Without batting an eye, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors this week approved the reappointment of Michael Stoffel, who for last 22 months has served as Supervisor Jesse Armendarez’s deputy chief of staff to another four-year term on the county planning commission.
That appointment came less than a month following Stoffel’s third-place finish in the race for two positions on the East Valley Water District’s board of directors.
In addition to his two county positions, Stoffel is a Realtor® at Century 21, a company with which he is categorized as being a “top producer.”
While some county officials acknowledge that Stoffel may have involved himself in a triple conflict, those being between his function as a planning commissioner and his involvement in the real estate industry and his employment as a senior echelon county official and a member of the county planning commission, the county made no official notation of any possible clash that has previously or might come about in the future as a consequence of his holding the posts of Realtor®, deputy chief of staff and commissioner.
Stoffel was initially brought into Armendarez’s office shortly after the supervisor’s November 2022 election. On January 24, 2023, the board of supervisors ratified his hiring under a contract to serve as Armendarez’s “Principal assistant to the chief of staff,” in which capacity he was to “oversee a major functional area within the supervisor’s district, coordinate the work of office staff, and advise the supervisor on legislative, policy, and regional district issues” and “act as chief of staff in his or her absence.”
Stoffel’s contract, under the heading “Conflict of Interest,” stated, “As a condition of employment, contractor does hereby agree to follow and uphold the conflict of interest policy of the county’s personnel rules as follows: No official or employee shall engage in any business or transaction or shall have a financial or other personal interest or association, direct or indirect, which is in conflict with the proper discharge of official duties or would tend to impair independence of judgment or action in the performance of official duties. Personal as distinguished from financial interest includes an interest arising from blood or marriage relationships, or close business, personal or political associations. This section shall not serve to prohibit independent acts or other forms of enterprise during those hours not covered by active county employment providing such acts do not constitute a conflict of interest as defined herein. Contractor is also subject to the provision of California Government Code Sections 1090, 1126, 87100, and any other conflict of interest code applicable to county employment.”
Stoffel’s hiring was retroactively applied to January 14, 2023. The contract stated it and its terms “shall remain in effect until the end of the term of the Second District supervisor, or when the supervisor otherwise leaves office.” The contract also specified that Stoffel was to “be considered a contract employee in the unclassified service” and that he was to be paid “$63.47 per hour, which is equivalent to Step 11 of Range 73B of the current exempt salary schedule.”
In relatively short order, Stoffel was provided with a raise, which was ratified by the board of supervisors on May 23, 2023, when that panel approved the first amendment to Stoffel’s employment contract, which provided that he is “to continue to provide support services to the Second District supervisor as a deputy chief of staff, changing the salary range, effective May 20, 2023, for an estimated annual cost of $245,791 (Salary – $156,000, Benefits – $89,791). Contractor shall be compensated for services at a rate of $75.00 per hour, which is equivalent to Step 1 of Range 89B of the current exempt salary schedule.”
In 2023, Stoffel was provided with $129,705.86 in salary, $21,032.40 in perks and pay add-ons and $63,570.79 in benefits for a total annual compensation of $214,309.06.
Contractor shall be compensated for services at a rate of $75.00 per hour, which is equivalent to Step 1 of Range 89B of the current exempt salary schedule.
A 1995 Redlands High School graduate, Stoffel later attended the University of Phoenix, obtaining a degree in business management. He earned his real estate license in 2001.
A resident of the City of Highland, Stoffel was appointed to the Highland Design Review Board and later was appointed to the Highland Planning Commission. It was partially based upon his experience in that venue that he was appointed to the San Bernardino County Planning Commission, on which he is the vice chairman.
At present, Stoffel is a board member of the Inland Valleys Association of Realtors. He was and past president of that organization. He is also a member of the board of directors for the California Association of Realtors and a committee member at the National Association of Realtors. He is now and has been for the past 12 years the chairman of the political action committee of the Inland Valleys Association of Realtors®.
The merging of his professional activity within the real estate industry, politics and his function as a public official has caught the attention of at least some members of the public. It is of note that Armendarez is himself a Realtor®, a profession in which he was successful and which provided him with some of the money used to bankroll his successful run for supervisor. On his resume, Stoffel states that his value to the Inland Valleys Association of Realtors® is his expertise in politics.
In this regard, it is of significance that Stoffel made his own venture into politics this year when he ran for one of the two seats up for election in the East Valley Water District, competing against six other candidates. In doing so, he garnered the endorsements of San Bernardino County Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe, Highland Mayor Penny Lilburn, Highland Councilman Larry McCallon, Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren, as well as endorsements from first responders including the Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association (SEBA) and San Bernardino County Professional Firefighters Local 935