Even as Michelle Sabino is looking confidently toward electoral victory next Tuesday, November 5, in the race to sustain herself in her appointed position on the Grand Terrace City Council, events appear poised to overtake her and other members of the Republican Central Committee in the weeks and months after the election.
Over the last three years, Sabino has come out of nowhere to take a very prominent position on the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee.
At some point in late 2001 or early 2002, she wangled an appointment to the central committee after being nominated, without fanfare, to an empty position representing the county’s Third Supervisorial District.
In San Bernardino County, the Democratic Central Committee, the primary authority for the Democratic Party in the county, elects its members based upon their residency in the various Assembly districts within the county. The San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee, which rules with the backing of the state and national Republican Party within the 20,105-square mile confines of the county, elects its members based upon their residency with the five San Bernardino County supervisorial districts. In addition to their members elected directly to their respective central committees, the Democrats and Republicans also have what are termed ex officio members of their central committees, consisting of those candidates that represented their parties in the most recent elections for state and federal office. In this, the elected U.S. senator, the elected congressmen or congresswomen, the elected assemblymen or assemblywomen and the elected state senators representing San Bernardino County are designated as ex officio members of their respective parties’ central committees in San Bernardino County, just as those who vied for but lost in their efforts to represent San Bernardino County in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Congress, the Assembly and the State Senate are designated as ex officio members of their respective parties’ central committees in San Bernardino County. In most, but not all, cases, the ex officio members, engaged as they are in matters of governance that confine much of their presence to Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, designate alternates to fill in for them at the central committee meetings held in San Bernardino County. It is not clear, even to members of the Republican Central Committee in good standing, on what basis Sabino was granted membership within the central committee. A common refrain is that her application for membership was accepted by and at the inistence of Phil Cothran Sr., the chairman of Republican Central Committee since 2021. Cothran and the close-knit group of his supporters within the central committee, including other appointees to the executive committee, have resisted efforts to clarify precisely when Sabino was brought into the central committee, who sponsored and supported her acceptance as a member of the the central committee and how her elevation to the executive committee came about, although it is widely acknowledged that she is there because Cothran is, or at least was, favorably impressed with her.
Both the San Bernardino County Democratic Central Committee and the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee have their respective executive committees. Members of the executive committees have a greater degree of reach and control in shaping the policies, programs and initiatives that the central committees as a whole will pursue by their role in determining ahead of time – i.e., prior to the individual monthly meetings of the central committees – what items are to make it onto those meeting agendas for discussion and then adoption/action. While the executive committee members generally do not have – given their relatively limited numbers – the final power of decision with regard to the central committee’s policy, stance, efforts, expenditures, programs and final decisions, they have the ability to foreclose ideas ahead of time such that certain initiatives or proposals are never considered or given an opportunity to be voted upon by the full membership. Similarly, the executive committee has the power and authority of presentation with regard to proposals, and can shape the body-at-large’s opinion by giving certain ideas or concepts a favorable boost by a friendly and flattering introduction and presentation, to say nothing of being armed with information ahead of time, such that it can lobby and/or seek to persuade members favorably with regard to what is eventually presented to them.
In Sabino’s case, she offered, at least ostensibly, at least two lines of access or service to the central committee that justified her placement on the executive committee. One of those was her running analysis of legislation pending in Sacramento in which the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee might have some conceivable interest and would potentially take a position on. The other was her status as a board member of the Inland Empire Business Alliance Political Action Committee. In that organization, she is playing a role – a major one it was said – in ascertaining whom the political action committee supported in the March 2024 primary election and whom it is supporting in the upcoming November election.
While the Inland Empire Business Alliance Political Action Committee has in the past established a pattern of endorsing, by a significant margin, more Republicans than Democrats, it has on occasion endorsed Democrats and provided them with money. In some cases, the perception is that those Democrats would have lost if it had not been for the generosity of the Inland Empire Business Alliance and its political action committee arm.
Most recently, in the March 5 primary race, the Inland Empire Business Alliance Political Action Committee came across with support for two Republicans – Ovi Popescu and Rhodes “Dusty” Rigsby – in their electoral efforts for the Loma Linda City Council. They were successful.
Still, the Inland Empire Business Alliance is supporting a handful Democrats. One of those Democrats is Kim Knaus, who is vying for the city council in San Bernardino in the Fifth Ward.
Running against Knaus is Henry Nickel, a Republican. Knaus and Nickel were the top vote-getters on March 5 and will now go head-to-head in November.
It was Sabino’s militating on behalf of Knaus and against Nickel that first brought Sabino’s hidden connection to the Democratic Party under scrutiny. Nickel is not only a Republican, he is a member of the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee.
In her role with the Inland Empire Business Alliance and its political action committee, Sabino is active in determining which candidates for local office the organization is going to support, securing money for those candidates and then either conveying it to them directly or using it to run independent expenditure activity to support their candidacies. The research Sabino does for the Inland Empire Business Alliance in determining which candidates it should support includes interviewing the candidates. Despite the consideration that both Sabino and Nickel are members of the Republican Central Committee and that they have been attending monthly meetings of that organization together for the last two years, Sabino did not arrange an interview with Nickel.
While some of the efforts that Sabino had previously made on behalf of Democrats had somehow managed to fly under the radar, that was not the case when the Inland Empire Business Alliance came out in favor of Knaus. This was not Nickel’s first rodeo or walk around the political block. He had previously been on the San Bernardino City Council from 2013 until 2020, having run in three campaigns for that post, and had twice, unsuccessfully, vied for the California Assembly. He was sophisticated enough to look after his own fundraising efforts and to monitor what fundraising his opponents were engaging in. He knew where and to whom he had to appeal for both endorsements and monetary support. One such organization on his radar was the Inland Empire Business Alliance. That it was far more accustomed to supporting Republicans than Democrats had given him hope, if not an outright expectation that he would be a recipient of that organization’s largesse in his run against Knaus.
“I would have been more than willing to be considered by the Inland Empire Business Alliance for an endorsement and any support it would offer to my campaign,” Nickel told the Sentinel.
He was startled to hear that the alliance had come through with a donation to Knaus. As a member of the Republican Central Committee who had heard several presentations from Sabino about where the Inland Empire Business Alliance was vectoring its money, Nickel knew about the role Sabino played with the alliance and that she was at liberty to contact him to hear out what his platform is and ascertain whether the alliance would back him. He said he was disappointed that Sabino did not reach out to him. Then he learned Sabino had gone over to the other side, conveying the Inland Empire Business Alliance‘s money to his Democratic opponent.
In March, the Sentinel became involved, having been informed that a member of the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee – Sabino – was militating on behalf of Democrats. The Sentinel made direct inquiries with Sabino. Initially, Sabino, when confronted with documentation that Knaus had received money from the Inland Empire Business Alliance, outright denied that she had any connection to the Inland Empire Business Alliance.
Upon the Sentinel reconfirming Sabino’s role with the Inland Empire Business Alliance, it contacted Sabino again. On that occasion, she began to cry, saying she was overwhelmed with the questions and that she was dealing with the challenge of a deterioration in her father-in-law’s health. She begged off, promising to return the call the following day. She did not make that call and she ducked three further efforts by the Sentinel to reach her at that time.
The following month, she was selected by the Grand Terrace City Council to fill the vacancy within its ranks created by the February resignation of former Councilwoman Sylvia Robles. Sabino is now one of five candidates vying for the three positions on the council, including her own, up for election this year.
There remain a number of individuals involved in local politics who perceive Sabino as an up-and-coming San Bernardino County politician, a potential office-holder for the next twenty to thirty years. Among those are ones who see her as the wave of the future in the GOP – energetic and charismatic Hispanic personages who will break the Democratic Party’s virtual monopoly on Latino voters, allowing the Republican Party to take back control of California.
There are those within the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee, Nickel included, who see things somewhat differently. They believe that Sabino is a turncoat, a Democrat wolf wearing Republican wool, who has taken some of that woool and pulled it down over Cothran’s eyes and is utilizing the position of power and trust she has in the Republican Central Committee to boost herself into elected office, from which she intends to spring into higher office still, but not as a Republican and rather as a Democrat. Her efforts on behalf of Knaus is a giveaway that she is ingratiating herself with the Democratic Party while she is working as a Democratic operative within the Republican Party, indeed its inner sanctum, several Republicans say.
And the betrayal goes beyond just Sabino, those members say. Two others on the executive committee have joined Sabino in supporting Knaus. One, surprisingly, is Robert Rego, who was formerly the chairman of the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee and is now its treasurer. The other is Dakota Higgins, who is the representative of the First District. Both are supporting Knaus over Nickel.
Nickel told the Sentinel, “It appears council candidate Kim Knaus’s funds are being used to pay for the services of San Bernardino County GOP Treasurer and former Chairman Robert Rego’s company, Parkview Business Services, to have Mr. Rego serve as Knaus’s campaign treasurer.”
Higgins recently commended on an internet posting Sabino for her attendance at a promotional and fundraising event for Knaus.”
On previous occasions, when Knaus’s campaign made text postings and put up photos relating to her campaign and campaign events, occasional indications of Sabino’s and Rego’s involvement in her campaign were made. In short order, however, those postings or photos would be removed, gestures which left those seeking to marshal evidence that key members of the Republican Central Committee had gone over to the other side.
The Sentinel, however, has at this point in its possession clear-cut evidence that Sabino, Rego and Higgins are in the Knaus camp.
Other prominent Republicans are supporting Democrats in this year’s election. Democrat Congresswoman Norma Torres, for example, has garnered the support of several big name Republicans, including ones in the central committee. Her opponent in November is Mike Cargile, a member of the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee. In the 53rd Assembly District Race, Republican Nick Wilson is going toe-to-toe in November against Michelle Rodriguez, a Democrat. In the March Primary, however, when Norma Torres’ son Robert, another Democrat was vying, there were major Republicans, including San Bernardino County Supervisor and former Republican Central Committee Chairman Curt Hagman and Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren supporting Robert Torres against Wilson.
This year in March, both the Democratic Central Committee and the Republican Central Committee elected its members. The Democratic Central Committee in May installed those new members. The Republicans by tradition do not replace their central committee in San Bernardino County until December. While the current leadership under Cothran appears complacent with regard to the members of the central committee who are abandoning fellow and sister Republicans in favor of Democrats, the new crop of Republican central committee members who will be put into place in December do not appear to be as tolerant of cross party support.
Whether he wins in his Fifth Ward race in San Bernardino next week or not, Nickel will be back as a member of the Republican Central Committee.
He said, “The San Bernardino County GOP bylaws are clear that members of the central committee are subject to removal if advocating for the election of candidates opposing SBCGOP-endorsed candidates. If members of the SBCGOP are in fact advocating for my opponent in the 5th Ward City Council race, they are subject to removal from the San Bernardino County Central Committee.”
Nickel said he wants Sabino, Rego and Higgins, at the very least, bounced out of the central committee.
Republicans are bound by the 11th Commandment which prohibits speaking ill of a fellow Republican.
Cothran has resisted, at least until now, efforts by stalwarts in the central committee have gunning for Sabino’s removal from the executive board and ouster from committee as well.
For more than six months, Sabino has spurned efforts by the Sentinel to have her respond to explain why she is assisting Knaus.
Nickel said he is not sure how Sabino was able to insinuate herself into the central committee.
“I think I first became aware of her when she just popped in and began providing the central committee with information with regard to legislation that she said it was important that the central committee should pay attention to,” he said. “She made a rather quick rise. I don’t think sufficient vetting of her took place. She was given theses significant positions with the central committee almost immediately. One of the things she was doing was reporting on who was getting money from the Inland Empire business Alliance PAC [political action committee]. She would take credit for that.”
The previous talk about Sabino being one of the future faces of the Republican Party in Sacramento has transmogrified into a widespread anticipation among situationally aware Republicans that she is to be rewarded by the Democrats for her penetration of the Republican Party on their behalf with an eventual berth in the Assembly and/or State Senate when she assumes her true colors as a registered Democrat within the next few years.
Cargile told the Sentinel that the entire central committee needed to wake up to what was going on and prevent Democratic operatives from compromising the party.
“We should follow our bylaws,” Cargile said. “If it is clearly established that one of our central committee members is supporting a Democrat in an election involving a Republican candidate, that member should be expelled from the central committee.”
Cargile asked, “What is the point of having a Republican party if our members are supporting the opposition and assisting and promoting Democrat ideas over our own values and policies?”
Cargile said, “I have concerns about the Republican Party and its direction.” He said out of necessity he was running his campaign as a Republican on his own without much support from the central committee.”
Cargile hinted that things would change after the most recent batch of Republcian Central committee members are installed in December.
“You will see some change after we have new people in place come January,” he said.
While several longtime dedicated Republicans in San Benardino County consider Sabino as unworthy of wearing the mantle of Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, Earl Warren, Dwight Eisenhower, Robert Taft, Robert LaFolette, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln and to either be a turncoat Republican who has lost the way and is no longer a true-believer or someone who was an imposter or a Democrat-Lover from the start who has, improbably, deceived Cothran to obtain a position from which she is aiming a dagger at the heart of the GOP, it is not only the Republicans in San Bernardino County who are plagued by traitors within their ranks, according to Christian Shaughnessy, one of the trustees of the San Bernardino Democratic Luncheon Club, perhaps the most high-profile chapter of the San Bernardino County Democratic Party.
Shaughnessy announced that this week the San Bernardino Democratic Luncheon Club hd voted unanimously to censure San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, who was elected mayor two years ago with solid Democratic Party support, for what Shaughnessy called “her perfidious endorsement of the author of our city’s bankruptcy, the racist, corrupt, non-Democrat Jim Penman against a member of her own party, Dr. Treasure Ortiz.” Ortiz, a Democrat, is running against Penman, the former San Bernardino city attorney, for city council in the county seat’s Seventh Ward.