DIRTY POLITICS EXPOSED IN BANKRUPT CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO

For Immediate Release

Contact: Nicole Wolfe

(909) 886-2994 Ofc (909-277-3825) cell

Date: October 13, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:       

DIRTY POLITICS EXPOSED IN BANKRUPT CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO

San Bernardino, California October 13, 2014 –Time for Change Foundation held a press conference on the steps of City Hall to expose the dirty politics, once again plaguing the bankrupt City of San Bernardino.  Concerned citizens, community activists, spiritual leaders and the homeless joined with Time for Change Foundation (TFCF) to demand that the City Council do at least what the community does for them, VOTE.  The community united in one voice for Honesty, Integrity and Transparency (HIT) within the city leadership holding signs declaring “Stop the Dirty Politics” and “Cheating is Bad for Business.” 

Kim Carter, Founder/Executive Director Time for Change Foundation, addresses
the crowd demanding an honest and transparent City Council.

TFCF, a local non-profit organization, and low income housing developer, dedicated to serving the disenfranchised, has been denied Federal Home Investment Partnership Funds designed to be administered through the City after winning a recent bid competition for their new low income housing development project.  “We won that competition fair and square. This is about the jobs that are going to be created in our community, it’s about the safe and decent housing that we are going to have in our community,” said Kim Carter, Executive Director and Founder of TFCF, “we’re not going to allow dirty politicians to rob us one more time.  We’re here today about the residents of San Bernardino who can’t afford to be cheated out of one more taxpayer dollar in our city.  We need investments in our community and that’s not going to happen if we keep allowing leadership to come in here and play dirty politics.  Is this city open for business or what?“San Bernardino is a city trying to rebuild itself.  No entity will be willing to come to San Bernardino to invest if the City does not hold to the competition process.

The community, along with the hardworking staff at TFCF want answers.  If the City Council went through the pretense of soliciting proposals, having the proposals analyzed by a Proposal Review Committee, publicly declaring a winner, and writing a Resolution to award the funds, the least the City Council can do is VOTE!  Today, the community called for the City Council to place the project item back on their agenda and to VOTE, publicly, yes or no.  The community is calling for the matter to be moved forward according to the democratic process which has been set in place for the orderly conducting of business.

Sergio Luna of Inland Congregations United For Change (ICUC) asserted “this is a fight that every single person in San Bernardino should take…we at ICUC we are standing with Time for Change in every way possible…we will continue to collaborate until we find justice in our community.”  Reverend Bronica Taylor was passionate, declaring “we are the people. It is our vote that can truly make the change. “

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

 üan open bid competition RFP was released by the City for the purpose of low income housing development

 üa Proposal Review Committee declared TFCF the agency scoring the highest in the  competition

 üthe Mayor and City Council issued a Resolution stating the funds had been identified and were available

 üthe Resolution authorized the City Manager and City Attorney to negotiate terms of the development project

 üthe Resolution was placed on the City Council agenda 9/15/14 and then removed

 üthe Resolution was placed on the City Council agenda 10/6/14 and then removed

Concerned community members gather on the front of City Hall steps in support
of Time for Change Foundation.

No one within the City government will publicly state why this development project is not moving forward in the normal course of business.  The community, attempting to pull out of bankruptcy, has been disappointed once again because of the lack of Honesty, Integrity and Transparency within the new leaders they voted into office.  How can you ask people to vote for you during reelection time when you are sitting in the seat and not living up to the promises of openness, transparency and accountability?  If the City was truly moving forward, the transparency and accountability would be obvious.  Kim Carter reiterated: “This is not about me, this is about the process which is honest, integrity filled and transparent … a healthy competition.  Is any business safe to come here and enter a competition only to be awarded but not rewarded? No one likes a “cheater!” 

The next City Council meeting will take place October 20, 2014 and the public was encouraged to attend and demand answers from public officials, from the dais, in that public forum.  TFCF put the matter publicly to the City Council to place the development project item back on the agenda and for every member to publicly vote to approve or disapprove.

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Join Time for Change Foundation Monday to demand HONESTY, INTEGRITY, & TRANSPARENCY from San Bernardino city leaders!

California governor proposes drug rehab program changes after CNN investigation

(CNN) -- California Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed millions of dollars in additional funding to crack down on abuses in the state's drug rehab program as a result of an investigation by CNN and The Center for Investigative Reporting.

The governor's budget summary specifies additional government oversight needed to run the Drug Medi-Cal program.

"The budget proposes 21 positions and $2.2 million ... to continue the state's intensive focus on program integrity and expansion of drug treatment services by recertifying all providers in the state," says the budget summary, which was released Thursday.

The yearlong investigation by CNN and The Center for Investigative Reporting -- which culminated in reports in July on CNN.com and onCNN's "AC360º" television program -- revealed widespread fraud in the drug rehab program, which is part of the largest Medicaid system in the United States. The investigation revealed that convicted felons were operating clinics in violation of the law, clinics charged taxpayers for "ghost" patients and teens had been taken from their group homes for drug rehab even though they had no drug problems.

Regulators who could have stopped the fraud allowed it to continue, despite warnings that the system was being abused, the series found.

The investigation prompted a swift and strong reaction from the state. A total of 177 clinic sites have been suspended and 69 referred to the state's Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution. The head of the program publicly apologized for the fraud before a legislative oversight hearing in September.

"Due to concerns about program integrity in the Drug Medi-Cal program, DHCS (the California Department of Health Care Services) took steps in July 2013 to eliminate fraud and abuse in the program. ... DHCS has conducted a review of internal operations to improve oversight and monitoring of drug treatment programs, and has improved coordination with counties to ensure appropriate monitoring and recertification of all drug treatment providers," according to the budget summary.

State Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, chairman of the Senate Business, Professions and Professional Development Committee, said, "I am pleased the governor is proposing additional positions and funding to fight fraud in the Drug Medi-Cal program. We will analyze his proposal during the budget process to see if it is sufficient, but it is a good start."

DHCS spokesman Norman Williams said the money will allow the department to add a wide variety of new positions to scrutinize individual clinics and the department's own procedures.

Some staffers will comb through applications from rehab clinics to be recertified by the state -- a new requirement prompted by the series. Others will analyze data to make sure clinic billing matches the services provided, examine the department's policies and make recommendations for improvement.

"These are positions that will make the (Drug Medi-Cal) program stronger," Williams said. 

"This amount gives us the support necessary to continue our efforts ... in a way that we will ultimately be able to improve the integrity of the program."

Of the $2.2 million, half will come from the state's general fund, and the rest will be matched with federal funds.

All of the clinics featured in the CNN/CIR investigation have either closed on their own or have shut down after being suspended by the state. George Ilouno, one of the clinic operators who continued to stay open despite being out on bail on charges of Medi-Cal fraud and grand theft, pleaded guilty to Drug Medi-Cal fraud in September. He received a one-year suspended jail sentence, three years' probation, paid $90,000 in restitution to the state and must perform 60 days of community service.