JEFF STONE WATCHDOG BLOG

NEXT MONTH CELEBRATING 4 YEARS OF WATCHING JEFF STONE, SUPERVISOR AND HIS EMBARRASSING DOINGS HERE IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY CALIFORNIA!

Thank you to xenubarb for the picture - hope you don't mind that I borrowed it here!!!

From the July 30th event page:

Yes, I would like to attend. Please make 012345678910 reservations as a "Max-Out" Supporter at $3900 (entitles you and 4 guests to all of Stone for State Senate events).

HELL NO, I WOULDN'T GIVE YOU $3,900 SO I COULD BE A GUEST TO ALL THE "STONE FOR STATE SENATE" EVENTS.

HOW ABOUT ZERO POINT ZERO $0.00.

JUST VOTE NO ON JEFF STONE!

ENJOYING THIS FORUM - WHY WE PROTEST.

YES, WHY WE PROTEST JEFF STONE!

CHECK OUT THIS FORUM FOR "STUFF" ON JEFF STONE...

http://forums.whyweprotest.net/249-goldbase/jeff-stone-riverside-supervisor-pays-volunteer-sister-42241/10/

Last modified Sunday, July 12, 2009 12:08 AM PDT

HUNNEMAN: No rest for the weary

By JOHN HUNNEMAN - Staff Writer

Good Sunday morning to you. We're at The Mill for breakfast this morning

Lori Stone was weary.

The sister of Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone had spent the day working in a community ---- she preferred not to say which one ----- with a law enforcement task force that deals with sex offenders.

"You wouldn't believe some of the things I see," she said.

Stone, the supervisor, has come under some fire lately, because his sister works for him. Her role is to be an advocate for homeless, social, woman's issues and awareness of sexual abuse.

Stone, the sister, however is not on the county payroll but is paid about $65,000 per year by her brother from campaign funds given him by supporters.

She gets no salary, benefits or retirement money from county coffers.

Jeff Stone calls her a volunteer. Some have quibbled with that.

NOT JUST "SOME PEOPLE" - LOTS OF PEOPLE!

Still there is nothing illegal about the supervisor paying her with campaign funds.

"Jeff's donors are very aware of what I do for the county," she said. "If they believed Jeff made a mistake having me on the staff, they would let him know."

WELL, WE'RE LETTING YOU KNOW RIGHT HERE LORI. JEFF MADE A HUGH MISTAKE HAVING YOU ON HIS STAFF!!!!

Before her current duties, Lori Stone was a self-employed local businesswoman for 17 years. She was also a community volunteer known for helping bring the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure to Southwest County, which has raised millions of dollars for breast cancer awareness

"People need to know what I do for the residents of Riverside County," she said.

Lori Stone ran down a list of her duties and commissions on which she serves, most helping those who might otherwise have nowhere else to turn.

There's not room to list them all.

Here are a couple of examples:

Not long ago she spent a day dressed as a dirty, disheveled bag lady standing along Murrieta Hot Springs Road trying to gauge attitudes toward the homeless. You can probably guess passersby responses.

"It was pretty scary," she said.

CAN YOU SAY THIS IS PRETTY LAME? GET AN ORIGINAL IDEA - TYRA BANKS ALREADY DID THIS!

When five fire fighters were killed battling the Esperanza fire in 2006, she called on friends and connections to make sure family members were not burdened with burial and other expenses.

The brother and sister have also gotten flack for Lori's use of a county-owned car ---- a Ford Explorer with more than 100,000 miles on it ---- to travel the county doing her duties.

She no longer uses the Explorer and now drives her own vehicle. Doing county work she is entitled to 55 cents per mile reimbursement, which will cost taxpayers $4,000 more this year than if she drove the county's clunker, she said.

VOLUNTEERS PAY FOR THEIR OWN STUFF. THAT'S WHY THEY ARE CALLED A VOLUNTEER.

YOU LORI STONE SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAD USE OF A COUNTY CAR TO START WITH. STOP STEALING MONEY FROM RIVERSIDE COUNTY TO PAY FOR YOUR GAS!

IF A CAR THAT HAS OVER 100,000 MILES IS A "CLUNKER" THEN MOST OF AMERICA IS IN TROUBLE!

Lori Stone also manages her brother's political campaigns. She received a sizeable victory bonus ---- $130,000 ---- last year when Jeff was re-elected, yet another source of controversy.

Once again, this money was from donors. Both Jeff and Lori insist her county tasks are kept completely separate from campaign work.

This issue has been circulated for months and so far no one has come forward with proof otherwise.

So if Lori Stone seems weary, it's with good cause. She's got a lot on her plate, a plate that costs the county next to nothing to keep full.

Call columnist John Hunneman at 951-676-4315, ext. 2603.

WAS JEFF STONE SHAMED INTO TURNING IN HIS "VOLUNTEER" SISTER'S COUNTY CAR. GEE, I GUESS EVERYONES CAR THAT HAS OVER 100K OF MILEAGE IS AN OLD CLUNKER. LORI - USE YOUR OWN CAR! YOU'RE VOLUNTEERING - USE YOUR OWN GAS - SAVE THE COUNTY MONEY. JEFF STONE IS SO WORRIED ABOUT SAVING MONEY FOR THE COUNTY......VOLUNTEER YOUR MONEY FOR LORI'S GAS! OR BETTER YET USE YOUR "POLITICAL RE-ELECTION MONEY DONATED" TO PAY FOR HER CAR AND GAS! Last modified Friday, July 10, 2009 6:59 PM PDT

REGION: Supervisors turn in some staff cars By JEFF ROWE - jrowe@californian.com RIVERSIDE ---- Political campaigns sometimes turn on the unlikeliest of words, symbols and deeds. In the race for the state Senate's 66th District seat, the iconic element thus far has been an old car. A Ford Explorer with 100,000-plus miles on the odometer that was used by Lori Stone in her work as a volunteer has generated radio debates, editorials and proposed legislation in Sacramento. Lori Stone works on homelessness, women's issues, charity fundraising and other concerns for her brother, 3rd District supervisor and state Senate candidate Jeff Stone. She also works on volunteer teams for the Sheriff's Department and district attorney's office. In her work for the county, Lori Stone is a volunteer, but her big brother also counts on her as a political consultant and pays her from campaign contributions ---- about $65,000 a year, he said. No benefits. But the car attracted attention and became a campaign issue. VOLUNTEERS DON'T MAKE ABOUT $65K A YEAR LORI!!! County regulations allow volunteers to use county cars, and the state Fair Political Practices Commission says that's legal, but the policy nonetheless raised questions about the cost, wisdom and appearance of the practice. Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-El Cajon, recently introduced legislation in Sacramento that would close what he says is a loophole in state law that allowed Stone's sister to use a county vehicle while working as a volunteer for her brother. Anderson hasn't formally declared himself to be a candidate for the state Senate seat, but he was billed that way in a speech earlier this month in Murrieta. Stone was furious at the legislation, saying it was clearly politically motivated. The bill ---- AB 1399 ---- originally focused on a voting concern, but was rewritten in May to focus on creating what he called a "bright line" regarding the use of county assets. WAAH, STONE WAS FURIOUS! Stone said three cars, including the one assigned to his sister, were turned in about two months ago. County officials confirmed that he and some other supervisors turned in county-operated vehicles assigned to particular staff members. Stone retains his county-issued Dodge Charger and figures he racks up about 33,000 miles a year on county business. His district stretches from Murrieta to the San Diego County line and eastward to Anza. For county business, his staff members and his sister still can sign out one of three cars assigned to his office from the county fleet. Use of the cars is charged against the supervisor's budget. Doug Baracz, assistant director of fleet services, says it usually is more economical for staffers and volunteers to use county cars rather than collect the 55-cents-per-mile reimbursement for using privately owned cars. Generally, he said, it costs the county about 31 cents per mile for county cars. That's partly because the county buys fuel in bulk and saves about 25 cents a gallon over the retail rate. While Stone says he's convinced his staff members' and sister's use of take-home county cars was cheaper for the county, it just became "way too political" to keep them, he said. Call staff writer Jeff Rowe at 951-676-4315, ext. 2621.

WEB COMMENTS FROM A STORY THAT RAN LAST WEEK IN "THE CALIFORNIAN" ABOUT THOMAS BUCKLEY, LAKE ELSINORE CITY COUNCILMAN.

Readers had this to say about an alleged confrontation between petition gatherers and Thomas Buckley, the councilman they are seeking to recall:

Clarity: Actually, Buckley is in the good company of Jeff Stone who once signed a Temecula petition under a fictitious name, supposedly to see what it was about. Maybe Stone didn't have a phone camera? Buckley should run for county supervisor or state Senate or governor.

JEFF STONE DOESN'T KNOW THE AREA! SINCE RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF PATROLS MOSTLY THE RURAL AREA OF THE COUNTY WITH BADLY KEPT UP ROADS, AS WELL AS MANY DIRT ROADS, THE LARGE CROWN VICTORIA IS A MUST TO KEEP THE PEACE.

MAYBE JEFF STONE SHOULD TRADE IN HIS GAS GUZZLING DODGE CHARGER AND USE A "SMART CAR" TO SAVE THE COUNTY MONEY!!!


REGION: County considering smaller patrol cars

By JEFF ROWE - jrowe@californian.com

RIVERSIDE ---- On a trip to France in January, Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone noticed small police cars scooting about the tight streets of Paris.

"A good idea for Riverside County," he thought. WHAT A DUMB IDEA JEFF!!!!

Back home, Stone took up the notion of using smaller cars with Sheriff Stanley Sniff and the county's fleet manager, Bob Howdyshell.

They agreed on a test.

While Stone envisioned squads of small cars zipping about nabbing evil-doers, even before the tests cars have been decided upon it appears the incumbent Crown Victoria already has won, a triumph attributed to geography, habits, policing tactics and dips in the road.

Stone's goal is to reduce the sheriff's fuel bill, which totaled $5.5 million for the last 12 months. The Crown Victoria only gets about 18 miles per gallon. Hybrids and smaller cars can get twice that. The sheriff's fleet now includes 788 "black and whites," the Crown Vic patrol cars.

Stone became so enthused about the potential savings that he made the conversion to smaller cars part of his 24-point SCRAPE program, an acronym that stands for Saving County of Riverside Against Preventable Expenses. His goal: saving $3 million a year on fuel for the Sheriff's Department.

Finding a smaller, more fuel-efficient patrol car that incorporates all the Crown Victoria features and will be acceptable to deputies will be a great challenge. Patrol cars need to be pursuit-qualified, said Howdyshell, director of the county's Department of Purchasing and Fleet. Pursuit-qualified vehicles used in the United States include the Crown Victoria, Dodge Charger, Chevy Impala and Chevy Tahoe.

"The Crown Vic has done best for us," Howdyshell said.

Deputies apparently agree, although the Riverside Sheriff's Association didn't return calls seeking comment on the proposal.

But police organizations have come to like the performance and protection the muscular Crown Vic provides for patrolling.

To use less than the protection the Crown Vic provides "increases the chances officers will get hurt or killed," said Capt. Larry Grotefend, whose responsibilities include the department's fleet of vehicles. In addition to the patrol cars, the sheriff's fleet includes 163 unmarked cars, 300 vehicles for investigators, and 322 speciality vehicles, such as jail vans, buses and bomb-disposal trucks. Some of the cars used for undercover and investigative work are hybrids or other smaller vehicles, but none is used for patrolling, Grotefend said.

The Crown Vic also possesses a batch of other features deputies like; for example, it handles dips at intersections and rough roads better than the other pursuit-rated cars, Grotefend said.

The police model Crown Victoria costs $24,500 and comes with front-door armor, cooling routed to the trunk to keep radios from overheating, a special handling and cornering package, a tougher transmission and tires certified for 150-miles-per-hour pursuits.

Police cruisers then get what officers call an "upfit" ---- radios, lights, push bar, plastic seat in the back, prisoner screen between the front and back seat and kevlar sheeting on the windows, which makes them bullet resistant. That equipment costs $8,000.

Smaller police cars are used in many countries around the world, especially in compact metropolitan areas such as Hong Kong. Some small towns in the U.S. also are using smaller cars and the trend toward community policing in urban areas is getting more police officers out of cars and onto the street on foot or on new-technology scooters.

For now, the retreat in fuel prices is dampening pressure to save gasoline.

"There is a place for (smaller) cars, but to supplement pursuit vehicles is more difficult," Grotefend said.

Call staff writer Jeff Rowe at 951-676-4315, Ext. 2621.

Labels: smart car arrogant jerk