Just Bought A Brand New, Top Notch Gym !

1/27/17 –  If you ever wondered why Banning’s utility rates are through the roof, here may be – at least partially – your answer : The City of Banning’s Utility Department just used ratepayer’s money to purchase a brand new, top-of-the-line gym for their new utility warehouse.  –  click here for the article
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Disagree with City Hall ? – Record Gazette Writer Privately Labels You A “Rat” !

1/20/17 – Leaked emails from the email account of controversial City manager Michael Rock show what Record Gazette columnist Gail Paparian really thinks of anyone who dares to criticize City Hall : “Rats”.     –  click here for the article
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BOMBSHELL: Special Interests Spend $141,000 To Buy Re-Election Of Corrupt Sleazebag Art Welch

10/14/16 – Various Special Interest Groups have contributed $ 141,000 in support of sleazy, corrupt Mayor Art Welch, Banning’s number one political hack.   –  click here for the article
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Controversial 3,400 Home Mega Development Nears Final Stage Of Approval

 9/16/16 –  Located on Banning’s South side, the Rancho San Gorgonio project will add up to 3,385 homes and 9,000 residents ; it was just approved by the Planning Commission and will soon come before the City council for its final ok.

Upon closer examination, however, one cannot help but notice that this project will have major implications for the community – and this raises many concerns.  –  click here for the article
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 Here Are the City Council Candidates for the November 8 Elections

8/15/16 – In the upcoming November 8 elections, voters will choose one council member each for Districts 1, 2 and 3. The emerging election scenario is beginning to reflect the profound changes caused by dividing the City into 5 electoral Districts. –  click here for the article
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City Council Getting Ready To Defy Grand Jury – Again!

6/25/16 – Here we go again: Just as they did with the 2010 Grand Jury Report, a corrupt City Council majority is about to defy the recommendations made by the latest Grand Jury Report (view here) as well!  The agenda for Tuesday, June 28, calls for yet another “extension” for the Chamber to pay their past due utilities in the amount of $ 15,795. –  click here for the article
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Grand Jury Report: Meet The Players

5/21/16 – The recently released Grand Jury report (view) about the City of Banning and the Banning Chamber does not name those responsible . In the following article we will identify the key players at the heart of the scandal – by name.  –  click here for the article
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Open Mike Catches Mayor Welch’s Derogatory Comment About Grand Jury Probe

5/14/16 – Caught again by an open mike for the second time in a row, Mayor Art “Vodka-Tonic” Welch has expressed his true feelings about the council’s discussion of the latest Grand Jury report.

During public session of May 10, Welch stated to Mayor Pro Tem George Moyer: “there’s a bunch of bullshit up here”. Moyer did not object. –  click here for the article
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Grand Jury Issues Report On Chamber/City Utility Wrongdoing

4/28/16 – The Riverside County Grand Jury has issued their report on wrongdoing by the City and the Banning Chamber of Commerce.

CLICK HERE FOR THE GRAND JURY REPORT

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Mayor Welch Retaliates Against Planning Commissioner For Hinting At Welch’s Alcoholism

3/31/16 – The blatant abuse of power by Mayor Art Welch, supported by councilmembers Franklin and Moyer, has just reached a new level. Their message: if you dare criticize the Mayor of Banning for alcoholism by citing a publication, you will be removed from your public position, no matter how good of a job you’re doing. –  click here for the article
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Councilmembers Miller, Peterson Express Growing Concern Over Banning’s Future

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Video about Banning Homeless Encampment Goes Viral !

2/29/16 – A Youtube video showing the homeless occupying the abandoned Banning Business Center has gone viral. In only 2 months, the video has accumulated over 81,000 views, indicating that it has received a national audience.
The video shows the homeless improving the abandoned structures with makeshift living quarters, furniture, curtains, a door bell –  even a private strip club is part of the amenities!  – click here
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Mayor Art Welch’s Campaign Funding Followed Same Pattern As Corrupt Moyer + Franklin

– Campaign filings for Mayor Art Welch just received by the Banning Informer, now indicate that Welch’s campaign funding follows an almost identical pattern to that of his corrupt colleagues,  councilmembers George Moyer and Debbie Franklin.  – click here
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Corrupt Moyer, Franklin and Welch Continue to Destroy Banning – Low Quality Housing Project Given Green Light

2/15/16 – Here we go again ! Whatever is left of Banning’s future, corrupt Council members Moyer, Franklin and Welch are selling it out to the highest bidder at a record pace.  –  click here for the article
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EXCLUSIVE:  Explosive Demand Letter the City Refuses To Release

1/27/16 – During last night’s council session, City manager Michael Rock along with City Attorney Anthony Taylor, refused a request by 60-year Banning resident Frank Burgess to publicly read a demand letter by his attorney into the record. None of the City council members seemed to be aware of the existence of this letter nor its content. –  click here for the article
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Mayor Pro Tem George Moyer Accused Of Making Death Threats

1/22/16 – Police records obtained by the Banning Informer indicate that Mayor Pro Tem George Moyer has been under Police investigation for making death threats against one of his immediate neighbors in Sun Lakes. –  click here for the article
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Councilman Art Welch Becomes Mayor – By Voting For Himself !

12/14/15 – When was the last time you saw the Banning City council appoint a Mayor that did not have the support of all 5 councilmembers? This has not happened in decades – until now.

Reason: newly elected Mayor Art Welch is so controversial that he was unable to secure the votes of all councilmembers : Welch only became Mayor by voting for himself. –  click here for the article
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Another Utility Shocker : Sun Lakes Never Billed For $ 227,000 of Water Usage

11/5/15 – In case you wondered why your utility bills keep going through the roof, here is – at least partially – your answer : for as far back as 7 years, the City “forgot” to read several water meters in Sun Lakes. The result : $227,000 of water used in Sun Lakes was never billed.

….. and now the gated Country Club refuses to pay. –  click here for the article
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City Manager Used Valuable City Resources Trying to Generate a $ 20K Bonus – For Himself !

10/24/15 – In a highly controversial move, interim City manager Dean Martin has attempted to secure a $20K bonus for himself – and used City Staff to do his bidding.

Four members of the City council were in disagreement with Martin’s request and denied him the bonus. Seemingly sensing that he may get fired for what appears to be a self-serving, parasitic stunt, Martin has since called it a day and quit. –  click here for the article 
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Councilmember Lists 27 Accomplishments that Improved Banning

10/5/15 – More than once we all have heard criticism that this City council does not accomplish anything “positive”.

In an attempt to counter those critics, council member Ed Miller has compiled a list of 27 accomplishments of the current council. Are his points valid? – Let’s examine them one by one. –  click here for the article
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Police Chief Issues Press Release on Banning Shootings

click here
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Open Mike Catches Councilman Welch’s Attitude Towards Constituents

9/5/15 – At the Council meeting of August 25, following a heated debate about the infamous Probation Department Project for downtown Banning, an open mike has recorded Councilman Art Welch’s real feelings about democratic discourse, and about those who don’t agree with him.  –  click here for the article

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Banning Fire Museum – The Untold Story

8/21/15 – After having been provided with a City owned building free of charge for 4 years, “Fire Memories Museum” (FMM) has decided to leave Banning.

In this article we will examine the Museum’s legacy in Banning and what appears to be the background of their departure. Never reported by the local media, some of the details do not paint a pretty picture. –  click here for the article
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Will The City Council Defy The Will Of The People ?

8/2/15 – In the Federal, State and local political arenas alike, self-serving politicians often rule from the top down : with an attitude suggesting that “they know best” what’s good for us, those elected officials often make decisions that do not serve the interests of the public.

The latest developments regarding the Paseo San Gorgonio/Probation Department project appear to fall into this category. –  click here for the article
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Banning Water Utility Warns About Chromium6

7/24/15 –  Recently customers of the Banning Water Utility were notified about the presence of elevated levels of chromium6, a dangerous carcinogen, in the City’s water supply. Should we be alarmed ? And what are our options? –  click here for the article
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Councilman Ed Miller’s Bi-Monthly Council Reports – Now At The Banning Informer

5/19/15 – Lately, you may have enjoyed reading councilman Ed Miller’s regular bi-monthly Council reports, published in the Record Gazette. Presented factually and without political bias, Miller’s reports offer a much needed public service. Through his work, issues that are often not covered by the media are brought to the attention of the public.

Ed Miller says he was just notified by the Record Gazette that his Council reports will no longer be published. Miller states that the paper suggested he pay for publishing the material. –  click here for the article
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Police Chief Delivers Sobering Reality Check on Banning Policing

5/8/15 – In one of the most powerful Staff presentations in recent memory, Banning Police Chief Alex Diaz recently delivered a sobering reality check on the enormous challenges his Department is currently facing.

Diaz’ compelling presentation covers the shortfalls of under-staffing and, more importantly, the devastating effects of the early release of convicted criminals under AB-109. Also discussed are the effects of Proposition 47, which has turned some felony offenses into misdemeanors. –  click here for the article
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Moyer, Franklin elected – Measure “J” passes

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BANNING VOTER GUIDE

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CITY COUNCIL :    JERRY WESTHOLDER   (AS THE ONLY VOTE)

MEASURE “J” :        YES

MEASURE “AA” :      NO

SAN GORGONIO WATER – DIRECTOR AT LARGE :          RAY MORRIS

SAN GORGONIO WATER – DIRECTOR DIVISION 3 :         JOHN JETER

–  click here for the article
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Banning Bizarre: Attack of the Zombie Voters

10/6/14 – Things are heating up – with the elections near, proponents of the Debbie Franklin/ George Moyer camp have started a new Facebook page they call “Save Our Pass”. Their motto : “We need to stop negative campaign attacks in Banning & Beaumont”. Surprisingly, upon closer examination, even real zombies appear out of nowhere to join in on the discussion. –  click here for the article
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UTILITY SCANDAL : Banning Chamber Received $ 32,000 In Free Utilities

9/24/14 – During public session of August 12, Councilman Don Peterson released a true bombshell :  he asked City Manager Homer Croy for a formal explanation, why the Banning Chamber of Commerce has not made a utility payment in 7 years  ;  the Chamber currently owes over $ 32,000 in utility payments.

While many Banning residents cannot afford to run their a/c, the Banning Chamber of Commerce has been immune from such worries – at the cost of the rate paying public. –  click here for the article
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Mining Tax To Be Placed On November Ballot

7/22/14 – Did you know that there is a large mining operation within the City limits of Banning ?

Unknown to many, Robertson’s Ready Mix is mining aggregate on Banning’s East side – and they have done so without paying any fees to the City for years on end . This is now about to change : according to a new proposal before the Council, voters will get to decide whether the City should tax the mine. –  click here for the article
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Grand Jury Report Scrutinizes AB-109 Probation/Parole Impact 

6/20/14 – Previous warnings by Banning City Council members Jerry Westholder and Don Peterson about the new AB-109 Probation/Parole system seem to find confirmation in a new report by the Riverside County Grand Jury. –  click here for the article
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Did Public Works Director Promise Free Landscaping to Private Citizen ?

6/12/14 – A contractor for the City of Banning has come forward, complaining that Public Works director Duane Burk was unable to provide his daughter with what appears to be free landscaping for her new Banning home, due to the actions of the Banning City Council. –  click here for the article
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Probation Department Lease – a Result of Insider Dealings

5/24/14 – About 3 months ago, the Banning Informer broke the story that the Riverside County Probation Department was set to become the anchor tenant in the much acclaimed – and heavily subsidized – “Village at Paseo San Gorgonio” development , located on the former San Gorgonio Inn site. –  click here for the article
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A Closer Look at the Sheriff’s Race

5/20/14 – On June 3^rd, 2014, Riverside County voters will elect their Sheriff. Two candidates are on the ballot : incumbent Sheriff Stan Sniff and Sheriff Deputy Lt. Chad Bianco.

In many such elections the candidates are interchangeable and very much alike. Not so in this one : there is a world of difference between Sniff and Bianco.  –  click here for the article
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Mayor Franklin Accused of Causing Wrongful Death at Fire Museum Party

5/6/14 – A lawsuit filed in Riverside Superior Court accuses Mayor Debbie Franklin of having negligently caused the death of a Banning resident. Banning resident Pat Azarnoff blames the Mayor and the Fire Memories Museum for the death of her husband, 81 year old Roy Azarnoff, (Riverside case # RIC1308649 – view).

On August 25, 2012, Mayor Debbie Franklin held a lavish birthday party for her husband Roy at the taxpayer funded Fire Memories Museum, located at 5261 W. Wilson Street. The lawsuit alleges that about 80 guests were in attendance. –  click here for the article
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DA Paul Zellerbach under Criminal Investigation

4/24/14 –  District Attorney Paul Zellerbach is under criminal investigation : the Press Enterprise reports that he was seen pushing over his opponent Mike Hestrin’s sign in Indio – a criminal offense . If the County’s highest prosecutor himself commits a crime, do we have a problem? And what is he doing using a County vehicle to place his campaign signs ?

NOTE :  It should not surprise anyone that the following Banning “good-ole-boy” politicians endorse Zellerbach : Mayor Debbie Franklin, Council Member Art Welch, Ret. City Council Member Bob Botts  (source).  – click here for  PE article  

UPDATE :   Gas station surveillance video shows Zellerbach tampering with signs – view video
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Anonymous Letter Alleges Deep Rooted Corruption in Banning

4/10/14 – The City of Banning has received an anonymous letter alleging severe corruption and bribery by a City official.
Providing great detail, the letter accuses Public Works Director Duane Burk of severe improprieties and names Council member Art Welch and Mayor Franklin as being “part of (the) scam”.  –  click here for the article
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City Council Fires City Manager Takata Denying Any Severance Pay

3/26/14 – The Banning City Council says it finally “has lost confidence” in former City manager Andrew Takata . Takata had resigned on January 14, 2014, pending an agreement for remaining severance pay as provided by his contract.  –  click here for the article
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City Council Ready To Fire Out Of Control City Manager Takata ?

3/20/14 – As previously reported, City Manager Andrew Takata resigned on January 14, 2014, pending an agreement with the City for his remaining pay. Takata has since been on leave, but continues to receive his full salary of over $ 20,000 per month – plus benefits.

Recent developments appear to give grounds for speculation that Takata’s departure may no longer be uncontested nor amicable : three recent consecutive closed session agendas (view) have called for a discussion of “Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal : Position of City Manager”, so far without any reportable action being taken. The same item appears – now for the fourth time – on the upcoming closed session agenda for March 25, 2014 (view). This begs the question : is the City Council getting ready to terminate Andrew Takata for “cause’ ? –  click here for the article
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Letter to Banning’s Citizens from Council Member Jerry Westholder

2/22/14 –  click here to view letter
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New Police Chief Extends Department Opening Hours

2/7/14 – Taking immediate action as Banning’s newly appointed interim Police Chief,  Alex Diaz has re-opened the lobby of the Banning Police Department to the public : the new lobby hours will be 8 AM to 5 PM , Monday thru Thursday.

Ever since the new $15 million Police station opened exactly 4 years ago, former Police Chief Purvis ordered the doors to remain locked , except for 3 hours every Thursday. –  click here for the article
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Probation Department Becomes Anchor Tenant in Premier Downtown Development

2/5/14 –  $ 4 million in taxpayer dollars have already been spent by the City of Banning to secure the former San Gorgonio Inn site on Ramsey Street, with the declared intent to turn it into a prime retail and office complex named “Village at Paseo San Gorgonio”. The City took a $ 2.9 million loss in 2012, when they sold the 5 acre site to developer Art Pearlman for a mere $ 1 million – no money down (see previous story).

But today, two years later, no commercial tenants have signed up. Instead, the developer has signed a 15,000 sqft. office lease with the Riverside County Probation Department. Council member Don Peterson has gone public questioning the City’s direction in regards to this development. –  click here for the article
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City Manager Takata may have some Explaining to do

1/23/14 –  As reported last week,  Banning City Manager Andrew Takata has resigned from his position. But today, only a week after his resignation, new, very serious questions are emerging about Takata’s  background.

The City of Banning had responded to a Public Record request from December 2013, which asked for the contract and resume of Andrew Takata. Prior to Takata’s resignation the Banning Informer began to conduct a thorough verification of Takata’s resume – with rather shocking  results. –  click here for the article
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Controversial City Manager Andrew Takata Finally Resigns

1/16/14 –  As of  Tuesday, January 14, City manager Andrew Takata has tendered his resignation. Finance Director June Overholt will be acting as temporary City manager. There can be little doubt that on a personal level, many people liked Andrew Takata:  he was very personable, had a great sense of humor and was friendly to everyone.

But Takata was also highly controversial due to his unaccountable management style, lack of oversight and for being a reliable ally of Banning’s good-ole-boys.

Has Andrew Takata served the citizens of Banning well ? Or can the case made that during his 4 year term as City manager, Takata gave one of the worst performances of any City manager in recent memory ? Lets take a look at his record …. –  click here for the article
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Council member Don Peterson Cleared of  Wrongdoing

12/30/13 – As widely reported earlier this year, Police Chief Leonard Purvis had accused Council member Don Peterson

of misconduct, citing Peterson’s actions as the sole cause of him suffering from “severe anxiety” and “stress”. Purvis demanded $ 250,000 from the City in compensation (view claim).

Attorneys for Banning’s insurance carrier, ERMA (Employer Risk Management Authority – website ) have reviewed Purvis’ allegations.  In an email of  December 30, 2013, ERMA lead attorney Melanie M. Poturica issued a memorandum stating that there have been ” no findings of wrongdoing” against Don Peterson  in connection with the claim by Ex-Police Chief Leonard Purvis (view memorandum). –  click here for the article

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 CBS covers Banning’s Armored Military Combat Vehicle (MRAP) story :

12/18/13 – “City, police at odds over military vehicle – Banning City Council says it never approved”

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Unlicensed Banning Police Officer speeds, crashes Armored Military Combat Vehicle

11/22/13 – About 2 months ago, the Banning Informer broke the story about the secret acquisition of a controversial Armored Military Combat Vehicle (MRAP) by the Banning Police Department (view story). As it now turns out, while en route to Banning, the vehicle was involved in a severe accident on I-10. So far, this accident has resulted in over $ 42,000 in damage to the “self insured” Banning taxpayer.

To make matters worse, the driver of the vehicle, Banning PD Sergeant Joseph Karl Feola, did not possess a license to drive the 19 ton vehicle. Feola also exceeded the maximum speed for the vehicle allowed by the US Army. –  click here for the article
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Jerry Westholder appointed to City Council

11/20/13 – During last night’s session, the Banning City Council appointed Pastor Jerry Westholder to the Council. The unanimous vote for Westholder came after Council member Ed Miller had nominated Lyndon Taylor and after Council member Art Welch subsequently had nominated George Moyer. Both of those nominations failed to gain the required support from the Council. For more information on Jerry Westholder, including his resume, please refer to our previous post of 11/11/13.
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Six Candidates apply for Appointment to City Council

11/11/13 – Six candidates have applied to be considered for appointment to the Banning City Council. The Council had decided to make use of the appointment process in order to fill a vacancy created by Bob Botts’ recent abrupt resignation. The good news is that apparently none of the 6 candidates have ever held public office. This means that no matter who gets appointed, there will not be yet another ‘recycled’ politician appointed to the Council.–  click here for the article
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School Board Election results

11/6/13 – Martha Bederio and Jan Spann both win seats on the Banning School Board.

Appointed incumbent James C. Smith loses the election.  An article in the Banning Informer had previously exposed Smith as a deadbeat (view article) .
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City announces Appointment Process to fill vacant Council Seat

10/23/13 – With a vacancy on the City council created by the resignation of Bob Botts, the City of Banning today announced the procedural details for an appointment to the Council. Any registered voter within the City of Banning will be eligible to apply for appointment to the vacant Council seat. –  click here for the article
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Council Member Bob Botts resigns

10/9/13 – In a surprise move at the end of a 4 hour long council meeting, Bob Botts, obviously unhappy with the direction the council was taking, resigned – and walked out. In a brief statement Botts questioned whether the new City council had made any “positive decisions” for Banning during the last 9 months. See PE article here
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Police Chief Purvis out !

10/8/13 – The controversy involving Banning Police Chief Purvis appears to be coming to an end. Effective Saturday, October 5, Purvis is on “voluntary paid leave”.

While details about his departure are still sketchy, it is reasonable to conclude that this move is directly related to him filing a $ 250,000 claim against the City for “severe anxiety and stress” (see previous story).

The Banning Informer has learned that Purvis lost the support of his own officers back in early August, when the Banning Police Officers Association (BPOA) voted  unanimously for “New Leadership” in the Police Department, essentially giving Purvis a vote of “no confidence”.  We will keep you posted as further details emerge …..
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Deadbeat School Board Candidate owes Banning Taxpayers over $ 80k

10/4/13 – Should you run for public office if you personally owed the taxpayer tens of thousands of dollars ? With the School Board elections approaching, one School Board candidate apparently seems to think so : incumbent candidate James C. “Jim” Smith is asking for your vote, while at the same time he owes the City of Banning over $ 80,000. In addition, several other creditors are standing in line to get paid as well . –  click here for the article
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Police Chief acquires Armored Military Combat Vehicle

9/22/13 – Has Banning had a problem with roadside bombs lately?

That is what you would think, looking at the latest acquisition of the Banning Police Department :  a 19 ton armored military combat vehicle. With its 50 caliber machine gun turret on top, this killing machine was designed to eliminate Al-Quaida insurgents in Afghanistan, while providing ample protection against roadside bombs. –  click here for the article
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Is City Manager Takata running Banning into the ground ?

9/16/13 – A key component in the success of any City lies in its appearance and the way it is kept. Many Banning residents have complained that the City lacks proper maintenance and upkeep, executes extremely poor planning and does not effectively enforce City code.

We took a tour of Banning to see for ourselves, and here is what we found :    click here for the article
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Rezoning Scandal : Councilman Bob Botts closely tied to Developer Partner

9/5/13 –  .Almost daily, more and more ugly details emerge about the highly controversial Housing Element rezoning issue. In this article we will take a closer look at Developer Jeffrey Burum, who is currently under indictment in the largest  bribery scandal ever to hit San Bernardino County. Our focus will also be directed at Councilman Bob Botts and his close ties to a key player in this ongoing saga. So fasten your seat belts as we follow the money and connect the dots. – click here for the article
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Smoking Gun : City Staff Deceives Public In Order To Pass Controversial Rezoning

8/26/13 – Facing unprecedented public protest, on July 23, 2013 the Banning City Council approved the highly controversial Housing Element rezoning. According to City Staff, the size of the new VHDR (Very High Density Residential) area was to be 26 acres, located on the corner of Sunset Avenue and Bobcat Drive.

A thorough review by the Banning Informer has uncovered that the true size of the VHDR rezoned area was severely misrepresented : it is not 26  but 60.35 acres ! – more than twice the size of what the public was made to believe! – click here for the article
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Police Chief Purvis helped Convicted Felon receive lesser Sentence

7/27/13 – Public perception of the Police is that they make sure that criminals are convicted and punished. Not so in the City of Banning, where – in one particular case – the Police Chief came to a convicted felon’s rescue : Documents obtained by the Banning Informer show that in late 2010, Chief Purvis used his office to personally aid a convicted felon in receiving a lesser jail sentence. – click here for the article
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Banning Police Chief says he suffers from “severe anxiety” and “stress”  – files $ 250,000 claim against City

7/19/13 – On July 1, 2013, Banning Police Chief Leonard Purvis filed a $ 250,000 claim against the City of Banning, i.e. its taxpayers. Purvis says he is suffering from “severe anxiety” and “stress”. Usually, Police officers make these types of claims because they are traumatized by what happens to them on the street.

But Chief Leonard Purvis does not work the streets – he sits in a comfortable office – day in and day out. Purvis says his “severe anxiety” and “stress” were solely caused by the actions of one City Council member (view Purvis’ claim). We contacted Chief Purvis via email to ask for his comments about this matter. He did not respond. – click here for the article
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Out of Control  : City Employee Take-Home Vehicles

6/7/13 – When it comes to getting to and from work, average Americans are expected to pay for their own transportation. However, in the City of Banning the taxpayer pays for 16 City employees to drive to and from work every day.

 A detailed review of the City’s take-home vehicle practices reveals profound violations of existing written policies and almost a complete lack of accountability on part of City management. – click here for the article
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Federal Agents raid offices of Banning Airport Developer

4/30/13 – The offices of Highland Fairview in Moreno Valley were searched today by Federal Agents. The search is said to be part of an ongoing political corruption investigation focusing on Moreno Valley and also involved the searches of the homes of all 5 Moreno Valley City Council members. As of today, no charges have been filed.– click here for the article
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Cap & Trade arrives in Banning : Electric Rates to Skyrocket

.4/12/13 – Starting May 1, Banning’s electric rate payers will face a 12 % increase in their electric utility rates. Just like with Banning’s water utility, it is huge amounts of debt that continue to take their toll on rate payers. In the mid 2000s, previous City Councils loaded up the (then debt free) City with over $ 110 million in new bond  debt – all without the vote of the people (story) .

Another reason for the increase, other than inflation,  is “cap & trade”.  – click here for the article

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Council member proposes to extend public comment time

3/23/13 – In an unprecedented move to ensure the right of the public to comment, newly elected Council member Ed Miller is proposing to extend the public comment time from 3 to 5 minutes .  – click here for the article
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City finally evicts Cultural Alliance for non-payment of rent

2/25/13 – City manager Andy Takata on February 13, 2013 asked the Banning Cultural Alliance to pay rent or receive an eviction notice for non-payment of rent on the City owned art gallery located on 130 N. San Gorgonio Avenue. In response, the Cultural Alliance is said to have opted to vacate the property within 30 days.

Under the lease agreement (view) the Cultural Alliance was obligated to pay rent since September of 2010 but – protected by the previous City Council (Barbara Hanna, Don Robinson and Bob Botts) – got away with never paying a single dime – until today. The City manager’s actions are the first shreds of hard evidence that the tides are finally turning in Banning and accountability is being restored. – click here for the article
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Is the San Gorgonio Hospital getting ready to suck taxpayers dry ?

1/26/13 – Another huge bond measure may soon be on the horizon. In a presentation before the Banning City Council on January 22, Mark Turner, CEO of the San Gorgonio Hospital alluded to the possibility that there may be an additional $ 185 million needed from Pass area taxpayers. The funds are earmarked for a new patient tower – the same tower that was promised long ago – but was never built.

In 2006, the hospital had secured a $ 108 million bond for this purpose – to build the tower (Measure A) . But due to horrendous mismanagement the taxpayer did not get what they paid for. In 2012, the Riverside County Grand Jury investigated the hospital and issued a report, citing mismanagement of the project among many other major issues, (view report). – click here for the article
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Ousted Ex-Mayor Don Robinson may have a lot of explaining to do

12/15/12 –  Banning voters have finally kicked out Banning’s self absorbed Mayor, Don Robinson – he has lost the election.

But his cronies, the Banning good-old-boys, were right there to catch his fall : they selected Robinson – who is a confirmed check bouncer (story) – to take over as paid Executive Director of the Banning Chamber of Commerce (which is independent and not affiliated with City government). And – no surprise – the Chamber  refuses to disclose his salary. Who says we need transparency and accountability ? After all, this is Banning !

As we have documented on this website over and over again, Don Robinson is by far the greatest con-artist the City of Banning has ever seen. He has lied under oath about his military record, has written several bad checks to the City of Banning, failed to pay his property taxes for years and gave away hundreds of thousands to his cronies at the Banning Cultural Alliance. But wait, there is more….  –click here for the article
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UPDATE  11/27 – Registrar of Voters certifies election results:

Don Peterson , Art Welch and Ed Miller elected to Banning City Council

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Demario Jackson acquitted

11/1/12 – After a 2 week trial, followed by 2 days of deliberation, a Riverside jury has acquitted Demario Jackson of murder in the shooting death of Beaumont resident Andy Albarran,46. Jackson’s attorney, Susanne Cho, had argued that her client acted in self defense.  Prior to the incident, the Banning City Council had given Demario Jackson a $ 550,000 loan which was never repaid. – click here for the article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE : Amid public outcry, City Council decides to reject “Speaker Cards” in 10/23 session

Coming in below the Radar : “SPEAKER CARDS”

10/21/12 – Will next Tuesday effectively mark the end of Free Speech in the City of Banning ? At a time when the public is focused on the upcoming elections, an unexpected threat emerges :  disguised as a new “Procedure Manual” and deceptively placed on the “consent calendar”, “Speaker Cards” are here to shut you up – once and for all !  – click here for the article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DUI Police Reports Contradict Buchanan Statements

10/14/12 – As it turns out, Idaho Court records tell quite a different story from what Banning candidate Adam Buchanan wants the public to believe.  Now, for the first time, Banning Informer readers will have access to the police reports on both Buchanan DUIs, as well as other important Court documents. – click here for the article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ELECTION SCANDAL : Court records show City Council Candidate Adam Buchanan is a convicted criminal and a Fugitive from Justice

.. . 9/17/12– 23 year old Adam Buchanan is a new face on Banning’s political scene : Only a couple of months ago, he moved here from Idaho and is now running for Banning City Council. Two weeks ago, Buchanan received the endorsements of “good-old-boy” Council members Bob Botts and Barbara Hanna. It did not take long for Mayor Don Robinson to soon follow suit . Court documents obtained by the Banning Informer indicate that Adam Buchanan is a Fugitive from Justice who is evading arrest from the State of Idaho. Buchanan has a criminal record which includes convictions for two DUI’s within the last 12 months. Buchanan was also convicted of carrying a concealed weapon without permit and charged with possession of a controlled substance and driving on a suspended license. – click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mayor and Council OK buying risky Mortgage Backed Securities – with your money !

8/30/12 – This is hard to believe, but true : High yield/high risk Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) are the latest “investment” the City will engage in on behalf of the taxpayer. Last Tuesday Mayor Don Robinson, along with the Council,  approved a measure by which up to 60 % of the City’s last remaining cash reserves can be “invested” in MBS. –  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Remarkable new candidate for Banning City Council

8/1/12 – In Banning, the good-old-boys (and-girls) have been in control of City Hall for years. Irreversible damage has been done by Mayor Don Robinson, Barbara Hanna and Bob Botts and the last thing Banning needs is for the old guard to continue a status quo of corruption. In the upcoming November elections, however, Banning’s political landscape may finally change  : Enter Don M. Peterson, retired Police Sergeant, Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient. –  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grand Jury faults San Gorgonio Hospital for unaccountability and failures

7/12/12 – The Riverside County Grand Jury has issued a report (view) that faults the San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital District for lack of organizational transparency, mismanagement of $ 108 million in bond proceeds and poor performance when compared to other hospitals.  Furthermore, the Grand Jury finds there to be overall unaccountability : they were unable to ascertain how tax dollars are spent at the District. –  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here we go again : Cultural Alliance receives yet another $ 225,000 !

6/4/12 – Having already received over $ 1.3  million in taxpayer dollars is apparently not enough to satisfy the never ending greed of Banning’s mega-parasite, the Banning Cultural Alliance. Adding insult to injury, the City of Banning will now give them yet another $ 225,000 to remodel an art gallery located on 130 N. San Gorgonio Ave. We had warned about this more than 2 years ago (story). The gallery building is owned by the City and is leased to the Cultural Alliance. The money will come from bond proceeds. –  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Banning Cultural Alliance” –  a Cancer on the Community

4/26/12 – In any corrupt City, conveniently there is always a “charity” at hand which receives millions in City funding. In the City of Bell it was the “Steelworkers Oldtimers Foundation”, run by former Bell Mayor George Cole , that received over $ 2.6 in cash while providing no benefit to Bell’s citizens. Likewise, in Banning it is the “Banning Cultural Alliance”, founded by former Mayors Bob Botts and given its initial public funding by former Mayor Art Welch, that takes on an almost identical role : over the last 5 years the Cultural Alliance has received about $ 1.3 million in City funding – and also has nothing of value to show for in return. Most of the money remains unaccounted for and most if not all of the Alliance’ assignments have been total failures. Today, with the City being out of money and despite the Riverside Grand Jury asking the Council to “cease and desist” doing business with Cultural Alliance (view report),  City Council support continues unabated: The latest financial shenanigans benefiting the Cultural Alliance include the City’s failure to  collect over $ 32,000 in past due rent from the Cultural Alliance and committing even more taxpayer funding .–  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EDITORIAL : Blatant Lies and Measure “D”

by Lyndon Taylor 4/7/12 – The current political propaganda associated with Measure “D” states that “Measure “D” won’t increase Your Taxes”!  This is an outrageous lie!  –  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hospital : Registrar’s Official Ballot contains advocacy letter !

4/5/12 – With Measure “D”, Pass area voters are currently asked to decide whether they want to be taxed for the San Gorgonio Hospital’s emergency services. Official Ballots sent out by the Riverside Registrar of Voters – an office that is supposed to remain unbiased and neutral – contain  a cover letter (view) by the Hospital District’s CEO, Mark Turner. The letter makes incorrect and misleading statements, as it appears to engage in advocacy for  Measure “D”, while failing to disclose material facts.  –  click here for the article

2/27/12 – Where Did All the Money Go, or How to Waste Tax Money Without Really Trying! by Lyndon Taylor –  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ UPDATE : Grand Jury has discontinued its investigation into the oil spill for lack of evidence

Grand Jury investigating City of Banning – again !

2/7/12 – The Banning City Clerk has confirmed that the Riverside County Grand Jury has recently contacted City Hall. Their latest investigation appears to focus on possible foul play in connection with a mysterious “oil spill” in Banning, which cost the taxpayer over $ 1.8 million to clean up (see previous story). Experts as well as a whistle blower (story) had previously documented serious concerns about the veracity of the billing. This marks the second Grand Jury investigation of the City of Banning in just 2 years. Their previous report contained rather devastating findings about the City’s operations (view). Undoubtedly, an ongoing Grand Jury investigation is always very big news. But the main stream media – once again – remains completely silent on the subject. Why ? Are they trying to cover things up for a corrupt Banning City Hall ? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Whistle blower alleges Oil Spill Foul Play

1/24/12 – A subcontractor hired during last year’s oil spill cleanup has come forward and has blown the whistle on the $ 1.8 million oil spill cleanup bill. On November 8, 2011, the City council had unanimously authorized paying the highly controversial bill in full. In a lawsuit filed on January 20, 2012 (view), Robert Cruz, d.b.a. Cruz Concrete, claims that cleanup contractor HCI billed the City for “hours not worked and services not rendered”, and that HCI marked up his invoice by as much as 287 %. –  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taxpayer loses over $ 2.8 Million on San Gorgonio Inn

1/16/12– Banning’s five geniuses on the City council have done it again : after losing millions on projects like All Star Dodge, the Haven Coffee House, the Banning Business Center, an art gallery and on useless land acquisitions, they just sold the San Gorgonio Inn site at a loss of $ 2.8 Million. But what else would you expect from a  City council that felt it was a great idea to loan over $ 500,000 to murder suspect Demario Jackson, only to find out that he defaulted on the deal ?  –  click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“RECLAIMED WATER”  – an analysis   –  Part 3 of 3

by Lyndon Taylor .12/22/11 – “FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF RECLAIMED WATER” – click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bob Botts : “Progress” anyone ?

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9/15/10 – With his re-election campaign already underway, Bob Botts claims that we should vote for him so we can continue our “Progress”.

Doesn’t he know that Banning is facing one major crisis after another ? Or is Bob Botts just trying to insult the intelligence of Banning voters ?

.Here is a reality check :  the following 10 examples go to illustrate some of the “Progress” Bob Botts has created :

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“Progress” # 1 :  Utility Rates out of control  – City in fiscal crisis

Botts’ fiscally irresponsible policies cause a major financial crisis and force City Staff  to propose water rates to rise up to 75 % over the next 5 years (view chart).  As of  9/14/10 the issue remains unresolved.

One of the problems : on June 24, 2008, Bob Botts with the rest of the Council votes to spend 15 million dollars of water bond money on the new “Taj Mahal” police station ( construction cost over $ 500/sqft.). The bond was placed in 2005 without the vote of the people and spending it on a police station violates constitutional law (Prop. 218) – view story. If this money would have not been spent, no shortfall would have occurred in the Banning water utility. As a consequence of the spending, interest payments now begin to overwhelm the  City’s finances.

Massive rises in electric rates are also part of Botts’ legacy. Since Botts was elected in 2006, City Hall is now closed on Fridays, massive layoffs of City employees have reduced services to a bare minimum, talks of closing the Senior Center,  Community Center and swimming pool are all evidence of fiscal mismanagement. Yet at the same time , Bob Botts orders a $ 65 filet mignon and charges it to the taxpayer (receipt) ; he also repeatedly stays at luxury hotels and uses Valet Parking (story).

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“Progress” # 2 : Buying property without appraisal

In 2009, Botts along with the other 4 Council members vote to purchase the defunct All Star Dodge dealership for $ 1,200,000 without an appraisal. The Grand Jury faulted the Council for this (see report), but ALL Council members replied that they WILL CONTINUE to buy property without appraisals (view reply) ( full story)  !

Amount spent  : $ 1,200,000

Estimated loss to taxpayer : $ 600,000 +

Monthly payment on Promissory Note : $ 7,307.60

Jobs created : 0

Sales Tax revenue generated : none   – no property tax revenue due to City ownership.

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“Progress” # 3 : Accounting Irregularities discovered

During Botts’ term, independent auditors find “significant deficiencies” in the City’s accounting for FY 08/09. The audit ( view ) also indicates that account balances for the General Fund and Redevelopment Fund had to be “restated”. Translation : money has disappeared from the City’s coffers and nobody has any idea where it went.

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“Progress” # 4 : Ignoring  Grand Jury Recommendations

In February of 2010 the Riverside County Grand Jury issues a report on Banning (view). Botts, Hanna and Robinson ignore the Grand Jury’s recommendations. They waive a valid claim for repayment of $ 162,000 + interest ( = apprx. $ 180,000) against the Banning Cultural Alliance.  They also ignore further Grand Jury recommendations to “cease and desist” doing business with the Banning Cultural Alliance and instead give them even more money ! – another $ 111,500 went to the Cultural Alliance only 2 months ago ( story ).

Cost to the taxpayer in 2010 alone : about $ 300,000 – Total funds paid to Cultural Alliance to date:  almost One Million Dollars, with no comprehensive accounting available for the vast majority of this money !

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“Progress” # 5 :  “Art” instead of Jobs

In 2008 Botts buys an art gallery with taxpayer money. Price tag : $ 450,000 . The City vastly overpaid – the building is pretty much a piece of junk. Botts now has authorized money for an architect to draw plans for a complete remodel of the gallery  – anticipated additional cost to taxpayers : between $ 250,000 and $ 500,000 ( story )

Estimated loss to taxpayer : $ 250,000 to date

Jobs created : 1

Tax revenue created : No significant tax revenue from sales ; no property tax revenue due to City ownership

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“Progress” # 6 : Key industry leaves town

Between 700 and 900 jobs are lost when the Deutsch plant closes in 2009. Deutsch was Banning’s largest private industry employer.  No redevelopment funds were used to keep the plant in Banning. Since Botts took office, Banning utility rates have skyrocketed ; with  rates 30 % higher than surrounding communities, Banning can no longer compete.

Jobs lost : 700-900

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“Progress” # 7 :  Spending millions on useless land – without any plan whatsoever

Botts loses at least 2 million dollars in  taxpayer money after he and the rest of the Council purchase  40 acres of unimproved land at the airport for $ 2,854,550.00 in 2007 (  source /Scharff property / APN 532-130-008).

Botts , nor anyone on the Council,  ever had a plan for this land : it is just as useless today as it was on the day he bought it.  The property once belonged the developers of a (failed) drag strip project. Who benefited from this outrageous transaction ?

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Amount spent : $ 2,854,550

Estimated loss to taxpayer : $ 2,000,000 +

Jobs created : 0

Tax revenue generated : none ; no property tax revenue due to City ownership.

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“Progress” # 8 :  Bringing us the Liberty Energy  toxic sludge  Incinerator

Botts threatened the health and safety of Banning residents when he tried to bring us the Liberty Energy Sludge Incinerator project. He spends $ 430,798 in taxpayer money to purchase land for the project to locate on ( source / seller : Banning Airport Assoc., APN 532-180-034 ). Again, there was no appraisal.

This shows that he  – and the entire City Council at the time ( Botts, Salas, Hanna, Machisic, Franklin ) – were all in favor of bringing this insane project to Banning. Only due to the leadership of Ed Miller and Lyndon Taylor could the project be stopped when over 4,300 signatures were collected against it. However, the citizens of Banning now are stuck with yet another useless piece of land that creates no revenue whatsoever – with no plan whatsoever.

Amount spent  : $ 430,798

Estimated loss to taxpayer : $ 230,000

Jobs created : 0

Sales Tax revenue generated : none  : no property tax revenue due to City ownership.

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“Progress” # 9 : Allowing Haven Coffee to operate without any permits ; 1.2 million in taxpayer dollars spent on the location

Botts , along with Hanna, Robinson and Machisic, funded the building as well as the Haven coffee business with a total of approximately 1.2 Million dollars in taxpayer money. No credit checks, references or personal guarantees were ever obtained. Botts knew that the Haven opened and continued to operate without any of the required permits : there was no health permit, no safety inspection and no business license ( story ).

But Botts pushed for the opening anyway – he apparently figured that the average voter would never find out.  He was wrong. The taxpayer’s total return on investment (ROI) on 1.2 million spent : one job *! (the Haven is volunteer operated *)

Amount spent : $ 1,200,000

Jobs created : 1

Sales Tax generated : no significant sales tax revenue

* according to a Press Enterprise article of September 10, 2010, the Haven now is no longer volunteer operated – however, claims of creation of additional jobs could not be verified

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“Progress” # 10 :  The “Banning Business Center”

The Banning Business Center is a 150,000 sqft commercial project that is located on 4^th and Lincoln St.. On November 28, 2006 the City of Banning funded the project with $ 500,000 in taxpayer money. Since that time the project has remained unfinished ; the 2-story structure has no windows and weeds are now engulfing the property everywhere.

At the time the project was represented by Michael Bracken, the same individual who also acted as President of Liberty Energy 23 (sludge incinerator). During Bob Botts’ entire 4 year term the project was never completed (no building code or OPA contract enforcement). Banning  taxpayers are now faced with a loss of their entire investment in the Banning Business Center ( $ 500,000). Botts – and the rest of the Council – failed to safeguard the investment.

Amount spent  : $ 500,000

Loss to taxpayer : $ 500,000

Jobs created : 0

Sales Tax revenue generated : none

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CONCLUSION : Botts so-called “progress” has cost the taxpayer millions and has enriched special interest groups who received millions in City funding . Seeing his chances for re-election diminishing, Botts is now trying to sell the voters a bill of goods : “Progress” anyone ?

Seven Candidates for City Council on November Ballot

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8/11/10 – Come November, the seats of Council member/Mayor Bob Botts and Council member Debbie Franklin are up for grabs – their term will expire. A total of 7 candidates for City Council will appear on the November ballot. Because there are two vacant seats, each voter will have two votes.

Each candidate was allowed to submit a 200 word Ballot Statement which is to be published in the official November ballot pamphlet. The Banning Informer has obtained all November Ballot Statements  –  they are posted below.

The candidates – in alphabetical order   :

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. BOB BOTTS

Ballot Statement : Click here to view Bob Botts’  ballot statement

Articles : for all Banning Informer articles referring to Bob Botts click here

Occupation : City Council member/retired business man   –  website : www.bobbotts.com
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.PERRY BRAY

Ballot Statement : no ballot statement submitted

Articles : the Banning Informer has no articles on this candidate

Note : Perry Bray ran for City Council in the 2008 elections  and finished last
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.VICTOR G. EDINBURGH

Ballot Statement : Click here to view Victor Edinburgh’s ballot statement

Articles : the Banning Informer has no articles on this candidate

Occupation : Education Administrator    Curriculum Vitae -view
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.DEBBIE FRANKLIN

Ballot Statement : Click here to view Debbie Franklin’s ballot statement

Articles : for all Banning Informer articles referring to Debbie Franklin click here

Occupation : City Council member   –  website : http://debbiefranklin4u.com
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.CHRIS McCALLUM

Ballot Statement : no ballot statement submitted

Articles : the Banning Informer has no articles on this candidate

Occupation : owner, “Dream Makers Specialty Limousine Service”, Banning
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. EDWARD MILLER

Ballot Statement : Click here to view Edward Miller’s ballot statement

Articles : no Banning Informer articles available ;  article on the Liberty sludge incinerator project click here , video here , KCAA radio appearance on 3/3/2010 here

Occupation :  retired , Doctorate in Engineering Science
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.LYNDON TAYLOR

Ballot Statement : Click here to view Lyndon Taylor’s ballot statement

Articles : for all Banning Informer articles referring to Lyndon Taylor click here ; for video click here, six KCAA radio appearances, available in  “Radio Shows” archives top left of this page

Occupation : Planner, PhD in Planning and Management, Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Biology with a minor in Chemistry, Master’s Degree in Biochemistry – website : www.taylor4banning.com

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Bob Botts : Banning’s greatest liability   . –  an editorial by Lyndon Taylor

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6/18/10 – I read with amazement a recent article in the Record Gazette announcing that Bob Botts is running for re-election to the Banning City Council, and collecting money to further his cause.

This is the same Bob Botts who championed the Liberty Energy Project and threatened the health and safety of every citizen of the greater Banning area.

This is the same Bob Botts who only turned away from Liberty Energy after the citizens of this community challenged the City Council by circulating a petition with over 4,300 signatures which then made it impossible for Botts to pursue the project.

This is the same Bob Botts who most recently led the City Council in ignoring the recommendations of the Grand Jury to stop funneling taxpayer money to the Banning Cultural Alliance. (view Grand Jury report)

This is the same Bob Botts who ignored the recommendation of the Grand Jury to demand that the Cultural Alliance pay back to the City $ 162,000 (plus interest) for work the Alliance never accomplished, while at the same time threatening to close the Senior Center, the swimming pool, and other civic facilities.

This is the same Bob Botts, who, with colleagues on the Community Redevelopment Agency, purchased property using taxpayer money with no appraisal prior to purchase.

This is the same Bob Botts who has ignored the needs of the eastern portion of Banning while lavishing money on the downtown area in highly questionable projects.

This is the same Bob Botts who misused (i.e. stole) bond funds earmarked for the Sun Lakes reclaimed water project and spent them on a $ 14 M police station in violation of the California Constitution ( Prop. 218),(view Banning Informer article of 3/20/10).

This is the same Bob Botts, who, as Mayor, had oversight of the City’s general fund that was found by the auditors to have significant deficiencies and misstatements.

This is the same Bob Botts who has – so far – ignored the considerable needs of the City of Banning for a reopened Animal Shelter.

This is the same Bob Botts who publically chastises members of the public who do not happen to agree with him by arrogantly suggesting they  ” leave the room” ,(view recent Banning Informer article of  6/10/10).

This is also the same Bob Botts who has so little regard for the financial condition of Banning that he orders a $65 steak dinner and charges it to the City while favoring the layoffs of City Staff and maybe even police officers ( listen to “PASS POLITICS” radio show of 2/10/10 and view Banning Informer article  of 2/1/10)

This is the same Bob Botts who was reported to have held secret closed-door meetings with the Cultural Alliance with some of his fellow City Council members ( a fact which he vehemently denies) , with the public not invited, without a report of what happened at the meeting, or why they were being held (view Banning Informer article of 4/1/10 ) .

All things considered, does it take courage or just sheer arrogance for Bob Botts to even consider re-election?

In view of all of this, does  anyone – other than the Banning Cultural Alliance – still believe that Bob Botts constitutes an asset to our community ? I believe there can be no doubt that Bob Botts is Banning’s greatest  liability.

“Curiouser and Curiouser !” . . –  an editorial by Lyndon Taylor

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6/1/10 – A line spoken by Alice in Wonderland could not be more apt for present day Banning!

Just when you thought Banning couldn’t get more bizarre, something else happens!

What’s the latest you may ask?

The San Gorgonio Rotary Club, in an attempt to confound the American tradition of free speech and expression, has apparently decided in their infinite wisdom to kick out one of their members, Victor Dominguez, for speaking his mind before the Banning City Council!  It is important to note that they have not offered another reason for taking this action, and Victor believes that this is the Rotary’s motivator in their decision.

Now just in case the Rotary Club isn’t aware of it, or perhaps doesn’t believe in it, Free Speech is a tradition in America, it dates back to pre-revolutionary days and has been the subject of numerous conflicts throughout our history. Censorship and repression of individual freedom, on the other hand, has always been viewed with distain and is a huge “no no”!

As a review, as stated in the 1st and 14th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, the freedom to express information, ideas, and opinions free of government restrictions based on content is deeply woven into the fabric of our Nation.  A modern legal test of the legitimacy of proposed restrictions on freedom of speech was stated in the opinion by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. in Schenk v. U.S. (1919): a restriction is legitimate only if the speech in question poses a “clear and present danger” — i.e., a risk or threat to safety or to other public interests that is serious and imminent. It is the liberty to express opinions and ideas without hindrance, and especially without fear of punishment.

According to the Record Gazette article of May 28, it seems the Club Secretary and Treasurer, Larry Higgins, appears to have decided that enough liberty was enough, and this free speech business had to be brought to an abrupt halt!  After all, Dominguez had spoken out in public during the “public comments” portion of a recent City Council meeting with concerns about closing the senior center and other City facilities, a need for continued Council support of the Police Department, and comments critical of City Councilman Don Robinson.

Apparently, speaking out during the City Council meetings about the needs of the City is getting on the Council’s nerves, particularly after the trauma of their self-imposed Liberty Energy disaster, with all of the free speech that went on at that time. Plainly put, some of the Council simply can’t take it anymore! Apparently, some of the Council’s buddies on the Rotary Club don’t like this freedom of individual expression business any more than the Council does. Adding to all this, by some strange coincidence, Don Robinson’s wife just happens to be a member of the same Rotary Club that ousted Dominguez!  An equally amazing coincidence is that the Mayor of Banning, Bob Botts, who has been the subject of some of Dominguez’s comments, is also a member of that same Rotary Club.  Draw you own conclusions on that one!

Two of the Four Tests touted by the Rotary Club include truth and fairness, one could ask them if truth and fairness was involved regarding the ouster of Dominguez, or were they being true and fair to some other issue, cause or individual? .

. City Issues Official Response to Grand Jury

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UPDATED  7/6/10 – The City of Banning has now filed their official response to the Grand Jury report . The response cover letter (view) states clearly that the City has no intention following the Grand Jury’s recommendations.

In particular, the City indicates that they do NOT concur with the Grand Jury’s finding that the Banning Cultural Alliance has to return $ 162,000.00 to the taxpayer. The same response is provided in regards to the “cease and desist” recommendation which the City indicates they will NOT comply with .

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CHAIRMAN DON ROBINSON AVOIDS SIGNING THE RESPONSE LETTER

It is noteworthy that the response is signed by City Manager Andrew Takata , not the Chairman of the Banning Redevelopment

Agency, Don Robinson, whose City Agency is  the subject of the Grand Jury probe ; one would think the issue would be important enough for the Chairman, Don Robinson, to step up to the plate and personally sign the response.

But this was not the case.  You may ask : why ?  The answer is simple : the Banning Redevelopment Agency is headed by a Chairman who – according to public record – owes back  property taxes going back all the way to 2005 ( see previous story) . This makes Don Robinson the only elected official in the entire City of Banning who is delinquent on his taxes.

Robinson , being the taxdodger that he is , apparently did not have the guts to sign the document himself ; after all, the agency’s response –  in essence –   paves the way for giving away about $ 300,000 of our tax dollars *, while at the same time Robinson owes somewhere around $ 23,000 in property taxes to the taxpaying community. It seems Robinson did not want for the public to connect those dots.

(* approximately $ 300,000  to the Cultural Alliance are being immediately affected by this response letter : $ 162,000 + interest for 3 years + the recently awarded $ 111,500 for the Alliance) .

Conclusion : Robinson is a coward for hiding behind City staff and for using the City manager to sign the response for him.

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NOTE: The entire City Response (122 pages)  is available for download here. The City’s position, however, can be easily ascertained by just reading the 2 page cover letter (view).  For the Grand Jury report click here .

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original article by Lyndon Taylor :

It’s official : four Council members defy the Grand Jury

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5/13/10 – Arrogance, a lack of interest in the welfare of the city, self- serving decision-making, and a lack of stewardship for the financial interests of the city seems to be the hallmark of the Banning City Council. The most recent example of this is the City Council’s decision, cloaked behind the CRA agenda to ignore the recommendations of the recent Grand Jury Report ( click here to view ) and essentially thumb their collective noses at both the Riverside Grand Jury and the citizens of Banning. This is both an insult to the Grand Jury process and an insult to Banning. Understand clearly that the recommendations of the Grand Jury were carefully thought out, carefully researched and in the context of the operations of other similar governmental units.

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ON 5/11/10 THESE FOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTED TO IGNORE THE GRAND JURY’S RECOMMENDATIONS :

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By ignoring these recommendations the Council will continue to funnel taxpayer dollars to the Banning Cultural Alliance who will then squander the funds in any way they see fit, without controls and without the oversight of the people!

The Council is also making it clear that they may continue to purchase property without the benefit of a prior appraisal. This is a disastrous way to do business and holds the potential for wasting hundreds of thousands of tax dollars. It also demonstrates the lack of business skills possessed by the Council.

A third response by the City Council to the Grand Jury’s recommendations is to not require the Cultural Alliance to return the $162,000 ( plus interest) in money paid by the city to the Alliance and never rewarded by the Alliance’s service to Banning. One can only wonder where that money went or who might have been enriched by those taxpayer funds!

Citizens of Banning: In an era of tight City budgets, potential layoffs of police personnel, potential closure of the 3 year old,  million dollar municipal pool, the Community Center and the Senior Center because the Council has spent like crazy for the past several years and now have to take drastic measures, and even the closure of our Animal Shelter, can you support a run-away irresponsible Council such as this? The time is right to again fill the Council chamber and voice you concerns and displeasure with Council actions.

The action to totally ignore the recommendations of the Grand Jury by Botts, Hanna, Machisic and Robinson is reprehensible and should give the people in our city cause to question their fitness for public service. These actions should be dealt with now and remembered in the fall elections.

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Council Meeting Of January 12, 2016:

A grant to the Banning Police Department for $10,000 from the year 2016 Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Allocation was approved. This grant is given directly to the City, and no City funds are required. The grant funds will be used to:

1. Begin evaluating body cameras for police officers to wear while on duty.
2. Upgrade the system which permits patrol vehicles to wirelessly download their video of operations.
3. Improve the data and evidence storage systems of the department.

The Council approved $23,010 to improve the equipment for the State 911Emergency system. These funds will be reimbursed later by the State 911 Emergency Communication Branch for the full amount.

Our city Attorney Lona Laymon has resigned, and interviews were held with applicants for the position. Anthony R. Taylor was approved as the Banning City Attorney. He is a partner in the same law firm as Ms. Laymon.

The Banning Business Center at 649 W. Lincoln Street has not been properly maintained, weeds have not been removed, windows not boarded up, homeless people have been living there, and several dangerous fires have occurred in that location. The Center was repurchased as separate parcels by three different owners, and it has been impossible to get sufficient monitoring of the property. The Council approved starting negotiations to place the Center into receivership, which is the first step to require better code enforcement or demolishing the Center.

Any large project requires an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The developer of the project is required to pay for this report. The City is involved, as the City is the lead agency with the contractor preparing the report. The City approved the expenditure by the developer of the Rancho San Gorgonio project of an additional $17,320 for this report However, no City funds are involved.

The City is required by the FAA to submit a five year plan of proposed improvements to the airport. The Council approved the plan, which is tentative. Any such improvements will be largely funded by grants from the FAA, and no City funds are involved at this time.

Ed Miller
Banning City Council

 

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Did Council member Hanna’s husband, Ed Ball, perform consulting services for the owners of the Oddfellows building ?

12/10/09 –  It is no secret that Banning City Council member Barbara Hanna owns a consulting firm named “Hanna & Associates” which generates declared annual revenues between $ 10,000 and $ 100,000 (view page 2).  Hanna’s  husband, Ed Ball , is a partner in her firm , however, Hanna keeps the identity of all of her clients a secret.

As previously reported, Barbara Hanna has voted on three different occasions to give redevelopment funds to the owners of the Oddfellows building located at the corner of San Gorgonio and Ramsey Street. In particular, she approved funding to the owners in the amount of $ 685,000 in 2007, then on May 26, 2009 in the amount of $ 42,000 and finally on  June 23, 2009  yet another $ 398,152.78 . The total Oddfellows funding amounted to $  1,125,152.78.

In this context Hanna received campaign contributions from one of the owners of the Oddfellows building, Rob Freeman (view page 6 ). Other owners of the Oddfellows building are Dirk Dorning and “Banning Commercial Investors”. On December 8, 2009 the City Council voted on the settlement of a lawsuit against the owners of the Oddfellows building and the City of Banning. Under the settlement the City would pay $ 50,000 and therewith would “bail out” the  owners of the Oddfellows building who would end up paying nothing .

Lyndon Taylor, a contributor to this website, asked Barbara Hanna if she had a conflict of interest in voting on this issue based on the fact that she received campaign contributions from one of the owners of the Oddfellows building. Furthermore, he asked, does she have conflict of interest  based on any consulting activity, particularly by Ed Ball who allegedly has consulted with the Oddfellows building’s owners ?

Here is the exchange :

Why does  Hanna limit her answer to consulting work done for Mrs. Freeman when the question was also directed towards consulting  work done for any other owners of the building ?

Why is  Hanna becoming visibly uncomfortable and nervous ?

Is her way of responding to the questions an indication of guilt ?

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ALLEGATIONS OF CONSULTING ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR SOME TIME

The following email of May 22, 2009 from Banning resident Gail Paparian was directed to three individuals that hold public office : City Treasurer John McQuown, Mayor Bob Botts and Council member Don Robinson  . It was obtained by us from one of the participants. In her email, Gail Paparian alleges that there was consulting activity by Ed Ball with the owners of the Oddfellows building. ( red color added for highlighting )

From: Gail Paparian [mailto:gail@….deleted ….]
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 11:57 PM
To: Dr. John McQuown (email address deleted)
Cc: ”Bob Botts”, ‘Don Robinson’, ‘Brian Nakamura’
Subject: Oddfellows Building

Dr. John, While many folks are celebrating this Memorial Day Friday night, I have returned from an event and do what I normally do: check my email before settling down for the night. I checked in to the agenda for Tuesday night. The first thing that caught my attention in the CRA agenda was: 1.                              CRA Resolution No. 2009-09, Approving an Amendment to the Owner Participation Agreement with Robert Freeman, Dirk Dorning, and Others for the Renovation of the Oddfellows Building at the Southwest Corner of San Gorgonio Avenue and Ramsey Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14 Please let me remind you that I have been encouraging commercial development on this property since I served on the Planning Commission in 2003 and forward. A further reminder is, I am a strong believer in the Constitution’s tenet of separation of church and state. That said, what is the city/CRA again ‘giving’ to this project? As I recall, the city is already into this building/project for about $800,000. Nobody will tell me what was put up for collateral for this project. Please feel free to let me know! This item has been on the CRA agenda for months in closed session. I can only assume that they have run out of money and want further financing from the city. Is this correct? If my assumption is correct about them running out of dough and they want a donation/borrow money from the City, what are they putting up for collateral? As you well know, the first/fundamental part of a business plan is what and when the ROI happens. The corner of this enterprise is pivotal to commercial success (read sales tax return). Do you really anticipate that a religious book store and coffee shop will yield these dividends? I am aware of how long it took to ferret out the true designation of some of the proponents of this project. Why was it hidden from the public for so long that a 50l (c) was claimed when the designation turned out to be an unacceptable 501 (c) 3 religious? Barbara Hanna’s husband Ed Ball served as a consultant for this project. Why was Councilperson Hanna not asked to recuse herself due to conflict of interest? We need cheerleaders; personal/professional and volunteer to sing the praises of what is going on in Banning. My main question remains, how we can preach to the choir when we are not privy to all the facts and background? Here’s to our heroes; past, present and future. Thanks for your response, Gail Gail Paparian

IN HIS RESPONSE COUNCIL MEMBER DON ROBINSON ADMITS KNOWING ABOUT “BARBARA ISSUES”  BUT INDICATES HE WILL IGNORE THEM FOR THE “GOOD OF BANNING”

Here is Don Robinson’s response directed to Gail Paparian as well as Mayor Botts and City Treasurer McQuown , again received from the same source as above ( red color added for highlighting ) :

From: Don Robinson
Sent: May 27, 2009 5:38 PM
To: Gail Paparian
Cc: “McQuown, John” , “Botts, Mayor Bob”
Subject: Re: Oddfellows Building

The above statement by Robinson is as close as it gets to an admission that he knows of Hanna’s potential conflict of interest ; his response shows that he is not shocked in the least by it. He seems to indicate, however, that he does not want to investigate the issue because he is focused on the “good of Banning”.  Has Robinson already forgotten his oath of office that he took only 5 months earlier ? Didn’t he swear to uphold the law ? How is the “good of Banning” served when potential conflicts of interest are covered up by him as an elected official ? His response raises very serious questions of a cover up .

CONCLUSION : SOMETHING JUST DOESN’T SEEM RIGHT HERE  ; IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A LOT MORE THIS STORY THAN MEETS THE EYE.

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WE ARE CALLING ON BARBARA HANNA TO RELEASE ALL BUSINESS RECORDS OF “HANNA & ASSOCIATES” AND ED BALL FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS .  THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW.

ONCE HANNA MAKES THIS INFORMATION AVALIABLE IT WILL BE POSTED ON THIS SITE

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Is That The Coffee You Smell?

Amazing things continue do happen in the operation of the City of Banning ! With Measure L settled and more taxpayer money flowing to the City, the Banning Community Redevelopment Agency has found a new way of spending tax dollars. Imagine someone comes to you requesting a $30,000 loan to start a coffee house in downtown Banning.

Would you hand over the $ 30,000 without requiring them to have a business plan for the new business?

Would you make this loan without any contract being developed between you and the person requesting the loan?

Would you loan the money to someone who had never had experience running a coffee house or restaurant before, but had prior experience running an automotive body shop?

Would you give them the money without conducting a credit check on them?

Would you loan the money without requiring financial references or a financial statement?

Well, of November 10, 2009, the Banning Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), composed of Bob Botts, Barbara Hanna, and Don Robinson did just that – only Debbie Franklin opposed the idea (with John Machisic absent )!

Here’s the story: The Haven Company, incorporated just two weeks before they received the loan, were granted their request for $30,000 to start a coffee house in the newly remodeled Oddfellows Building without submitting a business plan, with no experience running a food service business, without a contract between the city and Haven, without a credit check, and without financial references or financial statements .

Aside from the obvious lack of the above procedural steps in this process, it should also be noted that the CRA (remember, the same people serve on this agency as on the Banning City Council) agreed that the coffee housed be located in the Oddfellow’s Building that has already been granted $1,125,152.78 in redevelopment funds. Now, be aware that the official purpose of the Banning CRA funding is to remove blight, and blight has already been removed at that location by the spending of the taxpayer’s million dollars. If blight is now gone from the Oddfellow’s Building, what is the legal basis for the funding of this business? Additional tax revenues?   Without a business pro forma on projected sales, we have no idea how much the tax revenues will be, so that can’t be the reason!

In addition, there was no collateral offered for this “loan,” and while there was talk about a second on the business, this is meaningless since there was no financial information given as to the value of the “first”.

Finally, bear in mind that according to a typical Owner Participation Agreement that is commonly used in the City of Banning, under Sec 3.2.2.3  (view) states that the CRA loan will be eligible to be forgiven after five years, so this entire matter may not be about a questionable loan, but rather, a questionable gift of public funds.

You are free to draw your own conclusions about this strange matter.

Lyndon Taylor

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF THIS CRA SESSION  – START AT THE 5 MINUTE MARK