Just when you thought Trump could wipe the political sweat off his brow, now this. Iowa Democrats—who ran their own caucus process—now say that their problems are Trump’s fault.
After first blaming an app for the inability to declare Monday night, a problem that still lingers even as frustrated candidates have packed up and moved on to New Hampshire for the nation’s first primary, the state party is blaming the president’s supporters.
Workers manning the phones in Iowa after the state’s disastrous caucus on Monday reportedly claim that President Trump backers flooded the hotline number for precinct chairs that led to even more confusion and disarray.
Ken Sagar, a Democratic central committee member in the state, told a conference call Wednesday that on the night of the caucus, Trump backers were calling in to voice their support for the president, Bloomberg reported.
Ok, given that their creator and CEO is running for President, is Bloomberg news a credible source for this report? Just wondering….
Assuming that bogus calls are the problem with the Democrat backup plan—which is a stretch—how do you know the callers are really Trump supporters? They could be drunk fraternity brothers prank calling.
Can you imagine that as being an equally valid reason? Next they’ll say it was calls from Russia. Bottom line is Democrats had four years to figure this out—it worked OK four years ago—except for the part where Bernie won.
In related news, Democrats in other states are taking steps to prevent a repeat of the Iowa fiasco. The Troll has assured me that this counting problem would not be an issue in states where they use paper ballots. His sources claim that Home Depot is giving Democrats a contractor’s discount for portable drills so they can automate their ballot stuffing operations. Democrats are paying extra to buy batteries from Elon Musk because they are so good that they only need to be charged once every four years.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez
DNC Chairman Tom Perez is on the record as saying that Democrats are committed to preventing voter interference in future elections.
No, not the kind of Corona confusion Johnnie Does experienced in his youth when he suffered from “the twelve hour flu” after an evening out on the town. The flu data coming out of China may very well be bogus. Folks, I’m used to logical disconnects between the media and reality but when our government and the WHO (World Health Organization) are in a near panic, I think we should pay attention.
Today I saw an interesting story out of Taiwan about what’s taking place in the land of the sleeping dragon. Assuming the data cited in the article is more reliable than vote counts by Democrats in Iowa, you better pay attention. The undercurrent of the story is that the data being reported/admitted to by the Chinese government is false… no surprise there.
On late Saturday evening (Feb. 1), Tencent, on its webpage titled “Epidemic Situation Tracker“, showed confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019nCoV) in China as standing at 154,023, 10 times the official figure at the time. It listed the number of suspected cases as 79,808, four times the official figure
. The number of cured cases was only 269, well below the official number that day of 300. Most ominously, the death toll listed was 24,589, vastly higher than the 300 officially listed that day.
Moments later, Tencent updated the numbers to reflect the government’s “official” numbers that day. Netizens noticed that Tencent has on at least three occasions posted extremely high numbers, only to quickly lower them to government-approved statistics.
Folks, if the death toll is really anywhere close to 25K people and more than 150K are listed as infected then the statistic I saw a week ago about the disease being up to 25 percent lethal are terrifying. It would explain much if things are really this bad. Until outside health observers are allowed in the infected area we won’t really know. If this spreads to other metro areas of China then it might merit comparisons with the 1917 Spanish Flu outbreak. FYI, Spanish Flu originated in China too.
OK, let me get this straight. 99.999 percent of the tech industry and Silicon Valley, are Democrat and these guys think they live only to impose their political views on the rest of the world. They constantly boost Internet posts about Trump and Russian interference in elections and have for the better part of four years, but when their guys get to run their own election, the only results we get out of Iowa are the ones that aren’t run by Democrats; i.e. Trump won the Republican Caucus? Complete with results no less!!
Folks, every Dem that campaigned in Iowa is claiming victory except Joe Biden.That in itself tells you all that you need to know. As pointed out by others today, how much money have the Democrats pumped into Iowa in an effort to get early momentum? Now the results are tainted and any momentum from Iowa is nullified.
We told you that they would give Bernie the shaft in Iowa, but even I am surprised at this maneuver. The process is just a mess. But never fear, Nevada is planning on using virtually the same app for their Democrat primary in just a few short weeks…Oh, joy!
Next up is New Hampshire next Tuesday. Perhaps they will use paper ballots. I hope so, I miss Hanging Chads a lot more than votes originating in “the cloud” and trust a paper trail more than none at all.
I was ready and willing to write a blog post for today but nothing in the news really struck me with enough interest to take the time… until I was at lunch today. I was checking in with the Sean Hannity show expecting to hear his opinion on the Iowa Caucus today when he started completely out of his normal format with a comment about Rush Limbaugh’s announcement. Then he played the audio of Limbaugh announcing that he had stage 4 lung cancer. Boom!!!!
Folks, Rush put a good spin on it, but after a quick survey of our editorial board, the consensus is that it’s not looking good for him. Rush will have the best doctors that money can buy but we all know that’s not always enough. We wish him the best and of course our prayers are with him.
I thought I would take a few minutes to jot down a few of my early memories of his program.
Before Rush was on KFBK there was Morton Downey Jr. Mort made a comment about a Chinese guy that was in local Sacramento politics, maybe on the City Council. As a result, Mort was fired and replaced by Rush. Mort all but disappeared except for a brief role in the movie Predator 2—with Danny Glover.
Mort Downey Jr. in Predator 2
At first I didn’t like listening to Rush as much as Mort. At the time, I was in the Navy and stationed in Alameda. I remember sneaking into the parking lot and listening to a static filled signal of the broadcast. Once I was discharged at the end of my enlistment, I moved to the Sacramento area. By then, I was a big fan. It was the late 1980’s.
I remember one show in particular. Rush got a call from an obvious member of the John Birch Society. Rush didn’t believe in the Birch philosophy so in his response, he went the other way just to tweak the guy and said, “I don’t believe in any conspiracy but if there is one, I want to be part of it.”Six months later, Rush moved to New York and began his national show.
Rush’s transition was painful and it took him a while to find his footing as he transitioned from a local program to a national one. Once he got on solid ground, he began a series of roadshows, the Rush to Excellence tours. The first tour was videotaped in Sacramento in 1989. I was invited to attend the show by David Knowles. David went on to serve in the State Assembly and Dept. of Insurance.
At the show, Rush was recounting many things that occurred on the radio show. At one point, he was talking about a condom campaign in New York City titled “Rubber-up for Safety.” The condoms were supposed to prevent AIDS and were stapled to information cards. The staple was placed in such a way to penetrate the condom and thus render them useless. Of course this was done using taxpayer money and thus deserved the mockery that only Rush could give it. As Rush was telling this story to his Sacramento audience, at just the right moment, I shouted out the name “Lee Nichols.”
(Nichols was the liberal counterpart to Rush’s local show on KFBK. He was a professor at Sac State and was best known for leaving his wife and children to pursue a homosexual lifestyle.)
Rush lost his train of thought and began laughing as did much of the audience. It was my 15 seconds of fame. Following my outburst, I was shown twice in shots of the audience. I didn’t know this until we watched to VHS tape many months later.
I did call into Rush’s show one time; back when I was a student at Sac State. It went quickly, as the call was dumped right after I asked my question. I learned then that you need to press him hard or you’re one and done.
Rush Limbaugh
I hope we have many more years to enjoy Rush. His loss would be a big blow to our Republic.
After two weeks of dismal simultaneous performances on 34 different broadcast and cable networks, the comedy clown show, Flip the White House, written by movie icon Pennywise and starring stand-up comedian Adam “Waterboy” Shiff and some angry guys nobody ever heard of before, is being cancelled.
President Trump is heartbroken at the news. Since the show’s premier, his polling numbers have gone up 20 percent with Republicans, 32 1/5 percent with Independents, and 18 percent with Democrats.
Adam “Waterboy” Shiff teases episode finale
Thousands of cable viewers were lulled asleep by the pleasing sound of Chuck Schumer and Jerry Nadler’s voices. Avid viewers of the show are reaching out for therapy and comfort. Views have not been this traumatized since the finale of Lost many years ago.
The show’s abrupt ending leaves many lingering questions unanswered.
Who is John Roberts and why does he wear a robe to work?
Why can’t Senators ask their own questions?
Where is the happy ending that viewers were promised?
How can Orange man be unscathed after such verbal and prosecutorial abuse?
What does Joe Biden have to do with anything?
Will Bernie find his way back to Iowa?
Does Pocahontas find her tribe?
Why can they present the clown show commercial free but now cable viewers are seeing adds for hemorrhoids and tort lawyers every eight minutes?
Jerry Nadler–What? Me worry?
The ensuing chaos that cancellation has caused resulted in several network anchors reaching out to other network anchors for comfort and assurance. Some networks have assured viewers and other anchors that there really is no whistleblower. It was all a ruse to gin-up interest in the Super Bowl. Others assert that it was just a dumb smoke monster that viewers saw only in their imagination.
J.J. Abrams
J.J. Abrams has offered to reboot the impeachment franchise just like he did with Star Trek. Script writer, Eric Ciaramella, has again offered his services to pitch another idea to House Democrats. Word is, if he hurries, they might cobble together a direct to disc movie by October.
Yesterday I introduced the term “Biden Hidin’” or “Hidin’ Biden” to the political lexicon used on this blog. This is the idea that Joe Biden is so unpredictable that his handlers can’t let him out in public unless they can control the environment and thus the narrative.
Today, I’ve collected some recent examples of failures to keep the former Vice President on message. Joe Biden only does two things consistently, say the dumbest things and he can’t keep his hands off women while in public. Oh, and he has nothing but contempt for average people.
Lastly, before I get to these stories, remember that Bernie and Pocahontas are stuck in Washington D.C. for the impeachment show and can’t campaign during this last week before the Iowa Caucus. Thus, Joe Biden has unfettered access to voters and is the only frontrunner hopscotching around Iowa. As a result, Joe is getting the maximum media exposure and royally screwing it up as I will show.
Biden raised in the black church
DES MOINES, Iowa — Joe Biden spoke of his connection to black voters at an NAACP event Sunday afternoon and claimed his “political identity” was molded by minorities in his home state of Delaware.
“I have a lot of black support because that’s where I come from. I was raised in the black church, politically, not a joke,” the former vice president said in Des Moines. “When I got into politics, I was the only white guy working on the east side, in the projects, because these were the guys I grew up with. These were the guys I worked with.”
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden snapped at a voter in Iowa in Tuesday as the 77-year-old candidate put his hands on the man and told him to go vote for someone else.
“I’m going to support you if you win the nomination because we got to get rid of Trump but what are we going to do about climate change?” the man asked Biden. “Now, you say you are against pipelines, but then you want to replace these gas lines, that’s not going to work.” . . .
Biden put his hand on the man’s chest and gently pushed him away, telling the man, “go vote for someone else.”
Please remember that Barack Obama has consistently refused to endorse Joe Biden or be associated with him. This sounds like a move that is both desperate and begging for recognition.
The rift between the Obamas and Biden is deep.
It was Saturday evening at The Essence Festival and CBS News anchor Gayle King was gently prodding former first lady Michelle Obama about the 2020 presidential race and how she felt about current frontrunner Joe Biden. “Has anybody caught your eye?” The first lady just reiterated: “Barack and I are going to support whoever wins the primary.” Well, what about the “dust-up” between Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and former Vice President Biden — have any thoughts? “No, I do not.” King followed up with a general question: “What are the qualities that you think make a good president?” Among those the first lady mentioned: “Someone who is careful with their words.”
Those are not exactly words you would use to describe Biden. If the Obamas’ silence on Biden was loud from the beginning, it now approaches a deafening roar.
As Biden’s polls slide and he loses whatever aura of inevitability he may have had because of his comments on segregation and busing — issues brought to the fore by a pair of young, black candidates — he has been left to twist in the wind. It is stunning that as Biden struggles to recover from his self-inflicted wounds regarding race, the first African American president, whom Biden loyally served for eight years, has not offered a word of comfort.
I think the more you know about Joe, the more voters will say “No.” Too bad for the Democrat establishment that Joe is their standard bearer. Whatever voters think they will get with Joe in the White House, it certainly won’t be anything like the Obama Administration and the Obamas will be the first to tell you that. Joe makes Democrats nostalgic for Al Gore. Lastly, if Joe underperforms in early primaries, he might find himself testifying at the impeachment show…if Republican Senators are dumb enough to prolong the travesty with witnesses.
Pelosi and Company have tried to pin Bernie Sanders in D.C. for the impeachment show but it looks like slow Joe Biden is in trouble. Biden hasn’t sealed the deal. Worse, it appears they have resorted to more Biden Hidin’ (thanks to The Chief for the phrase). Biden Hidin’ is when Joe is kept out of public view and away from cameras because his advisors have no idea what he will say or which random woman on the stage that Joe will fondle. They are hoping that recent, controlled campaign events are enough to get Joe over the line.
Team Biden is an army of one
However, former Vice President Joe Biden has no endorsement from his former running mate, President Obama. In fact, Barry has been silent and on the sidelines. Word is that he doesn’t like Sanders either.
The Clintons are silent also. All we keep hearing is that Hillary wants to be drafted by the Party and she will gladly jump in the race. Perhaps she is banking on a brokered convention.
Bernie is a team effort
Meanwhile, AOC and a cadre of surrogates are blanketing Iowa and other early primary states campaigning for Bernie.
Dems are just starting to realize that Bernie is the probable nominee
Today, we find a story that the Democrat establishment is on the verge of panic at the idea that Bernie might really win. Gee, sounds eerily similar to establishment Republicans in 2016.
The independent senator from Vermont has been running for president for the better part of five years, but some Democrats are only just now…beginning to come to grips with the fact that he could actually win the nomination.
“Suddenly, we have the Democratic establishment very nervous about this campaign. We got Wall Street nervous,” Sanders told a crowd of roughly 1,100 Sunday night in Sioux City. “They’re starting to think, could this really happen?”
“We are their worst nightmare,” he added.
A Sanders win would turn the Democratic Party upside down, much as Donald Trump’s victory did for the GOP in 2016. But how could virtually no one see Sanders coming when he nearly overturned the party establishment four years ago when he came within a whisker of winning Iowa?
“None of his opponents have attacked him,” said Ian Sams, a Democratic operative who has now gone two rounds against Sanders — as a campaign aide to Clinton in the last election, and to Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., in this one. “There had been a supposition all last year from media and the political class that there’s no way Bernie way could win, which was a pretty faulty assumption.”
Now, some moderate Democrats feel the need to sound the alarm and try to wake supporters up to the fact that Sanders is not a mere protest candidate, but a real threat to win the nomination and, they argue, potentially cost Democrats the election against Trump.
“Bernie Sanders could be the nominee of our party,” Pete Buttigieg’s campaign alerted supporters in an email. “Bernie’s campaign is out-raising and out-spending us. If this continues, there’s a good chance he wins the Iowa caucuses.”
“It’s past time for other Democrats to come off the sidelines and for the media to start doing its job to vet a serious contender for the nomination,” he added. “We simply can’t stand by while there’s a threat that Democrats could nominate a guy who would hand such nuclear-level ammunition to the Trump campaign.”
Voters at events for moderate candidates this weekend expressed concern about Sanders’ potential nomination, though all said they would vote for him in the general election.
So far, a “Stop Sanders” effort has not emerged, but one still could — and Sanders allies say they now have a target on their backs.
“Things are going to get crazy,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who has endorsed Sanders and become one of his top surrogates, told volunteers at a field office opening in Ankeny, Iowa.
Michael Moore, the documentary filmmaker, who joined Sanders as a warm-up act on his most recent Iowa swing, told supporters in Ames that “the rich” are going to start panicking.
“The knives are out,” Moore said.
Bernie is leading handily in California too. Don’t forget that we will be voting here in five short weeks.
Sanders has support from 26% of voters likely to cast ballots in the state’s March 3 Democratic primary, drawing support from liberals largely at the expense of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Warren is now backed by 20% of likely voters….
The rest of California’s likely primary voters remain divided among several candidates, which has left the party’s front-runner nationally, Vice President Joe Biden, with only 15% in the most populous state.
Like I’ve been saying, the 2020 election will be California values versus American values. We here at ReallyRight are solidly rooting for the Stars n’ Stripes.
So, it looks like we get two old white guys slugging it out in November. So much for the Party of diversity. Trump v Anti-Trump, with America in the balance. Sounds like another comic book movie to kick off the holiday season. Will Orange man survive to deliver the country from its enemies? Stay tuned.
Before I get into what a mess this really is, let me start by saying that it has taken me several days to verify what was sent to me and research further to present what follows. If needed, I have only reluctantly relied on anyone’s thoughts, opinions, or remarks on the issue before us.
It’s been a while since we’ve looked in on Kirk Uhler and the Placer County Mafia. Uhler is up for reelection yet again. Reportedly he’s still up to his old tricks, although the law may finally be catching up to him. It’s a good thing that Republicans only believe in term limits for other people or he might have to find another way to personally enrich himself.
Recap
When we last left this ethically challenged politician in 2016, we had chronicled the following:
2009 Uhler got his wife a job on the county’s dime. The position was created just for Tami Uhler. It was never advertised. Oh, last we checked it was paying a salary of $92K. (More on that shortly)
2014 Uhler doubled his salary as a supervisor
Uhler combines his Supervisor gig with his “day job.” This enables him to offer turn-key solutions to access all that Placer County has to offer in exchange for throwing a little business his way. Think pay-to-play, quid pro quo, or even Aaron Park’s “If you advertise here – it means an endorsement.”.
Uhler also has his hand in an online gambling operation where he is listed as a vice-president of the corporation.
2015 Uhler along with the Just Us Brothers looted the Placer CRA treasury in a move only Adam Schiff or Bernie Madoff could truly appreciate.
Recently, Supervisor Uhler was the subject of several emails that were sent to me from the bowels of his district. Attached were several hundred pages of information concerning the nepotism of Uhler’s wife living off the taxpayers while her husband engineers further pay increases for her and that fact that the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has been repeated asked to get involved in the situation. (See Appendix 1 below for links to the eleven letters on file with the FPPC.)
Oh, for folks in Rio Linda, nepotism is “the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.”
Nepotism is against the law and has been for decades. This was one of the issues that Jerry Brown used as a reason to dismantle the Board of Equalization (BOE). BOE had about one in five employees being directly related and others hired as political favors.
Per the emails that I received, in 2019 Uhler lead the charge to give his wife a thirty percent raise in one year. This caused a flurry of activity and correspondence with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). The FPPC is the State body charged with insuring that politicians and political campaigns follow state law. The correspondence which I shall go thru in detail is from the Office of the Placer County Counsel (the county’s lawyer) and the FPPC.
The issues of fact and law under dispute are related to Uhler’s wife, Tamara (a.k.a. Tami), and her employment by Placer County.
Tami’s Job
Let’s look at some nuggets in the document dump that I was sent and try to reconstruct what happened and when. The questions needing to be asked include whether Placer County can employ Uhler’s wife, is her $30K raise justified, and did Uhler engineer its approval behind the scenes. On the face of it, what happened doesn’t pass the proverbial “smell test.”
Tamara Uhler, the Placer County Assistant Director of Child Support Services (“Assistant Director”), is married to Kirk Uhler, a member of the Placer County Board of Supervisors. Assistant Director Uhler’s service began in July of 2009, after Supervisor Uhler was elected to the Board of Supervisors. The Assistant Director reports to the Director of the Department of Child Support Services (“Director”). The Assistant Director position is an at-will, unclassified management classification, with no written employment contract. An appointment to the Assistant Director classification was completed by the Department Head pursuant to County Code, and no confirmation or affirmative action from the Board of Supervisors was required.
The FPPC states above that Kirk Uhler was already a Supervisor. I was curious how long he had been a Supervisor, so I looked up.
Kirk returned to the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 19, 2006 to fill the vacancy created after 4th District Supervisor Ted Gaines was elected to the State Assembly in November. At the Dec. 19 meeting, the four remaining board members selected Kirk from a field of five candidates who applied to serve the final two years of Gaines’ term. Kirk was sworn into office immediately after the vote.
Kirk represented the 4th District on the Board of Supervisors from 1993-96. He was only 25 years old when elected to the post, becoming the second youngest Supervisor in California history.
2009 Tamara Uhler was given the job of Assistant Director of Child Support Services. This Assistant Director “position is an at-will, unclassified management classification.” This means Tami is not part of a labor union and can be hired or fired just like anyone in the private sector. To get this job, Tami required “no confirmation or affirmative action from the Board of Supervisors.”
Please note that no record has been produced that the job opening was advertised or that Tami ever had to compete for the position. Furthermore, as far as we know, no one other than her was ever interviewed for the job.
Allegations of a conflict of interest, a violation of public trust, unfairness in the Placer County hiring process and even nepotism surround the recent appointment of a county supervisor’s wife to a management position.
While wrongdoing has not been identified by an official investigative body, the move has raised concerns from citizens and county union leaders who are calling for action. The relatively high-paying position was not advertised, and the position had been vacant for two years.
Tami Uhler, wife of Placer County Supervisor Kirk Uhler, was appointed to the assistant director of the Placer County Department of Child Support Services July 7 with a starting salary of $92,000 plus benefits, according to county officials.
Per an FPPC letter on the subject of conflict of interest, Tami’s hire was wrong. The letter is written in legalese but when you remove the double negative in the section and the excess verbiage, it boils down to this:
Accordingly, new Regulation 18702.5(b)(1) would expressly reinsert this exception, and would provide as follows: a personal financial effect is … material if the decision would: (1) Affect only the salary, …(of) the public official or a member of his or her immediate family receives from a … local government agency … the decision is to … promote … a member of his or her immediate family… when the member of the public official’s immediate family member is the only person in the job classification or position.
So, if Tami was just one of many people working in the same classification, then this rule would not apply but since she is the only one, it’s a big problem.
Meanwhile Tami Gets Huge Raise
If you recall, when Tami was hired in 2009, she was making about $92K. Today, she is getting double that amount thanks to the Placer County Supervisors.
Folks, Placer County—like most government websites—doesn’t list and compile historic data on the pay of government employees, but there is a place you can go to find the information; namely, the Transparent California website.
Their data on Placer County only goes back to 2011 but here is what you will find on Kirk and Tami Uhler.
Note: The wages and benefits are estimates based on many factors since on the one hand pay scales are public information but an individual’s W-2 is confidential. For this reason, the numbers from Transparent California will not exactly match some numbers used from the Placer Country website.
Before going further, we need to clarify something for people that have never worked for a government agency. Most employees are paid a salary not an hourly wage. Pay increases are of three types and may occur on different anniversary dates. First, government normally gives employees cost of living increases each year. Usually, these increases are done at the beginning of a new fiscal year. In addition, you get step increases. You start at the bottom wage for your job classification and each year you get pay increases until after several years, you get to the top step. Step adjustment are often on the anniversary of the date you first started in that classification. Once at the top step, your wage will only go up via cost of living adjustments. Lastly, pay may be increased by negotiation with an employer. For many government workers, this is done via labor unions and not on the basis of individual merit.
Placer County Supervisors gave county employees a pay raise which took effect on August 3, 2019. Tami was the beneficiary of a huge raise that only applied to her. Based on comparisons with the county wage information and Transparent California, it is my opinion that Tami was at the top pay step in her job classification prior to the 2019 pay raise. I also think this is a reasonable assumption based on the fact that she has been in that position for over ten years.
Note: Pay numbers used in the remainder of this section can be found in Appendix 5 at the end on this blog post
In 2018, Tami Uhler was paid $132.433.60
She is classified as Position #19869 and her payrate is Management # 452
This is based on 2,080 hours at a salary of $63.67
So, after her raise in 2019 it should look like this:
She is classified as Position #19869 and her payrate is Management # 452
This is based on 2,080 hours at a salary of $63.67
Thus, her pay should be 2,080 hours at a salary of $64.94 or $135,075.20
This would be a two percent pay raise; however, this is not what really happened.
Instead Tami was raised from MNGT 452 to 477
She is classified as Position #19869 and her payrate is Management # 477
Thus, her pay actual pay is 2,080 hours at a salary of $83.30 or $173,264.00
Comparing this year and last year’s salary, Tami received a 23.57 percent pay raise–not including benefits or retirement.
But it gets even better, notice the little footnote on her
classification?
Here’s the footnote.
When Tami leaves this position, the pay will drop down to MNGT 452. Thus, this pay raise is only for Tami and only for as long as she wishes to work for Placer County.
Yep, no favoritism or conflict of interest here, just business as usual in Placer County.
More Than Money
Uhler presided over the Board of Supervisor’s Meetings on July 9 & 23 when the pay raise for his wife was approved. He never stated that he had a conflict of interest and or recused himself. The pay raise was a consent calendar item at both meetings. On July 9, during the vote on item 14, Uhler reportedly left the room.
The account that I was given is:
At the July 9, 2019 meeting, after Board agenda item 12.A.l concluded, Board Chair Uhler stood, handed the gavel to Vice Chair Bonnie Gore, and left the room without stating a word about his departure. Although he left the room and remained out of the room for item # 14.A. l, he did not state his conflict of interest or recuse himself from the vote on the next agenda item # 14.A. l “Equity Adjustments for Classified and Unclassified Management Employees”. Kirk Uhler deliberately evaded the conflict of interest requirements by leaving the room and “making himself absent” just prior to item related to his wife, Tamara Uhler’s salary increase.
See Appendix 4 below
At the July 23 meeting, when the vote on item 19 occurred, Uhler abstained.
On July 23, 2019, as part of consent agenda 19.A. l “Equity Adjustments for Classified and Unclassified Management Employees” the Board of Supervisors took action to “adapt the ordinance” approving the salary increases for various management positions, including the salary increase for the position of Assistant Director of Child Support Services held by Tamara Uhler. Chairman of the Board, Supervisor Uhler personally called for the vote to approve the consent agenda, which included his wife’s salary increase. He called for ayes, noes and then stated he was “abstaining”, not recusing himself. He did not leave the room, and he did not give any reason for his abstention.
See Appendix 4 below
The item which was voted on stated that several people were getting an eight percent raise but not a word about the position held by Mrs. Uhler was in the narrative. Unless one took a calculary to it, chances are it would not be noticed.
As a result of this review and analysis of the costs associated with salary increases, the HRD is recommending salary adjustments for 13 management classifications to place them approximately eight percent (8%)…
Salary and benefit costs to maintain a minimum of eight percent (8%) between management classifications and their highest paid direct report are estimated at $365,000.
The letter that I was sent also challenges the premise of giving Tami any raise on the basis of an 8 percent differential.
Prior to the July 23, 2019 salary increase, the salary differential between the Assistant Director of Child Support Services ($135,075 top step) and its highest paid direct report (Senior Administrative Services Officer top step $ I 05,348) was already at a 28% differential ($29,727). This 28% differential was greater than, and therefore not consistent with the rational for the 8% differential which was stated in the board memo.
On this issue, Kirk Uhler claims that he is innocent of any wrongdoing and any enrichment of his family is purely coincidental. However, those that know him best tell a different tale.
Some people I know are upset that Kirk Uhler endorsed Jim Holmes – who also endorsed Kirk. The record of Uhler is unassailable. So, let’s tell a Kirk and Jim Story. Did you know that when the final, fateful vote was to occur on Pioneer Energy’s proposed massive rate hike came down the pipe – Jim Holmes called Kirk Uhler to ask him how he was supposed to vote on the issue. With Holmes opposing the 27% rate hike, that ended the debate forever. It is because of Uhler’s relationship with his colleague that this happened.
“Pioneer Community Energy is about local control,” said Kirk Uhler, a Placer County supervisor and member of Pioneer’s governing board, in a news release.
Two thoughts. First, why is Uhler involved in a county supervisor vote on rate hike for a utility that he works for? Second, why is he telling other supervisors how to vote?
Given this, how are we to believe that he had nothing to do with the massive pay hike for his wife?
This is the appearance of impropriety if not the substance.
Tami Wants a Promotion
But wait, there’s more. Tami wants to be Director of Child Support Services.
The Director position is currently vacant.Assistant Director Uhler has informed the Placer County Counsel and the Director of Human Resources that she intends to apply for the position. The Director, a County Department Head classification, is an at-will appointment and there is no employment contract. The Director reports to the County Executive Officer (“CEO”).
The California Family Code requires the Board of Supervisors to select the Director. Appointment of the prior Director was made by the Board on June 12,2007. Pursuant to the Placer County Charter, the CEO is responsible for the appointment, suspension or removal of all appointive department heads except County Counsel, “subject to confirmation by the Board of Supervisors.” Similarly, the Placer County Code identifies the CEO as appointing authority for all department heads other than elective officials “[e]xcept as specifically provided elsewhere …. “ The Board has routinely been involved in the appointment of department heads in the past, albeit not consistently through the years. As noted above, and as evidenced by the Board agenda summary of June 12, 2007, the prior Director was considered by the Board in closed session and his appointment was reported.
To be promoted to Director, Tami must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. So even if her hire in 2009 was not nepotism or a conflict of interest—which I think it clearly was—promoting her to the corner office appears to be a line that can’t be crossed.
In fact, our friends at the FPPC said just that.
Remember that letter that I was quoting from the FPPC?
Here is the question that Placer County Counsel, Karin Schwab, asked the FPPC.
Under Section 1090, may the Placer County Board of Supervisors appoint a Supervisor’s spouse to the position of Director of Child Support Services, given that the spouse currently serves as the Assistant Director of Child Support Services?
See Appendix 3 below
The FPPC responded not just “no” but “hell no.”
No. The Board of Supervisors may not appoint the Supervisor’s spouse as Director, because a Supervisor has a financial interest in his or her spouse’s income under Section 1090, and no exception to Section 1090 is applicable given the circumstances.
See Appendix 3 below
Comments
On paper, Kirk and Tamara Uhler have finally been smacked down by the FPPC for violating the law; however, nothing has really changed. Like our Democrat controlled Legislature, when one political party runs a state (or county) with an iron fist, the interests of the political class inevitably come first. They enrich themselves and their families at the public trough, doing good for their friends (or contributors) and God willing, just neglecting the rest of us. They view the law as being for others and not themselves. They view themselves as too vital to be bound by the constraints of us mere mortals.
Not showing self-restraint, the attitude of corrupt officials is “if you don’t like it then sue us.” Those of us in the real world can only fund so many fights with city hall before throwing in the towel.
Mr. Uhler may have had good intentions when he first ran for office, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. However, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and Mr. Uhler lost his way many years ago.
I have barely touched on the laws concerning public officials and conflict of interest, nepotism, and the like. (See Appendix 4 if you want to read someone’s attempt to get into the conflict of interest issue in depth.) Uhler’s wife is a lawyer. Instead of following the law she once swore to uphold, she uses her training to skirt just so far over the line knowing that nobody is going to go to the trouble of jerking her chain, especially in Placer County. Kirk Uhler is the king of Placer County.Hail to the King baby.
Conclusion
As I was getting ready to post the above, a few things continue to bother me. After some thought, I have decided what will happen in the real world with this issue. Let me explain and I think you will be forced to agreed with me and simultaneous not like it.
The great political observer, Scott Adams of Dilbert fame wrote a whole book with the premise that “there is a right way, a wrong way, and the weasel way. ” Kirk Uhler has a track record of following the weasel way.
Given that the Assistant Director of Child Support Services position was empty for two years before being filled by Tami Uhler, and given that Tami wants a promotion, and given that the FPPC said no and given that the Director of Child Support Services position is currently empty and given that its duties are currently being performed by Tami Uhler, a reasonable person must therefore conclude that Tami will remain the de facto Director and the Board will not take any action to fill the Director position until such time as Tami chooses to voluntarily retire from Placer County with a full pension and benefits for the rest of her natural life.
Lastly, Tami already has some time in working for the District Attorney’s Office so I expect her exit will be in just a few years. You might want to add pension spiking to the list of grievances committed by the Uhlers against the taxpayers of Placer County.
Appendix 1 Citizen Complaints
Here are the eleven complaints on file with the FPPC concerning Uhler’s wife getting a raise via a vote of the supervisors.
This letter is part of a 106 page document that I was sent. This is only the first few pages. The remainder of the letter was the author’s attempt to defend and document his concerns. I generally agree with what he said but as you can see I don’t just accept his word as authoritative on all points. Since it doesn’t seem to be publicly available and I quoted from it, I wanted to make the source available to my readers.
Donald Trump spoke at the March for Life today. This is something that no other president has ever done; not even the Great Ronald Reagan. Trump is on track to be regarded as the greatest Conservative President in the history of the Republic. He does what he says and scares the hell out of the other guys. Not only does he say the words but he does the deeds too.
Case in point is this article on federal funding and abortion.
The Trump administration on Friday threatened California with a potential loss of federal health care funds over the state’s requirement that insurance plans cover abortions.
The announcement, timed to coincide with the anti-abortion March for Life in the nation’s capital, came hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled to address the marchers in person, becoming the first president to do so. Religious conservatives are a core element of Trump’s political coalition, and his administration has gone out of its way to deliver on their demands.
The federal Health and Human Services Department said it is issuing a “notice of violation,” giving California 30 days to comply with a federal law known as the Weldon amendment. That law bars federal health care funding from being provided to states or entities that practice “discrimination” against a health care organization on the basis that it “does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.”
“If states receive federal funds … they cannot discriminate against a health plan that declines to cover abortions,” said Severino.
Severino did not specify which of many streams of federal health care funds amounting to tens of billions of dollars might be in jeopardy for California. That could include money for community health centers, Medicaid health insurance for low-income people, and basic public health activities like educating parents about vaccines.
“Our goal is to seek compliance, and we are going to give them 30 days, so we do not have to cross that bridge,” said Severino. Other states could also face federal actions.
Federal law has long barred the use of taxpayer money to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman.
God bless you Mr. Trump, I can’t wait to vote for you in November.
Told ya! Pelosi’s deny on impeachment was to clear the field for Biden to win Iowa. Here’s the polling data to prove it.
With two weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses, a new poll indicates that former Vice President Joe Biden has a slight edge over his 2020 rivals for the Democratic nomination in the state that kicks off the presidential primary and caucus calendar.
Biden stands at 24 percent support among likely Democratic caucusgoers in Iowa in the survey released Monday by Focus on Rural America…
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts registers at 18 percent, with former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 16 percent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont at 14 percent, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of neighboring Minnesota at 11 percent.
While Biden’s numbers were basically unchanged from the Focus on Rural America’s previous poll – released in September – Warren dropped 5 percentage points, Sanders soared 5 points, Buttigieg jumped 4 points and Klobuchar rose 3 points.
As I understand the impeachment rules, Senators are to be seen but not heard during the presentation of the case against Trump. Also, due to conflict of interest, Sanders, and the other two may be asked to recuse themselves from voting. So, what was that about the Democrats being unified? Lastly, if Sanders and Pocahontas aren’t on the record for an impeachment vote, will that hurt them with their base?
