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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 (view statement).

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The statement reads: “3 Grand Jury reports initiated by Councilman Don Peterson found NO mismanagement nor corruption, nor criminal or illegal activity by the City”.

Say what? Just how stupid do they think the people of Banning are? Quite stupid, it seems.

The statement was made in conjunction with their unconditional support of ballot Measure P, an initiative which asks for voter approval of a tax to be added to Banning’s Electric Utility bills. (view Measure P). While everyone knows that taxing yourself is rarely a good idea, “tax-and-spend” councilmembers Moyer, Welch and Franklin are desperately trying to convince you otherwise.

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WARNING: THE FOLLOWING MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH, AS IT MAY MAKE YOUR BLOOD BOIL!

Now let’s examine the facts:

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1. Banning is the only city in California to have received 3 Grand Jury investigations (2010, 2016, 2018) in less than a decade. The Grand Jury will not get involved and issue a report, unless malfeasance is discovered. So if there really was “nothing to see here”, why are there 3 Grand Jury reports on Banning? No corruption?

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2. Councilman Don Peterson did NOT initiate all 3 Grand Jury reports. At the time of the first (2010) Grand Jury report, Peterson did not even live in Banning. Until 2012 his place of residence was La Mirada.

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3. 2010 Grand Jury Report

The 2010 report (view) found that the Banning Cultural Alliance received $162,000 from the City as compensation for fictitious services. During their investigation, the Grand Jury discovered that none of these services were ever performed. This finding, all and by itself, shows that backdoor dealings and therefore corruption exist in Banning. A legitimate city would never pay for services that nobody renders.

In fact, this was a covert scheme to funnel money to friends of the city council. In 2005, Councilman Bob Botts had founded the non-profit Cultural Alliance, together with his campaign treasurer, Charlene Sakurai.

Shortly thereafter, it was none other than Art Welch who authorized the first $250,000 payment to the brand new organization. Ultimately over 1.3 million taxpayer dollars were funneled into this shady organization, under the pretense of “revitalizing downtown”, but with virtually nothing to show for in return.

The corrupt intent of the city is evidenced by the council’s subsequent refusal to demand a return of the $162,000, as it was recommended by the Grand Jury. Instead, in complete defiance of the Grand Jury, the council authorized an additional 6-figure dollar amount to be transferred to the Cultural Alliance. No corruption?

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4. 2016 Grand Jury Report

The 2016 Grand Jury report (view) exposed how friends of the council at the Banning Chamber of Commerce were given over $ 45,000 in free utilities. It also pointed out the unethical and illegal Banning practice of undocumented “handshake agreements”. Only $15,000 were ultimately recovered from the Chamber of Commerce. Ratepayers of the Banning utility were left stuck with the remaining $30,000. No corruption?

Again, it was Art Welch who was instrumental in this malfeasance. During the time in question, Welch morphed from President of the Chamber, into its Board member and finally into its “Agent for Service of Process”.

Simultaneously, as a councilmember, Welch looked the other way and never prevented the utilities from being given away, despite the fact that he was entrusted with oversight over the Banning Utility as a councilmember.

No dereliction of duty? No ethical violations? No wrongdoing? No shady dealings? No conflict of interest? No Corruption?

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.5. 2018 Grand Jury Report

The 2018 Grand Jury report (view) found that the City of Banning performed brush clearing services for a large car dealership, again via handshake agreement and without a written contract.

And again, it was Art Welch, who was at the center of this scandal as well. Welch had received campaign contributions from the dealership before arranging what was likely meant to be a freebie.

Only 9 months prior, Welch had signed a response to the 2016 Grand Jury report, promising that the City would immediately abandon their practice of entering into undocumented handshake agreements. But then it did exactly that. No corruption?

Despite such severe ethics violations, Welch was protected from censure. During the censure proceedings held a few months ago, George Moyer, Debbie Franklin and Daniela Andrade all showed their ugly faces: they created what can only be viewed as a “protection racket” for Welch: without any discussion whatsoever all three of them made sure that councilman Peterson’s motion to censure Welch would die for lack of a second. Their sinister plot succeeded and Welch got away with it – again. No corruption?

The same Grand Jury report also pointed out that the City of Banning gave the same dealership an absolutely unprecedented 28-year sales tax break.

Moyer, Welch and Franklin all had received prior campaign donations from present or former owners of the dealership. No corruption?

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CONCLUSION

You don’t have to be a “conspiracy theorist” to figure out what is going on in Banning. George Moyer, Art Welch and Debbie Franklin, these incorrigible swamp creatures, are doubling down. They try to tell you that there is no corruption – nothing to see here! Is your blood boiling yet?

Fortunately for Banning, Moyer and Franklin will leave the council come December 2018. Moyer terms out, while Franklin has decided not to run again. This leaves us with Art Welch, this prototype of Banning filth, for another two years.

Will Sun Lakes residents finally have enough of having their intelligence insulted by these pathetic liars? Will they finally wake up and recall Art Welch, this corrupt, good-for-nothing drunk?

Sun Lakes, please make Banning a better place: get rid of all your Moyers and recall Art Welch. Do it now! All of Banning will forever be grateful!

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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.

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BANNING UTILITY FREAK SHOW CONTINUES

Largely unnoticed by the public, on March 13 a narrow council majority voted 3:2 in favor of a 15% Water and Sewer rate hike.

According to this plan, rates will increase this July by 3%, with additional 3% increases every year until 2023. In addition, there will also be 3% annual increases for waste water rates.

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IN FAVOR: DEBBIE FRANKLIN, ART WELCH, GEORGE MOYER

OPPOSED : DANIELA ANDRADE, DON PETERSON

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OVER THE COURSE OF 20 YEARS, WELCH AND FRANKLIN COLLABORATED TO SCREW OVER BANNING RATEPAYERS

For those unfamiliar with the issue, the water rate debacle has its roots in Art Welch floating $110 million worth of utility bonds in 2005 – without the vote of the people.

In a recent council session, Welch stated that in 2005 the citizens of Banning were in no mood to approve any public indebtedness and even turned down a public safety tax. But such reluctance did not stop Welch from pursuing the $110M bond.

Instead of obeying the will of the People, Welch decided to bypass the voters entirely, and floated the bond without their approval – an illegal move that is nothing short of ratepayer theft . This action was taken in clear violation of Proposition 218, which Welch now claims he was unfamiliar with.

Here is Art Welch trying to explain away his theft :

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The illegal bond issuance is just one of many examples of Art Welch’s legacy of thuggery in Banning, which he has been getting away with for over 20 years, enabled largely by a clueless, detached and constantly rolling over Sun Lakes voter pool that continues to keep him in office, come hell or high water.

Three years after Welch had indebted the City, in June of 2008, Debbie Franklin completed the ratepayer theft by approving the use the money for a $17M police station. By doing so, Franklin snubbed her nose at Finance Director Bonnie Johnson, who warned that spending the money would create severe shortfalls down the road. Franklin approved the expenditure regardless, leading up to the shortfall we experience today.

We have already detailed this debacle in length in the past, (please view this article). Recently we had speculated that Franklin may have had ulterior motives when she voted to spend the money, (please view this article).

In 2017, Councilman Don Peterson gave an excellent synopsis in which he laid out the history of Franklin’s and Welch’s illegal activities in syphoning off the waterbond funds:

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FRANKLIN AND WELCH – TWO LOW-IQ INDIVIDUALS WHO FINANCIALLY RAPE AND PILLAGE THE COMMUNITY

Bloodshot eyes and slurred speech are known trademarks of a hardcore alcoholic. But they are not the only ones. Individuals engaged in this lifestyle are also bound to lose “grey matter” at an accelerated rate, resulting in a sharply reduced IQ.

Undoubtedly, all of these symptoms can be observed in Art Welch, (see also “Korsakoff’s Syndrome”). In a recent council meeting Welch was trying to impress the public by attempting to calculate Banning’s crime rate. In this context he concluded that if there were 10 criminal acts, a 400% increase in crime rate (as reported) would mean that only 4 more crimes would be committed, a rather negligible increase, in his opinion.

Yes, Art Welch is correct in that “percentages are deceptive” – especially when one can’t do the math!

For those who can’t believe this actually happened, here is the video:

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Banning’s problem is that this drunken assclown, who is too dense to do even the simplest of math, is in charge of tens of millions of our tax dollars. Is it any wonder that Banning is never going anywhere?

And then there is Debbie Franklin, one of Banning’s most deceptive and incompetent individuals ever to sit on the City council.

Unlike Welch, Franklin is not prone to alcoholism. Instead, she must be considered ignorant by default. That she is also a pathological liar is only compounding the problem.

Given these “qualities”, Debbie Franklin may be appropriately described as the “Maxine Waters of Banning” .

Please watch this video :

 

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Indeed, both Waters and Franklin conduct themselves indicative of having an IQ just slightly above room temperature.

Take for example Franklin’s recent statement that 7,000 sqft represent 1/3 of an acre (when in reality it represents 1/6 of an acre being 43,560 sf).

Franklin’s lack of basic high school level knowledge is frightening, and is further compounded by her deceptive statement that she lives comfortably on 7,000 sqft, when in reality her property is twice this size. The level of stupidity and ignorance of a Debbie Franklin should scare the daylights out of every Banning citizen.

Here is the video:

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Using her own falsehoods, Franklin recently made lot size decisions on an 800 acre development, where she approved postage stamp lots so tiny, that a full size pickup truck parked in a driveway will intrude into the sidewalk. But then again, what else would you expect from this quasi-illiterate trash sitting on the City council?

Don’t, however, expect either Franklin or Welch to consider resigning in total embarrassment. Sociopaths like the two of them know no shame whatsoever, nor are they capable of feeling remorse. Instead, both have convinced themselves to be great gifts to Banning, falsely pretending to be highly qualified to continue making multi million dollar decisions for the City.

Yes, Welch and Franklin are indeed low-IQ individuals, who keep claiming to know what’s good for us – and will do so as long as we allow them to. They will continue to rake us over the barrel, unless we stop them cold in their tracks.

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INSTEAD OF A RATE HIKE: CITY HAS PLENTY OF ASSETS THAT COULD BE LIQUIDATED

Rate hikes are not the only option. The City currenty has $12M in cash reserves. $5M could be returned to the water utility without jeopardizing the City’s position.

The City also owns an abundance of real property that lends itself to liquidation, as it generates no income.

The police station, built with funds stolen from the ratepayers, could be sold to an investor group and leased back for 20 years. Sale/leasebacks are commonplace in the real estate industry. We estimate about $10M could be generated this way.

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Yet none of these alternatives were ever explored by those who voted in favor of the rate hike (Franklin, Welch, Moyer).

It is just so much easier to force the public to pay higher rates.

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.CONCLUSION

Just what right do Debbie Franklin and Art Welch have, to dictate to us that we now must come up with the money that they have already stolen from us?

The arrogance of their vote to raise our water rates is truly beyond belief. It brings to mind the oppressive “Pigs” of George Orwell’s classic novel “Animal Farm”.

Are we going to allow these self-righteous pigs to first steal from us and then spit in our faces? – It is time to rise up, Banning ! Enough is enough!

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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”. Be forewarned, this draconian sociopath will play the “victim” card if you challenge her. Just ask Banning citizen and Planning Commissioner David Ellis.

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FRANKLIN ABUSES COURT SYSTEM FOR HER PERSONAL VENDETTA AGAINST OUTSPOKEN CRITIC

As a long term critic of Franklin, David Ellis has repeatedly exposed Franklin for her countless misdeeds. Among those were Franklin being blamed for causing a death because she failed to obtain proper permits for a party she held in a City owned building (see story). Ellis also publicly criticized Franklin for running bogus, unregistered charities which caused the FBI to pay her a visit, and for lying about a conversation she said she had with a Caltrans director, when in fact that conversation never took place (see video).

At city council meetings, Ellis also publicly exposed Franklin’s casual attitude about practically bankrupting the Banning water utility by recklessly spending $ 17M on a police station, and her approval of a $ 200,000 employee gym charged to the electric ratepayers, all the while being fully aware the next rate hike is right around the corner.

Franklin also came under fire from Ellis for being funded by wealthy developers. Ellis accused Franklin of allowing these developers to overturn the General Plan, so they can inundate Banning with “stack and pack” high density housing.

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LYING DEBBIE FRANKLIN PULLS THE “VICTIM CARD”, BUT THE JUDGE DOES NOT BUY IT

We all know Banning is a small city. Ellis lives less than a mile from Franklin and drives by her house daily when he takes his grand children to daycare. One day he noticed that Franklin had not one, but two brand new cars sitting in her driveway. This made him wonder how she could possibly afford such an expense.

So Ellis decided to stop and take a closer look, not realizing that Franklin sat in one of her new cars. There was no altercation of any kind and Ellis left shortly thereafter. The incident, however, was a welcome opportunity for Franklin to play the “victim card” and file for a Restraining Order against her long term critic David Ellis.

In order to substantiate her case, Franklin used examples of Ellis’ political speech at City council meetings as evidence of “harassment”. Franklin also made the claim that Police Chief Alex Diaz involved himself in a City Hall parking lot incident, however, Diaz was unable to recall any such occurrence. For more details on Franklin’s fabricated claims click here, for Ellis’ response click here.

Unfortunately for Franklin, the judge did not buy even a single one of her claims. Neither David Ellis, nor his attorney, had to say a single word in their defense. At the beginning, when Franklin tried to introduce testimony about her “background”, the judge immediately dismissed it as irrelevant.

Franklin then spent another 5 minutes inconclusively testifying about “feeling threatened” by Ellis, but was unable to identify a specific threat that Ellis had allegedly made against her.

At that point the judge had heard enough and entered a ruling in Ellis’ favor. While doing so, the judge specifically found that David Ellis did not break any laws. In essence, the judge’s ruling declared Franklin’s entire “case” to be inconclusive, and therewith bogus from the get go.

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PURE TYRANNY :  “COMMISSAR” FRANKLIN ORDERS DETENTION OF DISSIDENT AT WRCOG MEETING

In 2017 Debbie Franklin took over the chair of WRCOG, the Western Riverside Council Of Governments. To understand the structure of WRCOG, one needs to understand history. WRCOG is an unelected, undemocratic government body which was modeled after the communist “Commissar” system of the former Soviet Union, (click here to learn more about the Soviet Union’s “Council of People’s Commissars”).

Just like these Soviet “Commissars”, WRCOG board members each represent a different region. Also like their Soviet counterparts, all members are appointed, yet make policy decisions that affect everyone.

These appointees have no mandate from the voters to participate in WRCOG, which makes the organization unconstitutional. Participating in an unelected and therefore authoritarian government body not only violates a participants’ oath of office, but may even cross the line of committing treason against the Republic.

But of course constitutional issues like these would never enter Debbie Franklin’s mind – not only is she much too pea-brained for such thoughts, but – more importantly – too obsessed with holding raw, unchecked power that is outside of the control of voters.

So when she recently presided over the August WRCOG meeting, ”Commissar” Franklin had a political dissident detained. She did so in retaliation, because the dissident complained about WRCOG’s draconian policy, which allows members of the public to comment for only 2 minutes. We all know that nobody can make a coherent point in just two minutes, which is why speakers in Banning are allowed to speak for a much more reasonable 5 minutes.

Instead of feeling sympathetic towards the public and supporting a much needed policy review in respect to speaker times, “Commissar” Franklin immediately ordered the detention and removal of the dissident.

Please watch for yourself :

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CONCLUSION

Debbie Franklin has unmasked herself as a draconian tyrant. She has run completely amok and has all the markings of an oppressive dictator. She persecutes her political enemies and has political dissenters detained.

This appalling sociopath is on an enormous power trip. She won’t stop at anything to stifle public discourse and crush anyone who dares to call her out.

As Thomas Jefferson once said : “When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”

How much longer will we allow Debbie Franklin to torment us ?

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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.

Franklin’s 2008 decision is the reason Banning may soon be facing a 100% increase in water rates.

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Debbie Franklin has long been exposed as a pathological liar (see another video for example) , so why bother taking her explanation seriously?

Well, as it is with most liars, there is usually a grain of truth embedded in their twisted stories. It is that grain of truth that this article will attempt to identify.

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INTRODUCING FRANKLIN’S “PRINCE IN BLUE”, GREG HERRINGTON

Who or what was the “Sea of Blue” that Franklin claimed “pressured” her?

During the 2008 time frame, it was an open secret within the Banning Police Department that Debbie Franklin allegedly had an extramarital affair with a Banning Police Sergeant named Greg Herrington.

For many years, Franklin is said to have relentlessly pushed to make Herrington Banning’s Police Chief. She did so even after the Banning Police Department had taken disciplinary action against Herrington and terminated him.

Franklin relentlessly insisted on re-hiring Herrington, who she considered to be the most qualified Chief out there.

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BIRDS OF A FEATHER : HERRINGTON FIRED REPEATEDLY, ARRESTED FOR BATTERY, CURRENTLY CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE FELONIES

Just like lying Debbie Franklin, Greg Herrington also is real piece of work.

Before coming to Banning PD, Herrington had been fired from the Glynn County Police Department in Georgia in 1996, according to press reports.

Eventually Herrington ended up being also fired from Banning PD for disciplinary reasons in 2009 . After being ousted by Banning PD, Herrington became – believe it or not – Police Chief of McFarland, CA (see story here)

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While Herrington insisted that he left McFarland PD “voluntarily”, it appears that he was eventually fired there also, this time for promoting a convicted criminal within his department.

According to 2014 press reports, Herrington knowingly promoted an officer that originally had 6 criminal charges brought against him. After this officer was convicted in a plea deal, Herrington promoted him to Police Corporal, ( see story here ).

But it only got worse after that. In 2015 Greg Herrington was arrested for battery in Palm Springs, allegedly for beating up his girlfriend at the time, (see story here).

It went even further downhill from there, when – also in 2015 – Debbie Franklin’s alleged love interest was charged with identity theft and with forgery, both felonies, when he tried to launch a career as a Private Investigator, (to see felony charges and arrest warrant – click here).

Herrington’s criminal trial is currently pending, however, the State of California has already revoked Herrington’s PI license in a separate proceeding (click here to view the decision by the “Bureau Of Security And Investigative Services”).

So here we go. The citizens of Banning have already learned the hard way just how crooked Debbie Franklin really is. It therefore shouldn’t surprise anyone that her alleged lover, Greg Herrington, would turn out to be a crook as well.

As the old saying goes : “Birds of a feather flock together” ……

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WAS THE POLICE STATION A GIFT TO FRANKLIN’S ALLEGED LOVE INTEREST AND “PRINCE IN BLUE”, GREG HERRINGTON?

With her relentless, almost obsessive support for Greg Herrington, would it seem far fetched to assume that Franklin tried to build a palace for her alleged  lover and “Prince in Blue”?.

Was the pressure from the “Sea of Blue” that Franklin said she succumbed to, just coming from one single person who she tried to appease and promote to Police Chief?

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CONCLUSION

As stated above, even the biggest liars usually include a grain of truth in their stories.

Was her alleged love interest, Greg Herrington, the real reason why Debbie Franklin didn’t care if she wrecked Banning’s finances down the road? Was the “Sea of Blue” she was trying to appease none other than Greg Herrington, her choice for Police Chief?

Did Debbie Franklin sell out Banning in order to build a Palace for her “ Prince in Blue” ?

You be the judge.

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2/16/16 – 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.

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ALL 3 “YES” VOTES NOW SHOW FUNDING BY, OR RELATED TO LEGGIO

The recently discovered filings indicate that Art Welch also received Leggio-related donations during his 2012 campaign.

In particular the filing shows a $ 500 donation by a “Christen Leggio” of “CSM&C Expansion LLC”, made on September 14, 2012. The donor’s address is identical to the business location of “Mark Christopher Auto”, a Leggio affiliated business in Ontario, CA.

With this latest discovery it can now be confirmed that Leggio-related donations were received by all 3 council members prior to casting a “yes” vote on the recent Diversified Pacific 98-lot housing project .

A quick recap: Nolan Leggio is the assistant planner for the project’s developer Diversified Pacific. His father Chris has been listed as a member of Diversified Pacific’s Finance Committee. Nolan’s uncle Mark Leggio (Chris’ brother) was convicted of criminal campaign money laundering in 2009 and received a 180 day jail sentence. The laundered money was used to fund former Banning Mayor Brenda Salas Freeman.

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THE PRICE TAGS

Art Welch was by far the cheapest. His vote could be bought for just $500 – the lowest price tag of the three. Debbie Franklin’s “yes” vote was a little more expensive, it cost $ 750.

Apparently none of this was good enough for corrupt George Moyer. He had by far the highest price tag of the three : it took $2,250 to convince him to vote “yes”.

We now have clear evidence that campaign donations resulted in compromised votes of all 3 Banning City councilmembers.

 

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Details of the campaign financing of all three councilmembers can be found here :

Mayor Art Welch – click here
Councilmember George Moyer – click here
Councilmember Debbie Franklin – click here

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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. First the trio contaminated Banning’s downtown with their approval of a large government probation office as a direct consequence of the new criminal court house. Both facilities are designed to attract hundreds of criminals daily to the downtown area and were subsidized by the taxpayer to the tune of over 6 million dollars.

Now the trio continues to sell out the City’s future by approving a 98-lot, low quality housing project, featuring “postage stamp” size lots of just 7,000 square feet, located north of Wilson near Sunset.

The approval constitutes a radical departure from the previously mandated 10,000 square foot minimum lot size, spelled out in the zoning overlay. The high density project will have no public areas and no playground for children.

It goes without saying, that increasing the density of any project usually also increases the developer’s profit margin ; thus, a developer will likely apply for a higher density, if he can get away with it. It was up to the City to say “NO”. But this did not happen.

With the latest decision, it has now become painfully obvious that a low quality of life is what  Moyer, Franklin and Welch envision for Banning’s future. In this article we will examine the background for their unconscionable decision.

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CITY STAFF PRESENTS PLAGIARIZED ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY PROJECT APPROVAL

As part of his Staff report, Acting Community Development Director Brian Gulliot prepared and submitted an environmental document entitled “Mitigated Negative Declaration” (MND). This type of document is regularly submitted when a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is deemed unnecessary.

The purpose of a MND is to protect the public from a project that may negatively impact the health and safety of the community or the environment. Therefore, such a document is not just a mere formality, but is highly sensitive in nature. It goes without saying that extreme care must be taken in drafting an MND – and all issues addressed therein must be 100% project-specific and truthful. Copying work of others deprives the public of the protection the process is intended to provide.

Nevertheless, Gulliot’s document clearly appeared plagiarized. It seemed to copy the intellectual property of others, and with that it may even be looked at as a complete fraud on the public!

Specifically, its content appeared to be copied from a document created for the City of Jurupa, at one time suggesting authorship by “Habitat for Humanity” on over 100 pages, along with discussion of a citrus grove and a metal structure that never existed. There were also references to a waste disposal site in Corona, which is over 50 miles away and would never be applicable to Banning.

When confronted about these enormous discrepancies by Councilmember Peterson, Gulliot attempted to explain them away as “typos”. – Really? How can a mistake repeated on over 100 pages be a “typo”? Does Brian Gulliot really believe that Banning’s public is that stupid? Apparently so.

Gulliot’s apparent fraud on the People of Banning should have stopped the project right then and there. But it didn’t : corrupt Councilmembers Moyer, Franklin and Welch bent over backwards to approve the project anyway – with Peterson and Miller vehemently opposed.

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CAUTION – FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS ! DOWN THE DEEP RABBIT HOLE OF CORRUPTION WE GO

In order to find answers as to why this approval occurred, we need to examine the players. As we will show below, shady dealings are everywhere and reach deep into Banning politics. What you are about to read next will likely blow your mind.

With this said, lets now look at all the red flags, one at the time

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DIVERSIFIED PACIFIC’S JEFFREY S. BURUM UNDER CRIMINAL INDICTMENT FOR BRIBERY

First, there is the owner and applicant of the project, ”Diversified Pacific” . The company, based in Rancho Cucamonga, is headed by its Managing Member, Jeffrey S. Burum.

Burum is a key figure in San Bernardino County’s largest bribery scandal on record. It involved a fraudulent litigation settlement of $102 million, paid by the County of San Bernardino to one of Burum’s many companies, Colonies Partners.

In May 2011 Burum was indicted for conspiracy and charged with 9 counts of bribing a public official (PC Sec. 165) and 15 counts of aiding a legislator to receive a bribe ( PC Sec. 86 ). The full indictment can be found by clicking here. Burum is currently free on bail awaiting trial.

The fact that almost 5 years have passed since the indictment, yet the case has still not gone to trial, seems to suggest that if you have unlimited funds available for legal defense, you can effectively bring the wheels of justice to a grinding halt.

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CRIMINAL CAMPAIGN MONEY LAUNDERING BENEFITING FORMER BANNING MAYOR BRENDA SALAS FREEMAN

In his presentation before the council, Diversified Pacific’s agent Peter Pitassi introduced Diversified Pacific’s assistant project manager, Nolan Leggio, as a key participant in the project:

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You may ask: why is this important? Here is why: Nolan is the nephew of convicted campaign money launderer Mark Leggio. In 2009 Uncle Mark was sentenced to 180 days in jail for his crime.

Who benefited from the laundered campaign funds? The LA Times reported (view LA Times article here) that by far the largest recipient of the laundered funds was no other than former Banning Mayor Brenda Salas Freeman.

At the time, Brenda Salas Freeman received a total of $ 15,000 from campaign fraudster Mark Leggio. Her involvement in the money laundering scandal was so deep, her name (Brenda Salas) is mentioned in the indictment document a total of 9 times, more than any other recipient (to view full indictment please click here).

As one would expect, Salas Freeman maintained she had no idea that the money was “hot”. This is hard to believe, especially given the fact that Salas and Mark Leggio were said to be close friends at the time, according to sources acquainted with both.

Now rumor has it that Salas Freeman, this dangerous barracuda, is planning a political comeback, by re-entering Banning politics in this fall’s election.

BANNING VOTERS, BEWARE !

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BROTHER OF CONVICTED CAMPAIGN MONEY LAUNDERER DONATES TO MOYER’S 2014 CAMPAIGN

The brother of Mark Leggio, and father of Nolan, is Chris Leggio. A few years ago, Chris Leggio was a member of the finance committee of Diversified Pacific Opportunity Fund (source).

Public filings by councilmember George Moyer show that he was paid $ 750 directly from Chris Leggio (click here to view filings).

An additional $ 750 came from a Leggio affiliated entity, “Diamond Hills Auto Group” . A manager of Leggio’s car dealership, “Mark Christopher Auto”, gave Moyer yet another $ 750, bringing the combined Leggio related total to $ 2,250.00.

It is safe to say that George Moyer got paid handsomely by Chris Leggio. Is it any wonder that Moyer now approves a project that involves Leggio’s son?

In 2014 we had warned Banning voters about these donations and their implication (see story). Many voters of Banning did not listen and voted for Moyer anyway.

Today, just as predicted, we have confirmation of Moyer’s corruption. The fact that Moyer has also been accused of making mafia-style death threats to his neighbor, just rounds off the picture of this bought-and-paid-for thug on the City council (see previous story here).

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LEGGIO AFFILIATED COMPANY DONATES TO DEBBIE FRANKLIN

Diamond Hills Auto Group, at the time a Leggio affiliated company, is also on record of giving $ 750.00 to  Debbie Franklin in 2014 (see Franklin filing).

Again, in 2014 we had warned Banning voters about Debbie Franklin being a corrupt, teflon-coated candidate, that does not care about this City even one iota (see story). Many voters of Banning did not listen and voted for Franklin anyway.

Today, just as predicted, we have irrefutable confirmation that our assessment of Franklin was spot on.

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SHOCKING: IGNORANT DEBBIE FRANKLIN LIES ABOUT THE LOT SIZE OF HER PERSONAL RESIDENCE

The following video is rather disturbing. Franklin attempts to deceive the public, falsely stating that she lives on a 7,000 square foot property. Please listen :

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The truth is Franklin’s property is almost double the size she claims.

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According to Redfin (view) , Franklin’s property is not 7,000 but 13,504 square feet, almost twice the size she claims! Franklin is also clueless about the size of her home : public record shows that it is not “larger than 2000 square feet”, but only 1,894 square feet.

Franklin’s embarrassing ignorance peaks with her remark that 7,000 square feet equals “1/3 of an acre”. This remark shows that Franklin lacks even the most basic high school knowledge. She is obviously clueless about the fact that one acre equals 43,560 square feet – it always has and it always will! Therefore 7,000 square feet amounts to less than 1/6 of an acre – not 1/3!

With the level of ignorance displayed in the above video clip, Franklin has shown that she is dumber than a rock. Does anyone still believe that Banning is in good hands with a decision maker like Debbie Franklin at the helm?

By the way, this is not the first time a City councilmember uses false math as a basis for their decisions: a few month ago, Mayor Art Welch attempted to calculate an increase in Banning’s crime rate. In this context he stated that 400% of 10 equals 4.  Any councilmember should know that the result is 40. For a video clip of Art Welch doing the math please click here.

While Welch appeared intoxicated when making the above calculation, Franklin gave an impression of being as sober as she was ignorant. How can Banning succeed when some councilmembers, among them a Mayor, not only fail at very basic high school math, but then use their false calculations as the basis for their decisions?

As Forrest Gump used to say : “Stupid is, as stupid does”!

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COUNCILMEMBERS MILLER AND PETERSON REJECT THE LOW QUALITY HOUSING PROJECT

Counclimembers Ed Miller and Don Peterson both rejected the project. They cited plagiarism in connection with the environmental document, and both questioned if this project would benefit the City of Banning.

Watch Peterson’s passionate plea against the approval of what he refers to as “junk”:

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CONCLUSION

As this article shows, Banning politics continues to be as ugly and corrupt as ever.

Councilmembers Miller and Peterson are the only ones serious about making Banning a quality City and are fighting corruption. But they cannot effect change – because they are in the minority. Banning’s City council remains hopelessly divided.

The majority trio, made up of Moyer, Franklin and Welch have hijacked the council. It appears they have conspired to sell out and destroy the City at every turn. Why are they doing this? Are they corrupt or stupid?  Or both?

After the vote, Diversified Pacific’s Peter Pitassi, in typical salesman’s fashion, stated that the council’s decision reflects an understanding of “smart growth”. However, the only “smart growth” we are able to foresee will be in the bank accounts of Diversified Pacific, not in the quality of life for this community.

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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.

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The Museum facility was originally designed as a fire station, and was never intended to accommodate big parties with substantial numbers of guests. The Museum, which is located on a busy 4 lane street within a 45 mph zone, has insufficient parking of its own.

According to the lawsuit, this resulted in overcrowded and dangerously chaotic parking conditions at the location. Many guests had to park on the south side of Wilson, with no way to safely cross the 4 lane street.

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When he left Franklin’s party at about 9 PM, Azarnoff was struck by a car while crossing Wilson Street ; he died on the scene. His wife of 60 years, Pat, was also struck, but survived after sustaining severe injuries.

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REQUIRED CITY PERMIT NEVER OBTAINED

According to Banning Municipal Code Section 17.108.040, events of this nature require a “Temporary Use Permit” by the City, (view sample application). The lawsuit alleges that neither Mayor Debbie Franklin nor the Fire Museum bothered to obtain the required permit for the 80-guest party.

For a number of reasons, Franklin knew – or at least should have known – that a permit was required :

 

• as the Mayor she knew about the laws that govern the City of Banning.

• as a former Allstate Insurance claim manager with 28 years experience (source), Franklin was familiar with permit and insurance requirements for the large event she was holding.

• Mayor Debbie Franklin is the only Council member that continuously holds herself out as a self-proclaimed expert on all governmental issues. No matter whether the issue is local, State or Federal in nature, Franklin always acts like she “knows government”. Franklin therefore knew or should have known about the need for a permit.

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“WRONGFUL DEATH DUE TO NEGLIGENCE”

According to the lawsuit, the fact that a permit was never obtained, was a contributing factor in the death of Roy Azarnoff. The plaintiffs allege that, had a permit been in place, the parking chaos at the Museum would have not occurred. They say that safety could have been assured by either imposing a requirement for valet parking, or by limiting the number of guests to the available parking capacity at the Museum.

Other precautionary requirements could have consisted of a parking shuttle service and a temporarily reduced speed limit.

Such restrictions would have made it safe for guests to attend the party. With permit restrictions in place, guests would have not been forced to cross the busy 4 lanes of Wilson Street in total darkness, in order to get to their cars parked on the opposite (south) side.

The lawsuit holds two parties – Mayor Debbie Franklin as well as the Fire Memories Museum – responsible for the death of 81-year old Roy Azarnoff.

The building that houses the Fire Museum is owned by the City of Banning. For the third year in a row, taxpayer subsidy is given to the Museum in form of free rent ($ 1 /year).

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FIRE MUSEUM ADMITS VIOLATIONS

It is not just the City’s ordinance that required a permit for the party. The lease between the City and the Fire Museum also called for the Museum to seek a permit for the event, (see lease – Article 6,(A) ).

In a sworn deposition, Fire Museum owner Douglas Hammer admitted that he knowingly violated the lease agreement when he held the party (view relevant deposition excerpt).

Franklin also knew about this provision in the lease – she had approved the contract just 6 weeks earlier, on July 10, 2012. There can be no question that, when the Museum failed to obtain the permit, it violated both the lease agreement and City code.

At this point the City of Banning has not been named in the lawsuit, however, this could change at any time.

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MEDIA BLACKOUT

All local media reports about on the accident were nonspecific : only the name of the victim and the time and location of the accident were reported (view reports by patch.com and Press Enterprise).

Remarkably, not a single media outlet mentioned that the victim had attended a party hosted by the Mayor of Banning. That the accident occurred at the Fire Memories Museum, was also conveniently omitted from the reports.

Apparently attempting to keep her direct connection to the accident “Hush Hush”, Mayor Debbie Franklin seems to have ordered an immediate media blackout.

For almost 2 years, no information about Franklin’s or the Fire Museum’s involvement in this tragedy could be found anywhere – it was swept under the rug “Franklin-style” – until now.

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ARROGANCE OF POWER

Is this the first time Mayor Debbie Franklin has acted like she is above the law ? – not at all.

In 2011, Franklin ran a charity that was suspended by the California Secretary of State. While suspended, the charity engaged in unlawful fundraising activity. (Government Code Section 12599.6, (f), (1) ) – see previous story).

In 2010, when the government funded Haven Coffee House illegally operated without a business license, building permits or health inspection, Franklin – ( along with Robinson, Hanna and Botts) looked the other way. Franklin allowed the violations to continue for well over a year , (see story).

Anytime lawlessness is alleged in Banning, one can count on Mayor Franklin to attempt to sweep the issue under the rug, and crush an investigation (see the allegations just reported in this article).

Here is yet another example : 3 months ago, when it came to light that former City manager Andy Takata had illegally – without authorization by the Council – changed a contract with developer Pearlman (Village at Paseo San Gorgonio), Franklin again showed no concern whatsoever about Takata’s blatantly illegal stunt – to the contrary, she supported it.

Even when public officials are committing crimes on camera (watch video), they can count on Mayor Franklin for her continued support (source). Franklin’s unshaken commitment to thug District Attorney Paul Zellerbach is a telling example of her lack of values and character as the Mayor of Banning.

As the above examples show, obedience of the law is not very high on Mayor Franklin’s list. Her role in the tragic death of Roy Azarnoff is indicative of an attitude that suggests City ordinances do not apply to her.

Mayor Debbie Franklin is behaving like she is above the law.

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CONCLUSION

When the Mayor feels no need to abide by City ordinances, lawlessness rules City Hall.

Mayor Franklin not only broke the law, she also kept her involvement in the wrongful death of a Banning citizen from the public. Who does she think she is ? No City is served well by a Mayor who behaves like she is above the law.

Is it time for Mayor Debbie Franklin to resign ? – you decide.

 

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Council Member Debbie Franklin engaged in illegal fundraising for suspended and unregistered  “Charity”

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6/25/11 – “Pass Area Supporting Soldiers” run by its President, Banning City Council Member Debbie Franklin, is the latest addition to a growing list of highly questionable “charities” operated throughout the Pass Area, many of which are fully endorsed by our elected officials.

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SUSPENDED AND UNREGISTERED

Debbie Franklin’s charity,  “Pass Area Supporting Soldiers” has not only been suspended by the California Secretary of State, they are also unregistered as a charitable organization with the California State Attorney General (view). As a consequence,  the organization does not have charitable status in the State of California and is not allowed to solicit any donations.

It is a violation of California law, for an organization to publicly misrepresent their charitable status and to engage in fundraising. According to one of its members, Dorothy McLean , the organization had previously received two warning letters from the Secretary of State threatening suspension. McLean said she responded to the letters.

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PRESS ENTERPRISE REPORTS ON “DONATION DRIVE”  –  FAILS TO  MENTION SUSPENSION

In a June 23 article (view), PRESS ENTERPRISE’s Erin Waldner reports on a “donation drive”, therewith confirming

that the organization is actively engaged in the solicitation of charitable donations.

Additionally, the PE  article falsely refers to the organization as a “nonprofit group”, therewith leading the reader to believe that “Pass Area Supporting Soldiers” is in effect properly authorized to solicit donations. As we have pointed out above, nothing could be further from the truth.

It takes less than five minutes to verify the legal status of any charity with the Secretary of State’s and the California Attorney General’s websites. Why did the reporter not do proper research before publishing the article ? If she would have, she would have found that the organization is illegitimate. This makes you wonder : why does the Press Enterprise not live up to their obligation to correctly inform the public  ? The above facts make it clear that the public can no longer rely upon PRESS ENTERPRISE’s reporting.

In our opinion, PE’s coverage of “Pass Area Supporting Soldiers” is the latest example of increasingly worthless reporting, conducted through their clueless Pass Area reporter, Erin Waldner.

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ONLY IN BANNING : 3 OUT OF 5  COUNCIL MEMBERS OPENLY SUPPORT UNREGISTERED “CHARITIES”

As we had mentioned recently, Mayor Barbara Hanna and Council Don Robinson, openly came out in support of an illegal fundraiser for an unregistered Charity , “Operation Kidz Komfort”, (story). Both have yet to withdraw their support for the (as of the date of this article) still unregistered organization (view).

Now, joining the club, we have a third Banning Council Member essentially doing the same thing – only worse : Council Member Debbie Franklin is not just supporting, but acting as the President of an organization that is not registered and even is suspended.
Why is Debbie Franklin soliciting chartible contributions in violation of the law ?  And what does this tell us about the accountability and professionalism of Council Member Franklin ? Can we really trust someone like her with millions of dollars in taxpayer funds ?  Debbie Franklin could not be reached for comment.

With that said, is it any wonder that Banning continues to be run into the ground, without accountability and with special interests getting handed millions of dollars ( view All Star Dodge story or the million dollar Haven Coffee disaster) ?

It appears that the City of Banning is run in the same illegitimate fashion as the questionable “charities” that its Council Members support.

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LIST OF QUESTIONABLE PASS AREA CHARITIES CONTINUES TO GROW

According to recent reports, there is an alarming increase in the number of Pass Area charities which raise more questions than they provide answers :

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• “Carol’s Kitchen”’s Director, Jim McConnell, is accused of embezzling tens of thousand of dollars from the charity, leading to the resignations of four board members. The Record Gazette made this their front page article, however, Press Enterprise never reported on this story  – apparently they felt their readers had no need to know.

• The “Boys and Girls Club of the San Gorgonio Pass” pays its executive Director and School Board member, Amy Herr, an exorbitant $ 63,000 a year – for what ? (click here for more). Neither Press Enterprise nor the Record Gazette ever covered this truly outrageous story. To this day, The Banning Informer remains the only source of information on this matter.

• The “Beaumont Charitable Foundation”, intended to be a 501 c ,3,  has been illegally soliciting charitable donations for over a year, as it was never registered with the IRS nor the Attorney General. The Record Gazette delayed their reporting on the matter, while Press Enterprise never covered it at all. Credit for breaking this story goes to watchful Beaumont Council Member Nancy Gall, who turned over her information to patch.com for coverage (view), as well as to the IRS for enforcement.

• As mentioned above, “Operation Kidz Komfort” has been engaging in solicitation of donations while not being registered with the Attorney General, a clear violation of California Government Code Section 12599.6, (f), (1). The illegal solicitation was endorsed by two sitting Banning City Council members. Once again, this was never reported by any news outlet – other than The Banning Informer (story).

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CONCLUSION
Will the day ever come when the rule of law returns to Banning ?

One thing is for sure : as long as the Banning public is asleep at the wheel, politicians like Debbie Franklin will be able to run the City  in  the same irresponsible way as she runs the charity she presides over.

 

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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.

Some people ask : are Peterson’s stunning claims actually true? In order to answer this question, this article will fact check each one of the former council member’s claims.

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PETERSON’S CLAIM #1 :

MAYOR DANIELA ANDRADE RECENTLY FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY WITH OVER $200,000.00 IN DEBT

According to the United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District Of California, Case 6:18-bk-14155-MH, Daniela Andrade and her husband Alfredo, himself previously a Trustee on the Banning School Board, jointly filed for bankruptcy on 5/17/18. Their entire filing can be found by clicking here.

On page 9 of the filing, Andrade lists her total liabilities at $218,711.40

Page 22 of the filing shows that Andrade and her hubby racked up their American Express Card to the tune of  $29,413, owes Discover Card $17,907, Capital One Card $ 1,426 and Macy’s $7,205 , for a grand total of $ 55,951 in credit card debt alone.

With this said, Andrade’s bankruptcy filing documents show that Don Peterson’s claim #1 is 100% true. Andrade is a total deadbeat.

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PETERSON’S CLAIM #2 :

MAYOR PRO TEM COLLEEN WALLACE IS A CONVICTED CRIMINAL, PROBATION VIOLATOR AND WAS EVEN CHARGED WITH FELONY CHECK FORGERY

As we had reported in the past, Mayor Pro Tem Colleen Wallace was convicted of lying to a Police Officer and driving on a suspended license in San Bernardino Superior Court , case # 604773CW (view here). Wallace was given probation for these offenses. Wallace violated her probation which resulted in the Court issuing a warrant for her arrest on 7/28/2008 ( see docket entry here).

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In 2004 the Riverside District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges against Colleen Wallace for passing a counterfeit traveller check at the Cabazon Outlet Mall (Riverside Superior Court case # BAF003252) .

 

The Cabazon merchant had not only positively identified Wallace as the one passing the fake check, but the signature on the check also matched that of Wallace on her driver’s license, according to an affidavit by the Riverside Sheriffs Department. The case was ultimately dismissed due to failure by the District Attorney to timely prosecute the matter.

 

For details including a police affidavit alleging Colleen Wallace’ criminal activity, please see this article. Public record supports the notion that Wallace is nothing more than a common Banning thug.

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Peterson’s claim #2 about Colleen Wallace is therefore 100% correct.

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PETERSON’S CLAIM # 3:

CITY MANAGER DOUG SCHULZE FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY TWICE AND HAD THREE OF HIS HOMES FORECLOSED ON

As we had previously reported, Court records indeed show two bankruptcy filings for Doug Schulze : his first bankruptcy filing was in June of 1999,(case # 9907762 – Western Seattle Federal Court). The second bankruptcy filing was in October of 2002, with the bankruptcy being discharged in June of 2004 (case # 0222952 – Western Seattle Federal Court).

A total of three foreclosure proceedings were initiated against Doug Schulze and his wife Lisa. All three filings were made by different lenders.

Foreclosures were filed against Doug Schulze on the following dates:

• January 8, 1998 – creditor: Susan J. Robinson / GE Capital Mortgage (view filing)
• April 7, 1999 – creditor: North Pacific Trustee / First Mortgage Corp. (view filing)
• July, 3, 2002 – creditor : First Mortgage Corp. (view filing)

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Schulze has shown a pattern of allowing his homes to go into foreclosure, while being gainfully employed. This is likely the reason why he no longer owns a home and currently rents in Sun Lakes.

Overall, no city manager in Banning’s history ever had such an abysmal personal financial history. How can Banning improve with a city manager who conducts himself as such a loser when it comes to his personal finances?

Don Peterson’s claim # 3, essentially identifying City Manager Doug Schulze as a notorious serial deadbeat, once again is 100% correct.

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PETERSON’S CLAIM # 4 :

BANNING ELECTRIC UTILITY IS GOUGING ITS CUSTOMERS, SITS ON ABOUT $30M IN CASH STOLEN FROM THE RATEPAYERS IN VIOLATION OF PROP 26

Here Peterson makes an interesting point that needs to be expanded upon. To understand this issue, we first need to understand California Proposition 26, which became part of California’s constitution back in 2010.

In essence, Prop 26 forbids a public utility to charge a hidden tax by declaring it to be a “fee” for its services. In the case of Banning Electric, this means that the utility can only charge for the actual cost of its services, but cannot impose charges that are to be used for general city operations, i.e. for the general fund.

However, this is exactly what Banning did for almost 9 years, after Prop 26 became law – and herein lies the problem. Other cities, for example the City of Riverside, have already been sued for this unlawful practice.

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But instead of abandoning this unlawful gouging, Banning’s predominant swamp creatures , aka George Moyer, Debbie Franklin and Art Welch, tried to scam their way out of the problem : during the 2018 election they introduced “Measure P” (view), which was proposing to legalize the now illegal gouging practice of charging excessive funds to electric customers, and then transferring them from the utility to the city’s general fund, in the same way it had been done for decades.

Since said three corrupt leaders couldn’t tell the truth if their life depended on it, they avoided calling the proposed measure a “tax”. Instead, they tried to trick voters by promising them a three year “rate freeze”, if they approved to indefinitely continue the long standing, previously 100% illegal, practice of using utility money for the city’s operation.

Fortunately, the deceptive Moyer/Franklin/Welch scam was ultimately defeated, yet only narrowly. The defeat must largely be attributed to Don Peterson, who authored the official “Argument Against Measure “P” (view), which was circulated via voter pamphlet among all voters. Peterson used this argument to expose the fraud leading up to the measure.

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The defeat of Measure “P” goes to show that scam artists like George Moyer, Debbie Franklin and Art Welch may be able to fool some of the people some of the time, but even they can’t fool all the people all the time.

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But even the defeat of Measure P still does not change the fact that, for almost 10 years, ratepayers were gouged for unbelievable amounts of money: we are talking about an amount of roughly $2.5M per year since 2010, which amounts to about $22.5M to date – money that was stolen from the ratepayers and never returned.

A recent email from the Electric Utility Director Tom Miller shows that the City  currently has amassed almost $ 27M in cash (view email) . At least $22.5M of this amount was illegally obtained from the ratepayers after Prop 26 had passed in 2010. Hence, this money was stolen.

This theft amounts to somewhere near $2,000 for each and every Electric utility customer account in Banning. Money that never belonged to the utility and should have been refunded.

But instead of ordering the utility to issue a refund, a complicit Banning city council continues to sweep the issue under the rug, and is already plotting to implement yet another rate hike.

As we have shown above, the record fully supports Don Peterson’s claim of price gouging and utility theft by the Banning Electric Utility. It is 100% true.

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PETERSON’S CLAIM # 5:

“THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE IS CONTEMPLATING FILING CHARGES AGAINST A BANNING POLICE OFFICER FOR AN ON-DUTY MURDER, CHIEF HAMNER HAS REFUSED TO PLACE THE OFFICER ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE OR INFORM THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE RESULTS OF / OR IF A SHOOTING REVIEW BOARD HAS EVEN OCCURRED”

If correct, this claim by Don Peterson should make every resident of Banning extremely worried. Is there indeed a cop suspected of murder patrolling the streets of Banning?

For several months now, the Banning Informer has attempted to get to the bottom of this officer involved shooting, which incidentally was never reported by the Record Gazette (like so many other things that have the ability to make Banning look awful).

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DEADLY OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING CONFIRMED

The Desert Sun reported that on February 7, 2019 an officer involved shooting occurred, which caused the death of a Banning resident. The name of the officer who fired the deadly shots was not released .

From what we understand, several officers had responded that night to a disturbance call on Blanchard Street. Eventually one officer drew his weapon, fired a single shot and killed the resident, who is said to have been unarmed.

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ONGOING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

Several months ago, the Banning Informer had requested all records related to this shooting from the Banning Police Department. We also requested that the officer’s name be released.

On December 17, 2019, the City Clerk informed us that the officer involved was now under criminal investigation :

“The incident is still the subject of an active criminal investigation that is being conducted at the direction of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, and the District Attorney’s Office has not yet determined whether to file criminal charges.” (Subsequently, further clarification was given by the city, indicating that it was the Riverside County District Attorney who is conducting the criminal investigation, not the LA County DA.)

Much to our consternation, the same email also indicated that the officer  suspected of criminal activity ( murder?) is still on the lose patrolling the streets of Banning :

“the City is withholding the name of the officer involved in the shooting because it believes, based on the officer’s current work assignment, that releasing the officer’s name at this time would present a particularized safety threat to the officer.”

This statement confirms that, despite being a suspect in a criminal investigation, the officer is not on administrative leave and still has a “work assignment”. And to release his name would be a “threat to the officer”. But what about the officer being a threat to the public, in case this officer is found guilty of murder?

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CHIEF HAMNER THROWS CAUTION TO THE WIND

The foregoing shows that Chief Hamner, who was hyped up by city manager Doug Schulze to be the cat’s meow of law enforcement, is throwing caution to the wind. This may be because Hamner actually lacked the POST certification required to be a cop in California at the time of his hiring.

Hamner’s unprofessional handling of a potentially criminal officer involved shooting suggests that he is running the Banning Police Department in a rather reckless, irresponsible manner, without common sense and with little to no regard for the safety of the public. Also, by allowing a potential murderer to patrol our streets, Hamner is potentially exposing the City of Banning to enormous liability.

We don’t know of a single case in California where an officer who was suspected of the criminal on-duty killing of a citizen was left on duty during the criminal investigation.

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WHICH OFFICER WAS INVOLVED?

When asked who he believed the officer involved to be, Don Peterson responded that he believed the killer to be Sergeant Michael Bennett.

Does Peterson’s assumption seem plausible? Peterson’s belief is affirmed by allegations made in a recent lawsuit against the City of Banning, filed by former Banning Interim Police Chief Robert Fisher. In his suit Fisher identifies Sgt. Bennett as the shooter (Riverside Superior Court case# RIC1905878).

Fisher says that Bennett was fired from Riverside County Sheriff for lying to another officer about his identity, and therefore must be considered a “Brady Cop”.

Fisher further alleges that Bennett lied to City manager Doug Schulze in the line of duty, but that Schulze has shielded Bennett from any investigation, and instead has targeted Fisher for being a whistleblower.

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DOCUMENTED FACTS

With this said, we are sharing the following, thoroughly documented facts about officer Bennett:

The latest incident would not have been the first time that officer Bennett was involved in the killing of a citizen while on duty. Prior to the officer involved shooting on February 7th, 2019, Bennett was involved in shooting a citizen in the line of duty in 2006.

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The suspect was Jesse Jones, a 26-year old African American man. Jones was pursued solely because he was suspected of painting graffiti in Banning, and was fleeing from Bennett.

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During a foot pursuit, Bennett discharged his weapon twice. Jones died that night at the hospital.

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The autopsy report (view here) showed that Jones was shot in the back – twice, with the bullets exiting his torso on the upper chest and lower abdomen.

Despite this very disturbing finding, the shooting was ruled to be in compliance with Banning’s shooting policy.

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MEMBER OF “SHOOTING REVIEW BOARD”: LYING “BRADY COP” LT. PHIL HOLDER

For those who know how Banning operates, the 2006 ruling by the Banning “Shooting Review Board” will be anything but surprising: documents show that the Board at the time consisted of at least one dirty, lying Banning cop: Lieutenant Phil Holder (since then promoted to Captain).

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For starters, Holder is the son of convicted serial bank robber Frank D. Holder (a.k.a the “Grandpa Bandit” – see L.A. Times story here and our previous story here).

Phil Holder himself had a history of betraying the public’s trust: he was caught lying on duty while working at Pomona PD, which made him a “Brady Cop”.

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A “Brady Cop” is a law enforcement officer who has verifiably lied in the line of duty, in most cases under oath. This circumstance must be disclosed to the defense in any subsequent criminal case where the officer is a witness, which makes any Brady Cop a useless, impeachable witness in any court proceeding. In other words, Brady Cops ought to be considered the lowest form of life in law enforcement.

Notwithstanding that he was a confirmed liar, Brady Cop Phil Holder was promoted to Captain about 3 years ago. The promotion is said to have occurred at the behest of corrupt former Mayor George Moyer, during a time when councilman Peterson was on vacation.

The promotion was Moyer’s way to ensure that he always had a compromised insider at the Banning Police Department, who would forever be indebted to him. After all, Moyer had reason to be concerned: only a year earlier Moyer had been investigated for threatening to shoot and kill his Sun Lakes neighbor in a dispute over a barking dog (click here to view Police report on this incident).

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When Hamner took over as Chief in 2019, none other than Phil Holder became his right hand man.

In retrospect, the participation of a Brady Cop, i.e. a professional liar, on Sgt. Bennett’s 2006 “Shooting Review Board” severely taints the credibility of the Board’s findings. If a cop lacks credibility when testifying in court because he is a confirmed liar, then how can he have credibility ruling on an officer involved shooting? Brady Cops should never rule on officer involved shootings. NEVER. But in Banning they do.

We also see that Deputy Chief Leonard Purvis was a member of the “Shooting Review Board”. Purvis, who later became Banning Police Chief, had a conflict of interest reviewing Michael Bennett’s shooting : Purvis was good friends with Bennett’s brother, Riverside Sheriff Lieutenant Paul Bennett, who he had worked with at RSO. Due to his close ties to a member of Bennett’s family, Purvis should have recused himself from the investigation – but didn’t.

 

Purvis’ and Holder’s involvement in this matter severely calls into question the integrity of the entire Banning Police Department. Time will tell how the criminal investigation of last year’s officer involved shooting will play out.

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They say that “a fish rots from the head down”. History shows us that this has long been the case with the City of Banning and its Police Department. Why haven’t we heard anything from the Department? What does it say about Chief Hamner, when he allows an officer who is suspected of a capital crime to patrol Banning’s streets?

In closing, what we know from public documents is that Don Peterson was correct with claim # 5. We see it as 100% true.

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CONCLUSION

As demonstrated above, all of Don Peterson’s claims about the City of Banning check out.

Peterson resigned because he saw no hope for this corrupt city. Do you?

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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. Daniela Andrade had filed for bankruptcy just a little over a year ago (case number 6:2018-bk-14155).  Nevertheless, Andrade was appointed Mayor on December 10, 2019.

Personal bankruptcy regularly serves as clear evidence of a person’s inability to manage money. So how can Daniela Andrade be expected to successfully manage the City of Banning’s increasingly difficult financial condition? Short answer: she can’t.

Further troubling is the fact that Andrade is on record relentlessly promoting the deceptive HERO home improvement lending program. The Riverside District Attorney’s Office has since identified the program as a predatory loan sharking scheme, which victimized countless homeowners.

Among the victims were dozens of Banning citizens who had followed Andrade’s ill advice to participate in the program. Yet Andrade never reached out, let alone apologized to the victims she had driven into financial agony. Neither did former Mayor Debbie Franklin, who seemed literally obsessed with selling Banning residents on the loan sharking scheme, come hell or high water.

Finally, a few months ago, the Riverside DA caused the HERO operators to enter into a $4M settlement (see Press Enterprise report).

So much for Daniela Andrade’s lack of compassion, lack of good judgement and blatant financial illiteracy.

The above certainly explains why Andrade would end up filing for bankruptcy.

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JOINING THE TEAM

 

But bankrupt Daniela Andrade is not alone in her league. She is joined by another deadbeat official: Banning’s City manager Doug Schulze. Schulze filed for bankruptcy not once, but twice.

 

Schulze’s first bankruptcy filing occurred in April of 2001, (case # 9907762 – Western Seattle Federal Court). Schulze filed bankruptcy for the second time only 18 months later, in October of 2002, with the bankruptcy being discharged in June of 2004 (case # 0222952 – Western Seattle Federal Court).

 

Aside from two bankruptcy filings, Schulze also shows a pattern of repeatedly defaulting on his home loans. This resulted in a total of 3 foreclosures against him.

 

 

Foreclosures were filed against Doug Schulze on the following dates:

 

• January 8, 1998 – creditor: Susan J. Robinson / GE Capital Mortgage (view filing)

 

 

• April 7, 1999 – creditor: North Pacific Trustee / First Mortgage Corp. (view filing)

 

 

• July, 3, 2002 – creditor : First Mortgage Corp. (view filing)

Incidentally, Schulze’s third foreclosure in 2002 occurred only 5 months after the loan had originated, suggesting that he may never have bothered to make even a single loan payment.

 

Schulze also failed to pay his taxes, causing the IRS to file a  $ 11,000 lien against him.

 

Given so much financial incompetence, is it any wonder that Doug Schulze is the first City manager in Banning’s 100-year history to propose an unbalanced City budget? The 2019/20 budget is short by approximately $ 2M, with the shortfall to be funded out of the city’s emergency reserves. Does this seem like a sustainable financial concept to anyone?

Can an incompetent serial deadbeat like City manager Doug Schulze be trusted with running a multi million dollar City budget? Bankrupt Mayor Andrade and the majority of the City council seem to think so.

In the meantime, any reasonable observer will be shaking their head. (For more information on Doug Schulze see posts here and here)

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CONVICTED CRIMINAL COLLEEN WALLACE NAMED MAYOR PRO TEM

Banning’s freak show would not be complete without Colleen Wallace. Wallace is the only convicted criminal to ever “serve” on the City council during Banning’s 100 year history. In the same council meeting of December 10, 2019, Wallace was appointed Banning’s new Mayor Pro Tem (Vice Mayor).

Previously we had warned about Wallace’ shady background, which includes criminal misdemeanor convictions, probation violation, arrests, writing bad check to San Bernardino Superior Court, possible welfare fraud and, last but not least, felony charges for check forgery (for details, including full Police affidavits, click here).

What could possibly illustrate the complete decay of the City of Banning better than a common Banning criminal rising to Mayor Pro Tem? Is this really the best our city has to offer?

Could it be more clear that Banning has entered into a tailspin of corruption, a recovery from which now seems increasingly improbable? You decide.

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CITY LEADERS HAVE NO INVESTMENT IN BANNING

None of the individuals named above appear to believe in the City of Banning enough to put their money where their mouth is: neither Daniela Andrade, nor City manager Doug Schulze nor Colleen Wallace own any property in Banning. All of them are renters.

Why is this important? Because not owning property makes all of them immune to the consequences of their financial decisions. If things turn sour in Banning, they can just pick up and leave. None of them will ever have to worry about suffering a decline in their home value due to their actions.

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BANNING’S CREDIT RATING GOING DOWN THE DRAIN?

Having a freshly bankrupt Mayor at the helm of the City, along with a financially incompetent, twice bankrupt City manager, cannot bode well for Banning. Neither will a Mayor Pro Tem with a criminal record. Undoubtedly, such circumstances will be noted by credit rating agencies (Moody’s etc.)

Add to this incompetent cast of characters an unbalanced budget, and a downgrade of the City’s credit rating could be in the cards. Could debt issued by City of Banning soon find itself being rated in “junk bond” territory? We don’t know.

We do know, however, that Banning is spending substantially more than it is taking in. This fact alone could lead to a credit downgrade, causing the City’s borrowing costs to sharply rise.

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CONCLUSION

The latest appointments of a bankrupt Mayor and a criminal Mayor Pro Tem give a clear indication of the chaotic direction Banning has been taking.

With so much incompetence ruling the day, it appears Banning may soon be approaching a point of no return. By the way, if you’re waiting for the lying Record Gazette to tell you this story, you may be out of luck. So instead of waiting in vain, just remember where you read it first.

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