San Bernardino, as the county seat and the county’s largest city population-wise and its oldest municipality, is a trendsetter in multiple respects. It is further distinguished by having the largest city council in San Bernardino County, consisting of seven council members elected to represent the city’s seven wards, capped by an eighth member, the mayor, who is elected at-large.
With what were only two exceptions – the cities of Needles and Colton – San Bernardino County’s other 21 cites and two incorporated towns had five-member councils. Needles, the county’s smallest city population-wise, has a council consisting of six council members and a mayor. Colton, until 2022, likewise had a seven-member council with a mayor and six council members. Two years ago, however, Colton, San Bernardino’s immediate neighbor to the west on is south side, transitioned back to being a five-member council.
San Bernardino, in accordance with the municipal charter that had been in place from 1905 until the 2016, held its elections in odd-numbered years. In 2016, it became the last county city to go to even-numbered year elections. In gubernatorial election years, the city elects its mayor and its First, Second and Fourth ward council members. In presidential election years, the city’s voters in the Third, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh ward choose their council representatives.
Under normal and most circumstances, the San Bernardino mayor does not vote on matters decided by the city council. The exceptions to this are on matters relating to the hiring or firing of the city manager and city attorney, along with appointments to city commissions. The mayor is authorized to vote in those cases where the vote of the council has ended in a tie. The mayor also holds limited veto power with regard to council votes that passed by margins of 4-to-3 or 3-to-2.
Of note is that San Bernardino is a heavily Democrat city. Of its 106,873 registered voters, 48,523 of them or 45.4 percent affiliate with the Democratic Party, while 24,401 or 22.8 percent are Republicans. Nearly as many, 22.6 percent of the city’s voters, have no party affiliation, and 9.2 percent are members of the American Independent, Green, Libertarian, Peace & Freedom or other more obscure parties. Despite the Democrats overwhelming advantage in terms of voter registration, four of the council’s four current members – First Ward Councilman Ted Sanchez, Third Ward Councilman Juan Figueroa, Fourth Ward Councilman Fred Shorett and Seventh Ward Councilman Damon Alexander – are Republicans. Second Ward Councilwoman Sandra Ibarra, Fifth Ward Councilman Ben Reynoso and Sixth Ward Councilwoman Kimberly Calvin are Democrats, as is Mayor Helen Tran.
While municipal elections are under California electoral law considered to be nonpartisan in nature, in San Bernardino County, party affiliation is a major factor in local politics.
In March, Figueroa, running for reelection in the Third Ward and Mario Flores, who had challenged Calvin in the Sixth Ward, emerged victorious, gaining a majority of the votes cast in their respective elections, thus avoiding the need to compete in this week’s run-off. Also in March, Reynoso lost his bid for reelection in the Fifth Ward when two others in the race, former Councilman Henry Nickel and newcomer Kim Knaus, garnered more votes than he did. Similarly, in the Seventh Ward, Alexander’s hold on his position on the council slipped away when former City Attorney Jim Penman and longtime community activist Treasure Ortiz finished second and first in the vote, respectively. In the November 5 run-off in the Fifth District, Knaus, with 61 percent of the vote, outpolled Nickel, with 39 percent of the vote. In the Seventh Ward, Ortiz, with 56 percent of the vote, prevailed over Penman with 44 percent of the vote.
In this way, the 4-to-3 advantage to the Republicans over the Democrats on the council reverses itself. In the Third Ward, the Republican Figueroa remains in place. In the Fifth and Sixth wards, the Democrats Reynoso and Calvin are being replaced by Democrats Knaus and Flores. The overall Republican-to-Democrat balance on the council is being changed in the Seventh Ward, where the Republican Alexander is to be supplanted by the Democrat Ortiz.
Taken together with Tran’s Democratic Party affiliation, the political leadership in the city will move convincingly into the Democratic camp at the second city council meeting in December, when Knaus, Flores and Ortiz will be sworn in, along with Figueroa, and Reynoso, Calvin and Alexander will make their exodus from the council dais.
Beginning during Franklin Roosevelt’s Administration, for three decades beginning in 1936 when New Deal Democrat Harry Sheppard was elected to represent most of San Bernardino County, San Bernardino County was a Democratic County. In 1966, with the election of Jerry Pettis to Congress and Ronald Reagan as governor, San Bernardino County went Republican. It has remained a GOP bastion ever since, even after 2009, when countywide the number of registered Democrats eclipsed the number of registered Republicans throughout the 20,105 square-mile county. The now-significantly more numerous Democrats are gradually beginning to become more politically assertive and starting to take control of the county’s various local governmental entities away from the Republicans, who have historically turned out to vote in far greater numbers than their Democratic rivals.
In this way, the San Bernardino City Council switching from reddish purple to blue purple in this election city cycle is seen as a harbinger of San Bernardino County’s political future.

By M.R. Wainwright
In the aftermath of the 2024 general election, Helen Tran, Mayor of San Bernardino, finds herself isolated, her influence diminished, and her support base fractured. Her weakened position has left many residents and donors questioning her ability to lead, and her dwindling backing reflects a loss of confidence in her vision for the city. Once hopeful that Tran would bring meaningful progress, San Bernardino residents and city leaders alike have watched her administration falter, marked by missed opportunities, ineffective governance, and a disconnect from the community’s needs.
The election results only underscored Tran’s decreasing relevance. Her isolation became starkly evident with the decisive win of incoming Councilwoman-Elect Treasure Ortiz over former City Attorney Jim Penman, shutting down any hopes Tran may have had for a unified council under her leadership. Ortiz’s victory, alongside Kim Knaus’s election to the council, signaled a desire for fresh perspectives and highlighted Tran’s growing disconnect from a city in need of stronger, more cohesive leadership.
Further compounding her struggles was Tran’s involvement in the failed campaign of Dara Smith for County Assessor, a race marked by the support of out-of-town donors who seemed indifferent to local concerns. Smith’s loss delivered a resounding message that San Bernardino residents prioritize local interests over outside influence. Tran’s endorsement only reinforced perceptions of her as a mayor out-of-touch with the community, aligning herself with donors who did not reflect the city’s values.
The cracks in Tran’s support base have widened, with even her closest advisors beginning to quietly distance themselves. The failed recall efforts against her, disorganized and poorly executed, did more harm than good, highlighting her struggles to gain meaningful support within the city. Despite attempts to rally allies, Tran’s leadership missteps have become common concerns among her peers. With new council members like Knaus and Ortiz set to take office, Tran faces an increasingly isolated role as the council pivots toward San Bernardino’s future without her influence.
City Manager Rochelle Clayton’s recent decision to reach out directly to Councilwoman-Elect Ortiz and incoming Councilmember Knaus for individual discussions on the city’s future only underscores Tran’s diminishing relevance. The initiative, reportedly taken without Tran’s involvement, signals a new direction for San Bernardino—one that prioritizes collaboration and effective governance, distancing itself from Tran’s isolated administration.
Meanwhile, Tran’s standing with residents and donors is rapidly deteriorating, and fundraising records reflect a sharp decline in major contributions. Many large donors, once hopeful about her potential, are now withholding maximum contributions, with only token support remaining. For Tran, this lack of financial commitment paints a troubling picture, as even her backers appear hesitant to invest in her leadership. The growing disillusionment among donors suggests that, in the next election, Tran may find herself squarely in the crosshairs, with residents and funders alike seeking leadership that places the city’s interests first.
Recognizing her inability to deliver, Tran’s close advisors are quietly exploring new paths, seeking opportunities in neighboring cities like Rialto, where effective governance and collaboration seem more promising. Developers and donors, initially optimistic about Tran’s administration, are redirecting their support to campaigns and projects in nearby jurisdictions, viewing San Bernardino’s future under her leadership as incompatible with their goals. For Tran, this shift marks a devastating blow, as those who once supported her look elsewhere for effective leadership.
Tran’s failed association with the chaotic recall attempt only further alienated her allies, driving a wedge between her and remaining supporters. Poorly executed and mismanaged, the recall effort raised questions about her judgment and further damaged her credibility among donors. The failure of the recall not only backfired but also highlighted the disarray within her leadership, casting doubt on her ability to unify her base or rally support for future initiatives.
As the dust settles, it’s evident that Tran’s future as mayor is bleak. Her repeated missteps and fading influence depict a leader rapidly losing her grip on authority. With new council members ready to assume office, Tran finds herself sidelined, facing a political landscape that no longer welcomes her. As San Bernardino moves toward a new chapter under leadership committed to making tangible improvements, Tran is relegated to the role of spectator, watching as others work to achieve the progress she once promised but failed to deliver.
In sum, Helen Tran’s tenure as Mayor of San Bernardino has been marked by missteps, isolation, and now a clear message from the electorate: the city is moving forward—without her. Her term may go down as one of San Bernardino’s most profound missteps—a cautionary tale that a well-intended community leader can also easily become self-centered, becoming the very enemy they once aimed to remove from office.

On Monday, November 4, a majority of the association representing Chaffey College’s faculty registered a vote of no confidence against Chaffey College President Henry Shannon and two of the institution’s senior administrators.
The Academic Senate, representing the community college’s faculty – professors, teachers, lecturers, lab supervisors, instructors and adjunct professors – debated with regard to official action to be lodged against Shannon and associate superintendents Lisa Bailey and Alisha Rosas over the course of multiple meetings in September, October and this month before committing to taking the no confidence vote.
At issue was discontent with regard to hiring and promotional practices at the college, together with concern about decisions on conferring tenures or placing professors on tenure tracks, actions about which the faculty has been given no say. Some faculty members have alleged, and it now appears a majority of their colleagues have come to believe, that favoritism, cronyism and nepotism have tainted both hiring and policy decisions made by the college administration going back several years.
Shannon has led Chaffey College since 2007. Bailey has been associate superintendent of business services and economic development since 2013. Rosas, the who began at Chaffey in 2015 as the director of marketing and public relations, in 2020 promoted to associate superintendent for student services and strategic communications. Continue reading →

By M.R. Wainwright
In the aftermath of the 2024 general election, Helen Tran, Mayor of San Bernardino, finds herself isolated, her influence diminished, and her support base fractured. Her weakened position has left many residents and donors questioning her ability to lead, and her dwindling backing reflects a loss of confidence in her vision for the city. Once hopeful that Tran would bring meaningful progress, San Bernardino residents and city leaders alike have watched her administration falter, marked by missed opportunities, ineffective governance, and a disconnect from the community’s needs.
The election results only underscored Tran’s decreasing relevance. Her isolation became starkly evident with the decisive win of incoming Councilwoman-Elect Treasure Ortiz over former City Attorney Jim Penman, shutting down any hopes Tran may have had for a unified council under her leadership. Ortiz’s victory, alongside Kim Knaus’s election to the council, signaled a desire for fresh perspectives and highlighted Tran’s growing disconnect from a city in need of stronger, more cohesive leadership.
Further compounding her struggles was Tran’s involvement in the failed campaign of Dara Smith for County Assessor, a race marked by the support of out-of-town donors who seemed indifferent to local concerns. Smith’s loss delivered a resounding message that San Bernardino residents prioritize local interests over outside influence. Tran’s endorsement only reinforced perceptions of her as a mayor out-of-touch with the community, aligning herself with donors who did not reflect the city’s values.
The cracks in Tran’s support base have widened, with even her closest advisors beginning to quietly distance themselves. The failed recall efforts against her, disorganized and poorly executed, did more harm than good, highlighting her struggles to gain meaningful support within the city. Despite attempts to rally allies, Tran’s leadership missteps have become common concerns among her peers. With new council members like Knaus and Ortiz set to take office, Tran faces an increasingly isolated role as the council pivots toward San Bernardino’s future without her influence. Continue reading →

In July, in response to the City of San Bernardino’s application for a $26 million grant to cover the cost of constructing a comprehensive and full-service homeless shelter, the State of California came across with $17 million.
The following month, however, interim City Manager Rochelle Clayton, who had informed Mayor Helen Tran of the no-strings-attached funding from Sacramento but had kept from the city’s seven council members that the money was to be forthcoming, declined the state’s offer.
At this point, the members of the city council having learned of what occurred within the last few days, the question remains why Clayton did not take the final steps to actuate the grant.

FBN 20240009169
The following entity is doing business primarily in San Bernardino County as
TMR TAX SERVICES 11223 JOSHUA CT FONTANA, CA 92337: TINA M ROMAN
Business Mailing Address: 9036 MISSION BLVD #1006 RIVERSIDE, CA 92509
The business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL.
The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A.
By signing, I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime (B&P Code 179130). I am also aware that all information on this statement becomes Public Record upon filing.
/s/ TINA M. ROMAN, Owner
Statement filed with the County Clerk of San Bernardino on: 10/10/2024
I hereby certify that this copy is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office San Bernardino County Clerk By:/Deputy J2523
Notice-This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14400 et seq., Business and Professions Code).
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on October 18 & 25 and November 1 & 8, 2024.

FBN 20240009075
The following entity is doing business primarily in San Bernardino County as
UNA MORDIDITA 16060 ATHOL ST FONTANA, CA 92335: JESSICA A RENTERIA
Business Mailing Address: 16060 ATHOL ST FONTANA, CA 92335
The business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL.
The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: OCTOBER 1, 2025.
By signing, I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime (B&P Code 179130). I am also aware that all information on this statement becomes Public Record upon filing.
/s/ JESSICA A RENTERIA, Owner
Statement filed with the County Clerk of San Bernardino on: October 8, 2024
I hereby certify that this copy is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office San Bernardino County Clerk By:/Deputy K3379
Notice-This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14400 et seq., Business and Professions Code).
Published in the San Bernardino County Sentinel on October 18 & 25 and November 1 & 8, 2024.

Continue reading →

The Sentinel at 6:42 p.m. today, November 5, was notified that “hundreds” of California State University Students were casting provisional ballots at the polling precinct located at the CalState Alumni Center.
The clear insinuation contained in the report was that the lion’s share of those voting at that precinct are students, many of whom are not registered to vote in San Bernardino. Most of those voting at the Alumni Center, it was said, are Democrats.
Running in the Fifth Ward in today’s November 5 race, are Kim Knaus and Henry Nickel, the two-top finishers in the March Primary. Both outdistanced the incumbent Ward 5 councilman, Ben Reynoso, who defeated Nickel in a run-off in 2024. Nickel held the Ward 5 post since 2014, when he prevailed in a special election following the 2013 resignation of then-Councilman Chas Kelley. Nickel, a Republican, was reelected in 2015 and had his term expanded to 2020 when the city switched to even-year elections.
Nickel was the top vote-getter in the 2020 primary election, but was defeated when Reynoso, a Democrat activist, cleverly moved to register Cal State San Bernardino students prior to the November 2020-run-off election. Though local elections in California are by law non-partisan, in San Bernardino County, party affiliation is a major factor in virtually all elections.
This year, Knaus, who secured stronger Democratic Party backing than did Reynoso, was able to achieve a first-place finish in the primary, while Nickel, pulling much of the traditional GOP vote, managed to capture second.
It appears that Knaus has now taken a leaf out of Reynoso’s book, and is seeking to solidify her lead in the Fifth Ward by nailing down the college student vote.
CalState San Bernardino lies within San Benardino’s Fifth Ward. The campus includes multiple dormatories.

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.