2018 Elections

Bill Brough Update: LA Times Gives Your Intrepid Blogger Love as They Tell the World About Bill Brough’s $100,000 Fine

Nov 242023

So, Bill Brough got fined $100,000, not $90,000, by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for violating campaign finance laws.

The tape of the meeting is here. It starts at 12:24 appx. The comments about Brough’s behavior are staggering.

The comments included, “Most Egregious Conduct, Abuses of Public Trust I have ever seen”, and others along the line of it looks like he defaulted because we (the FPPC) have had a terrible record of collecting debts. “Intentional Obstruction”, “Falsifying Records” are other terms you hear used…

At about the 21 Minute Mark, the chairman of the commission talks about how Bill Brough defaulted on the repayment plan. He then talks about Brough hearing about the FPPC collecting less than 3% of items that go in to collections. The chair continues that he thinks Brough decided to stop making his monthly installments. At the 23 Minute mark, the chairman lowers the boom on Bill Brough.

These items are significant for the LA Times article that follows:

Please respect the LA Times Paywall and access the article here.

In the case of the FPPC’s campaign finance investigation, Brough initially agreed to a payment plan for a $47,000 penalty. But after making a payment of $7,500 in April, according to the filing, he stopped making payments. Brough said he stopped making payments in order to enter into a settlement with the FPPC and make the investigation stop.

“It went on and on for four years,” he said. “I just wanted to go on with my life.”

The commission responded by more than doubling the penalty amount, levying the maximum fine for the charges. In a public meeting last week recommending Brough’s fine, FPPC Chairman Richard Miadich increased the fine from a recommended $90,000 to $100,000 and made the unusual motion to direct staff “to make this a priority matter for collections purposes and to pursue any and all means at your disposal to ensure we recover the full measure of this default.”

Note Bill Brough’s dishonesty in his comments to the LA Times. If you watch the comments of the chairman of the FPPC, they believed as did the investigators that Brough stopped making payments because he thought he’d evade collections. Brough has learned nothing from his fall, and apparently he has enablers that got him a job as a lobbyist/consultant in Orange County as well.

…The FPPC, which oversees candidates and campaign finances, found multiple discrepancies in the reports from Brough’s 2018 and 2020 campaign committees.

Brough used a total of $17,303 in campaign funds for personal expenses and failed multiple record-keeping requirements, even as his campaign treasurer warned him about violations, according to the FPPC’s report.

“I need all of your receipts ASAP — you’ve gone mad with the [credit] card use and I have one silly receipt for every ten expenses,” treasurer JenEve Slater wrote to Brough in 2018, the FPPC investigation found.

The unusually large FPPC fine is the latest allegation of misconduct against Brough, who was accused of sexual harassment by four women in 2019, prompting Orange County Republicans to call for him to not run for reelection. Brough said in a phone interview with The Times on Tuesday that he is no longer in electoral politics, though he works as a political consultant and lobbyist.

When I spoke to the reporter at the LA Times, I was explicit that I felt this was only partial justice because I believe that Bill Brough raped at least one woman, beyond the sexual harassment mentioned in the article. Given that the victim is still awaiting justice and the case shows open/suspended at the County of Sac there is no way to FOIA the records around it.

Back to the LA Times:

Another international trip brought Brough to the Netherlands for an Internet Marketing Assn. conference. After attending a two-hour conference, which ended with tastings at a local bar, Brough spent several days touring the area, according to the documents.

“Investigation revealed that Brough was visiting the region with his wife, for her birthday — and he asked the IMA if he could stop by … while he was in the area,” the FPPC document said.

In another instance, the FPPC reported that Brough used campaign funds to purchase a $1,300 custom cigar humidor, a custom bourbon barrel bar cabinet, a portable ice maker and a compact refrigerator, which he listed as office expenses but then took home when he left the Assembly.

The FPPC investigation began in 2019, after conservative political consultant Aaron Park filed a complaint, alleging that the politician had used campaign funds to pay for a trip to Boston with his family to attend a Red Sox game, as well as other extravagant spending.

He’s a victim of a witch hunt, I tell you. Cha-Ching another $5K fine.

Park told The Times on Tuesday that he had helped Brough get elected but soon changed his mind about the assemblyman once he heard allegations about campaign finance impropriety as well as sexual assaults.

Yep – there’s that $5000-fine-inducing Bourbon Barrell. (Photo was taken at Brough’s forced-retirement party at his capitol office)

Brough was stripped of his committee assignments in the Legislature in 2020, after a state investigation found that he had made unwanted advances on several women, including an Orange County supervisor.

Park, a political watchdog, began digging into Brough’s financial history and, after 20 hours of research, filed a complaint with the FPPC.

“I’m seeing stuff on his social media like the Red Sox game that he went to, and it corresponds to campaign expenditures and stuff like that out of his controlled accounts,” Park said. “I’m going, there’s no way in hell that’s a campaign expense.”

Park said he has filed many complaints to the FPPC over the years, but this “by far was the largest penalty I’ve ever seen.”

Someday, Trish we will get you justice. For now, we have to be thankful that some justice has finally been served.

I would be remiss if I did not finish this blog by saying Thank You to the LA Times for this article and to the reporter for her professionalism and legitimately good thoughtful questions. I have attacked the LA Times on this blog many times, but they deserve credit when they get one right. This is one of those times.

California Republican “Leadership” Update: RESPECT MUH AUTHORITAH! ORANGE MAN BAAAAAD MMMMKAY? (Why Marie Waldron is Protecting Bill Brough and Muzzling Jessica Patterson)

2018 Elections, 2020 Elections, 2022 Elections, Bill Brough, California Republican Party 4 Responses »

Oct 312019

I’ve now been told by 5 different capitol insiders that Marie Waldron is muzzling CAGOP Chair Jessica Patterson. I have alluded to it in previous posts – so now I am going to spell it out.

What the hell does Trump have to do with this? A core belief among pretty much everyone in “Leadership” and their consultants believe that Donald Trump was a #YUGE factor in the shellacking in 2018. It is a level of denial and projection that may well be clinical.

I spoke repeatedly to one insider after another (some of whom are not Republicans anymore and have moved on to lobbying jobs, etc) that said it was all about Trump. So while trying to soft-peddle the President in 2018, they alienated even more voters than were already allegedly alienated. (Remember the oft-used canard of the suburban woman voter that abandoned the GOP in 2018?) Nowhere in their paradigm is a discussion of the nearly $3 Billion poured in by rage-filled old white guys (Soros, Bloomberg, Steyer) and the fixation on Ballot Harvesting was also short lived.

In a previous post I called on Marie Waldron to resign over her intransigence related to Bill Brough. I’ll back off my call a bit as it relates to Jessica Patterson as I am now convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Marie Waldron is protecting the monster Bill Brough and is keeping Jessica Patterson Muzzled.

First off, it is clear that Jessica Patterson is upset over the behavior of Bill Brough and wants to go public with her disdain for it.

Secondly, it has been put to me by people in various parts of the state that once I started writing about Sean Doherty, that Jessica Patterson became very interested in who Doherty might have been talking to about political work in California so she could make sure Sean did not get hired. The parallels between the abuse that Doherty was allowed to commit over time and the abuse that has recently been exposed regarding Bill Brough are undeniable.

Third, I have confirmed more than once that the tiny Assembly GOP Caucus is divided 10-9 in favor of Marie being Permanent Minority Leader. Bill Brough is vote #10. Never, EVER underestimate the self-interest of a “leader”.

Fourth, and this is key. The Assembly and Senate members, all 30 of them, are still angry with the “little people” rising up against Chad Mayes.

Remember the county parties taking resolutions that led to votes of more committees and then a vote at the CAGOP’s Board of 13-7 calling on Mayes to step down as leader? When you are dealing with egos that defy normal explanation and you cross in to that realm, it can get sticky. Generally, activists step on the toes of the officeholders, it is what we are supposed to do. The officeholders resent us for doing it as well.

Jessica Patterson is in a place where she is going to have to make a choice quickly as the scandal-riddled Bill Brough and Duncan Hunter are going to need to be escorted out of their respective areas. The longer these radioactive candidates last as a political factor in their district – they will damage those around them. It is time for Patterson to break the leadership veil and call out the serial abuser/harasser Bill Brough.

You see, the “Orange Man’s” Ascension had a lot to do with Republican Leaders like these. His very existence exposes their moral bankruptcy. With few exceptions in the Republican Caucuses it is on display as our registration numbers plummet.

Duncan Hunter could Take Assemblyman Randy Voepel out with him. Brough’s AD-73 has pieces (or proximity to) three congressional districts, one is Michelle Park Steel, another is CA45 and the last is the feckless Bryan Maryott in CA49. All get affected by Bill Brough. It has been made clear to your intrepid blogger that our party chair is not in favor of keeping Bill Brough office any longer. Just Marie Waldron and Pat Bates stand in the way. The subject of Pat Bates’ intransigence is going to be looked at in a bit… and we again call on Marie Waldron to resign over the moral failure of protecting a monster like Bill Brough.

My Favorite Two Photos from Chad Bianco’s Swearing In Ceremony

2018 Elections, Chad Bianco, Riverside Sheriff's Department Issues 1 Response »

Jan 092019

Vindicated Former Sheriff Robert Doyle embraces Sheriff Chad Bianco post-swearing in

In the midst of his best day, Sheriff Bianco takes a moment to acknowledge God with his wife

The first two days of Sheriff Bianco, what a contrast. Wow.

A Side Story From the Riverside Sheriff’s Race – the Vindication of Former Sheriff Bob Doyle

2018 Elections, Stan Sniff 9 Responses »

Jan 092019

Blogger’s Note – I waited until after Chad Bianco was sworn in to post this piece. This piece has been at least 6 months coming…

Those of you that have been reading this blog regularly for at least the last 16 months will note that I have been writing about former Sheriff Bob Doyle off and on in parts of posts. A lot of times it had been for background. It is time to set the record straight.

Imagine having been smeared by a powerful local officeholder and the local media for 12 years with little or no recourse. This is what has happened to Bob Doyle.

We’ve re-told the story about Sniff’s termination by Doyle when he was an Assistant Sheriff. Sniff was fired for insubordination for refusing to carry out two lawful orders, one related to tazers and another related to patrols.

Sniff himself acknowledged when he got fired that he was surprised it took Doyle as long as it did to fire him.

No one knew, including Doyle himself that he’d get a chance to serve at the State level a mere 10 months later. (in 2007) No one knew that Sniff would be appointed Sheriff. Only in the last year+ has the truth about Sniff’s manipulation and diabolical behavior come out.

Let’s be real – I know that Doyle is not a choir boy. You don’t get elected to major public office without an ego or a mean streak. What I do know is that Stan Sniff smeared Bob Doyle mercilessly and retaliated against anyone he knew was friends with or a supporter of Doyle.

Bob Doyle was also one of my sources for corroborating info in my blog. His perspective helped me fill in some key gaps as I was piecing together a psychological profile and an accurate history of Sniff pre-Sheriff. I was initially skeptical as I knew Doyle had an axe to grind, however, when he told me that he approached me because he was outraged over what Sniff and Crew did to my wife… this was a clear indicator that regardless of his motive I could trust his information.

As I got to know Bob Doyle, I also became convinced that many within the department had formed their opinion of him based on incomplete information. As such, Doyle’s endorsement was never actively sought by Bianco’s team.

Stan Sniff terminated almost all of Doyle’s top people, though a few managed to escape to other areas. This provides absurd context to the blatant bias of the Desert-Sun attacking Bianco for planning a similar action. Sniff made it clear that a pre-requisite for employment in his senior management team was a visceral disdain for Bob Doyle. A lot of old-timers I have spoken to agree that this is a fact.

Sniff changed the narrative on his termination and a lie had been believed for years that made him look like a victim. As best I can tell, retaliatory PERS and Terminations were not common under Doyle’s Tenure (though there appear to have been some). As documented, they occurred en masse under Sniff. The local media was deign to remind people of how Sniff was victimized by Doyle before getting appointed Sheriff.

Only Bob Doyle would know the story about Sniff deliberately withholding information from John Taviglione regarding the failure of his son to complete training for a special team he wanted. Taviglione ended up being the third vote to appoint Sniff. To this day Taviglione is either willfully ignorant of how he was played by Sniff or he was complicit (implying some sort of backroom deal). It is the opinion of this blogger that the exposure of the dirty dealings leading up to the appointment vote some 11 years later was a factor in Taviglione ultimately endorsing the corrupt Sheriff after castigating him publicly for years. As you recall, Sniff’s manipulation of the information caused a meltdown by Taviglione toward Doyle as Sniff’s insubordination involved his refusing to do his job of communicating with the Board of Supes for the areas affected by his duties as Assistant Sheriff.

Doyle was accused of getting away with a DUI. This is false. Doyle was accused of affairs while serving as Sheriff, something he vehemently denies. Doyle was accused of covering up misdemeanors committed by his cronies, again something he denies, and I’ve seen no evidence to substantiate any of the above accusations (suggesting Doyle has been smeared for years). As a contrast, I’ve been able to prove many similar allegations against the corrupt sheriff.

Bob Doyle has been vindicated by the 16.58% humiliation of Stan Sniff. #1 the first time Sniff faced real and organized opposition, he folded like a cheap lawnchair, suggesting his regime was a paper tiger. #2 Sniff had been allowed to pin a lot of his failures on Doyle. The voters, when informed of the facts held Sniff accountable for failing. #3 for the first time in a decade or more, Doyle was able to gain a measure of defense and response to a lot of the institutional lies perpetrated about him by Sniff

I am going to close the book on Bob Doyle now. He is retired and living in Texas with his family. The last time I communicated with him, I told him to stay close to God and his Family. I also admonished him to go do some fun stuff in his retirement (like gardening), and to close the book on the Riverside Sheriff’s Drama.

Again, Bob Doyle is not perfect or blameless. He is however someone I believe to be a good man who was forced to live with smears for years that he could not defend himself from. Enjoy the rest of your life Sheriff Doyle and thank you for helping me with the information you gave me, it is appreciated.

Riverside Sheriff’s Office Update: Desert Sun Hatchet Job and Whiny P-E Editorial by Sniff Sum up 2018 Race

2018 Elections, Chad Bianco, Stan Sniff 18 Responses »

Dec 282018

The Desert Sun went off a cliff in 2018. Having Met Sam Metz at the CAGOP Convention in May of 2018, I had a neutral opinion of him. I knew he was young, pretty much fresh out of college. It was clear to me that his editor would have a lot of sway over what he wrote.

Yup, the Desert Sun and Press Enterprise are Toxic Waste.

Then, inexplicably after being the only media outlet to write anything about the massive Deputy Cheating Scandal on the Investigator exam, the Desert Sun endorsed Stan Sniff. The reason? The editor got his nose pushed out of shape because Chad Bianco did not kiss his ring.

The P-E? They had been in the bag for Sniff for years. It was so bad that they shipped an editor off to Rancho Cucamonga after he dared to write a weak story about how Chad Bianco was being retaliated against in Hemet.

This dynamic magnified the impact of the Right on Daily Blog. People were clamoring for REAL news about the corrupt sheriff. Well, they got it.

The latest installment from the Desert Sun? Let’s talk about a purge. Note there is no discussion of the rampant corruption, retaliation, incompetence or cronyism of Sniff’s Management team. This is just a BS CNN-Style hit piece seeking to make the bastards (that is what I think of them) in to victims.

Bianco, who defeated incumbent Sheriff Stan Sniff by a 16.5 percentage-point margin in the November election, said his victory signaled Riverside County residents want change in the sheriff’s department, change that should extend to the top officers.

“The election results were a big win for changing the direction of this department and that change in culture sometimes requires drastic measures,” Bianco said. “Why would I want the same people in place that caused us to get to this position in our department?”

Despite this quote in the article, the narrative was set. It sure looks clear that the Desert Sun has hung a target on the new Sheriff. This is what happens when Media Types get bruised egos. It is also clear to your interpid blogger that most all media outlets in Riverside County resent the Right on Daily Blog. (KMIR being a huge exception as they alone had the courage to tear in to Stan Sniff on legitimate issues)

The Desert Sun then quotes former Sheriff Bob Doyle (himself the victim of Sniff-Led Smears for years, more on that later):

Although not every incoming sheriff cleans house immediately upon taking office, former Sheriff Bob Doyle said bringing in a new leadership team, as Bianco intends to do, isn’t out of the ordinary.

“Whether it’s in the public or private sector, in a contentious situation, there’s probably going to be people the CEO doesn’t feel he or she can work with,” the former sheriff said. “Especially in this latest election, you had allegations of intimidation by executive staff showing up at campaign events. It makes it difficult for a new sheriff to go in there and feel comfortable with the executive staff that worked for the previous sheriff.”

During campaign season, Bianco and his supporters accused Sniff’s team of dishonesty and intimidation. Tensions reached a boiling point when Capt. Dave Kurylowicz, a vocal Sniff supporter, addressed the Palm Springs City Council and, without substantiation, alleged that Bianco harbored anti-LGBTQ prejudice. Captains are not part of the Sheriff’s Department’s Executive Staff.

“You had a captain lying and setting up a candidate,” Doyle said. “How should he trust anyone when they’ve shown that they’re liars? Why would you want to keep that person?”

Well Duh. It is rumored that Kurly is attempting to hide, or may well have been transferred out of the MoVal Station at the request of their City Council. That loser also accused your intrepid blogger of homophobia, etc, which was regurgitated on the pages of the Desert Sun in the same article attacking Chad Bianco. (Note that they slipped in the words “without substantiation” in to this article in order to cover themselves for libeling your intrepid blogger and circumventing the need to print a retraction)

The B-S also quoted Lyndon Raymond “the Executioner” Wood. Wood has a long history of corruption and thuggish behavior. He should be grateful that he got to retire without being investigated for what he has done (beyond attacking my wife).

The Desert Sun cement their stupidity in this article as your intrepid blogger has posted several photos of Sniff Management going to Bianco Events. I have some neat photos of Huskey, Purvis (who later endorsed Bianco), Wood, Ford, Vest and a bunch of their butt-monkeys at Bianco Events. The Desert Sun article does not connect Doyle’s Comments to the proof, instead their abject Bias performs a partial-birth abortion of Journalism. One of the main reasons for Bianco’s anticipated HOUSE CLEANING (referred to by the B-S as a Purge) is because of the thuggery of the Management team. That may well be reason #1, the rank and file deserve better than threats, intimidation and retaliation. Imagine that, and your intrepid blogger posted hundreds of hours worth of proof.

However, the B-S completes their article by re-establishing their narrative. They quoted arguably the most reviled piece of slime in Sniff’s Management Team, Kevin Vest. Vest has been involved in more than just stonewalling the transition and refusing to return phone calls or emails. Vest is alleged to have been assigned the job of stonewalling the Board of Supervisors as it pertains to budget issues. His quotes in the article are bald-faced lies, but support the narrative of the editors of the B-S so they were ran unchallenged.

Stan Sniff wrote an op-ed that his Butt-Monkeys in the Press Enterprise ran. It was so absurd that I won’t link to it. Suffice to say, anyone with real knowledge of the situation within the Riverside Sheriff’s Office would hang their head in disbelief after reading it. Such is the status of Riverside Journalism going in to 2019.

P.S. Kevin Vest is still palling around with Jeff Van Wagenen in hopes of getting a coveted county I-T Job. Should he get that job, he would be able to monitor all of the communication between the DA’s office and the Sheriff’s Department.

P.P.S. Yvonne “Eggplant” Varela got an unpaid appointment to the Eastvale Public Safety commission. She and Jessica Gore were photographed at a city event full of Sniff Butt-Monkeys. It is unclear where she or Gore will be placed by Van Wagenen and crew permanently.

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