11/1/11 - RECLAIMED WATER AND YOUR HEALTH : In this article I would like to examine the impact that reclaimed water could potentially have on human health issues. Understand that I am not advocating a position with regard to reclaimed water, but I do believe that informed decisions are those that are made when all of the facts are laid before us. The final conclusion is yours, after considering the risks and benefits of this proposal. – click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Beware of School Board incumbent Deborah Dukes

.10/24/11 - Banning School Board elections will be coming up soon. Former Mayor and City Council member Bob Botts has endorsed incumbent Deborah Dukes (view). Whenever Botts, – or Barbara Hanna and Don Robinson for that matter – endorse anyone or anything, beware : there usually is an agenda. It was Botts’ endorsement that has caused us to take a closer look at the record of  Banning School Board candidate Deborah Dukes. – click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“RECLAIMED WATER”  – an analysis   –  Part 1 of 3

by Lyndon Taylor 10/15/11 – The latest proposal out of City Hall in Banning deals with the use of reclaimed water to water the golf course and common areas of Sun Lakes. The plan calls for capturing the sewage outflow from that community and separating out the water for further processing. – click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Banning White House” finally shut down

10/13/11 – For almost a full year, the now infamous “Banning White House” has been operating as a commercial  facility in a residential zoning. They were able to do so mainly because Mayor Barbara Hanna has been using her office to aid and abet the “Banning White House” in their illegal quest to do business without a business license and without paying any business taxes to the City of Banning. For about a year, the City never enforced the law – until now : on September 29, the City finally served the owners of the “Banning White House” with a “Notice of Violation”.- click here for the article_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Banning White House” debacle finally raises concern  – for one (!) City Council member

9/22/11 - It has been over 9 months since this website first reported on the ongoing “Banning White House” debacle. Believe it or not , the issue has now finally registered with one – out of five  – City Council members. Debbie Franklin has chosen to step up to the plate and recently met with neighbors of the Banning White House. Her findings are documented in a lengthy memo to City Manager Andy Takata. – click here for the article_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“The Banning White House Has Destroyed Our Neighborhood”

8/29/11 – For about 9 months now, a Banning residence, pretentiously named the “Banning White House”, has advertised itself as a  “for hire” facility  for corporate events, meetings, overnight accommodations and weddings. Now over 50 neighbors are up in arms : they claim that vastly increased traffic, loud noises, drunk drivers and speeding cars going up and down to the “Banning White House” have ruined their once quite neighborhood. And as you would expect, the City of Banning does nothing to stop the alleged nuisance. – click here for the article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sheriff releases Demario Jackson booking photo

8/17/11

DOES  HE  LOOK  LIKE  A  BANNING  “BUSINESSMAN” / “DEVELOPER”  TO  YOU  ?!?!?!?

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BANNING’S MAYOR  BARBARA HANNA, COUNCIL MEMBERS DEBBIE FRANKLIN AND JOHN MACHISIC ALL SEEM TO THINK SO -  THEY  GAVE HIM OVER $ 500.000 OF YOUR  TAX DOLLARS !

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SHOCKING new evidence on alleged 2009 Demario Jackson assault

8/13/11 – Pending murder charges are not the only accusations made against so-called “businessman” Demario Jackson. Ignacio Reyes says he as well was victimized when Demario Jackson assaulted him in December of 2009  in Banning. Witnesses have come forward and have told us that then-Mayor Bob Botts witnessed the entire incident, however, Botts has failed to report what he saw to police.   - click here for the article _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mayor Hanna tied to Murder Suspect

7/27/11 – On July16, 2011, Banning resident Demario Jackson was arrested and has been charged with murder of a Beaumont resident. Public record shows that Jackson had funded  Banning Mayor Barbara Hanna’s  2008 election campaign and also had ties to Council member Debbie Franklin : both bent over backwards and gave a then 22-year old Jackson an uncollateralized $ 550,000 loan, which he has since defaulted on .  - click here for the article- - – UPDATE 8/12/11 :   Jackson enters “Not Guilty” plea _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8/11/11 - City flat out refuses to release the requested “Banning White House” public safety document (view City response) - Needless to say, we do NOT concur with the City’s decision !  Most importantly, the City’s behavior goes to show that the document sought must indeed be a “smoking gun” which must be hidden from the public at all cost ! Stay tuned …. this is far from over  !

Cover-up of Huge Public Safety Issue !

7/20/11 – Getting to the truth sometimes can be extremely difficult. The City of Banning, along with the Fire Department, appear to be stonewalling repeated requests for the release of a public document. This document  presumably details possible non-compliance with public safety code by the “Banning White House”. — click here for the article _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Council Member Debbie Franklin engaged in illegal fundraising for suspended and unregistered  “Charity”

6/25/11 - “Pass Area Supporting Soldiers” run by its President, Banning City Council Member Debbie Franklin, is the latest addition to a growing list of highly questionable “charities” operated throughout the Pass Area, many of which are fully endorsed by our elected officials.– click here for the article _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Banning PD – then and now

6/17/11 - Six and a half years ago, when Leonard Purvis along with John Horton came to work at the Banning Police Department, they were faced with an organization that – to put it mildly – was in desperate need of a major overhaul.  Today Chief Purvis can pride himself for having contributed to a rather dramatic turnaround. — click here for the article ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

All Star Dodge : “When pigs fly”

06/02/11 – Let’s assume you have 2.5 million dollars laying around that you didn’t know what to do with. Would you spend your 2.5 million dollars  in exchange for *maybe* getting back $ 600,000 – ten years later ? No you wouldn’t.  Nobody would.   But wait, there’s one exception : the unaccountable Banning City Council  thinks this is a wonderful idea ! – click here for the article _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2011 Art Hop : Taxpayer money well spent ?

5/21/11 – When the government gets into the car business, you get GM. When the government gets into the coffee business, you get the Haven Coffee House. Finally, when the government gets in the entertainment business, you get the Art Hop. The event is supposed to “revitalize” downtown Banning. Let’s take a look what the taxpayers got for their money — click here for the article _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why do Council members Hanna and Robinson support an unregistered “Charity” ?

5/5/11 – Operation Kidz Komfort, which holds itself out to be a local “charity”, recently held a fundraiser at the Banning “White House”. Both Banning’s Mayor Barbara Hanna and Council member Don Robinson came out in support and attended the March 19 event. But according to the Attorney General’s website, the organization is not registered as an eligible charity in the State of California. Why is it that wherever you look, Banning Council members can never do anything “above board “ ? – click here for full article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Banning’s  own Holocaust ?

4/13/11 – How would you like to wake up one day to find out that the City of Banning quietly “re-zoned” your residential property to “industrial” zoning, without you ever receiving a written notice ? This is what happened to Banning resident and holocaust survivor Ingeborg Graves, who’s home on Charles Street is now practically worthless. Three other home owners, all living on Charles Street, are also affected.- click here for full article _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE :  Issue has been postponed – for now

Speaker Cards  -  how the City Council plans to shut you up !

3/28/11 – With the next round of utility rate increases on the horizon, here is how the City Council wants to brace itself against the upcoming public outrage: Speaker Cards. They tentatively are on the agenda for April 12. The card system is presumably designed to allow Mayor Barbara Hanna to chose who speaks and when. The proposed cards give the Mayor the power to curb critical speech and suppress dissent. – click here for full article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Haven Coffee” : Mayor Hanna’s pipedream is coming home to roost

3/4/11 - The story of the Haven is a tale of favoritism, cronyism, the commingling of Church and State, lack of business sense, false Christianity, slick corporate shell games and outright abuse of governmental powers by our elected officials. Click here for the entire story ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3/1/11 – Press Enterprise : “City increases consultant’s pay by $ 50,000″ – click here -  Please see our related story : “San Gorgonio Inn Redevelopment – who takes the risk ?”- click here ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City of Banning sued over road dispute

2/18/11 –  The Los Angeles Times, ABC 7 News and Press Enterprise all  report on a legal dispute between property owner Lloyd Fields and the City. Fields claims he is being denied unhindered access to his 41 acre parcel of land on Fields Road. While the western half of Fields Road belongs to Banning, the eastern half belongs to the Morongo Tribe. For about 5 years, the Tribe has been blocking public access to Fields Road by setting up barriers and a guard shack. This raises many questions : Why has the City Council failed to take any action against this ongoing blockade of one of Banning’s public roads ? Do we elect our City Council to protect the interests of the Morongo Tribe – or those of Banning ? - click here for the L.A. Times article – 2/25 : Press Enterprise click here ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Don’t want to pay rent on City owned property ?  No problem – if you are friends with Mayor Barbara Hanna

2/8/11 - Once again, the Banning Cultural Alliance rips off the taxpayer with full knowledge of the City Council : this time the notoriously unethical organization stiffs the public for over $ 9,000 in rental payments – and counting. And the City of Banning, led by corrupt cheerleader Mayor Barbara Hanna, does nothing about it.- click here for full article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Doing business without a license ?  No problem -  if you are friends with Mayor Barbara Hanna

.1/10/11 - Mayor Barbara Hanna – along with ALL other City Council members – makes it possible for her friends to operate their businesses without business license and/or permits. Once again, “Politics of Special Interests” are a daily reality within the City of Banning. – click here for full article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Profiting from “Non-Profits” : Schoolboard member Amy Herr doubles her salary at the School-funded Boys and Girls Club

12/19/10 – As we reported before, the “Non-Profit” Boys and Girls Club of the San Gorgonio Pass each year receives well over half a million dollars in taxpayer funding. The funding was solely made possible by 2 votes taken by the Banning School Board (2007 + 2009). School Board member Amy Herr participated in both of these votes – despite having a conflict of interest : she did so despite being a paid executive of the Club (see previous Banning Informer Article- view ). While much of Banning is out of work, Amy Herr has since managed to double her salary and gets rich at the public trough. – click here for full article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hand recount confirms election results  : Franklin and Botts  re-elected

12/7/10 - As previously reported, Lyndon Taylor had requested a hand recount of all Banning ballots cast on November 2nd. The recount was conducted on December 6th and 7th ; it revealed no significant anomalies, confirming that the official result was of remarkable accuracy.  Most candidates were able to pick up a very small number of votes ( click here for details ). After counting 4 precincts representing over 30 % of the total vote, which included Banning’s two largest precincts,  the recount was discontinued at the request of the proponent. There can be no doubt that the citizens of Banning  have voted for Debbie Franklin and Bob Botts to serve yet another 4 year term on the Banning City Council ( click here for certified results). ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11/27/10 – A BANNING INFORMER EXCLUSIVE !  -  Banning resident Roger Ramsey interviews Bob Botts – ENJOY ! Here Banning resident Roger Ramsey talks to Debbie Franklin about her stunning victory in the 2010 city council elections ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City Council seeks to destroy 2008 financial records

11/8/10 -Request has been made to destroy financial records of the Banning Electric Department as recent as Fiscal Year 2008 (view request). The issue is on the consent calendar for Nov. 9 as item # 5 ;  for consent items  no staff report is given and no discussion is anticipated. The destruction of recent financial records would obstruct a possible audit of the City’s finances. Particularly the Electric Dept. deals in thousands of dollars of cash every month. The destruction request  raises questions of an attempted cover up. UPDATE : City says they will retain the records in electronic form. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Banning City Attorney Aleshire : adviser to corrupt Irwindale City Council

10/28/10 - The L.A. Times reports that David Aleshire, City Attorney of Banning, was City Attorney for the City of Irwindale during a time when City officials are accused of spending $ 205,678.00 on five lavish trips to New York City. According to the article, Aleshire, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, has admitted to attending at least one of these lavish trips. Way to go, Mr. Aleshire ! You fit well within the City of Banning ! -  click here for the L.A. Times article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Botts attacks L.A. Times reporter – at taxpayer’s expense !

.10/22/10 - Documents obtained by The Banning Informer suggest that City Attorney David Aleshire aimed to protect the public image of Mayor Bob Botts when he complained to the L.A. Times about a recently published article. The October 1st front page story (view) pointed to Banning as a prime example for the abuse of redevelopment funds . For his services Aleshire normally bills the Banning taxpayer an hourly rate of up to $ 190.00 . – click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10/13/10 – Press Enterprise : “Council approves water rate hikes” -  view All City Council members voted unanimously to increase water rates : 15 % effective immediately, another 15% next year, then 7 % in each of the the following 2 years. The increase was caused by the council using  $ 15 M from a water bond fund  to build a police station. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

L.A. Times : “Lots of cash and little scrutiny in city redevelopment”

L.A. TIMES FOCUSES ON CITY OF BANNING IN FRONT PAGE ARTICLE

10/1/10 – After breaking the story on the City of Bell, the Los Angeles Times focuses on the abuses of Redevelopment Agencies. The well researched article points out shady activities of the Banning Redevelopment Agency and Mayor Bob Botts ; it also makes reference to the Banning Informer website – view the  L.A. Times article here . Banning Informer article on “All Star Dodge” – here Banning Informer article on other Banning “Redevelopment Disasters” - here __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Water Rate Increase/Police Station : Official record shows “Writing was on the Wall”

9/23/10 – Minutes of the City Council meeting of June 24, 2008 (view pages 12 – 27 ) show that Banning’s Finance Director issued a clear warning to the Council that the City’s water utility will incur a 20 Million Dollar shortfall in years to come, should the Council decide to build the new police facility using water bond proceeds. The record clearly indicates that the entire Council ignored the warning : they unanimously voted to spend the money anyway.  -click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bob Botts : “Progress” anyone ?

9/15/10 - With his re-election campaign already underway, Bob Botts claims that we should vote for him so we can “continue our Progress”.  Doesn’t he know that Banning is facing one major crisis after another ? Or is Bob Botts just trying to insult the intelligence of Banning voters ?  -click here for full article

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San Bernardino Sun : “ Banning police station funding becomes election issue” -  view __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Botts, Hanna, Robinson : “Smoke and Mirrors”

.8/20/10 - Would City Council members Bob Botts, Barbara Hanna and Don Robinson ever use outright lies and deception in order to justify their actions ?  Let’s take a look …. click here for our story __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ..The following article , published in March of 2010, explains the REAL REASON FOR THE WATER RATE INCREASE : it is DEBT SERVICE on a previous water bond that now drives up the water rates. The bond money has been spent by the City Council on the new 15 million police station, a new swimming pool and other items . In reality, the cost of water has very little to do with the proposed rate hike. Please read :

“The Sun Lakes “reclaimed water” fraud – or how Mayor Botts and rest of the Banning City Council stole your tax dollars”- click here

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ALL STAR DODGE : yet another Redevelopment Disaster on Banning’s books ?

It’s official : four City Council members defy the Grand Jury

. City Issues Official Response to Grand Jury

UPDATED  7/6/10 - The City of Banning has now filed their official response to the Grand Jury report . The response cover letter (view) states clearly that the City has no intention following the Grand Jury’s recommendations. – click here for more __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Botts, Hanna, Robinson funnel another $ 111,500 into Banning Cultural Alliance

6/25/10 - No, this is not a misprint – just further evidence that the Banning City Council is completely out of control : Mayor Bob Botts as well as Council members Barbara Hanna and Don “taxdodger” Robinson, forming a majority, just voted to give yet another $ 111,500  of your tax money to the unaccountable, scandal ridden Banning Cultural Alliance. – click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bob Botts : Banning’s greatest liability . -  an editorial by Lyndon Taylor

6/18/10 – click here for editorial __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dictator Bob Botts’ idea of free speech : “leave the room”

6/10/10 - He does not like to be criticized and has long had a pattern of interrupting speakers critical of the council (view video here and here).  But now it gets even worse : with an attitude reminiscent of that of a dictator, Mayor Bob Botts recently suggested that speakers who disagree with his point of view ought to “leave the room”.  – click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Curiouser and Curiouser !” -  an editorial by Lyndon Taylor

6/1/10 - A line spoken by Alice in Wonderland could not be more apt for present day Banning!  Just when you thought Banning couldn’t get more bizarre, something else happens!   – click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Record Gazette silent on the City Council’s response to Grand Jury  – why ?

5/19/10 - When the Grand Jury issued their Report in late February of this year, the Record Gazette covered it as front page news. Now that the CRA (City Council) has formulated their response essentially defying the Grand Jury’s recommendations and letting the Banning Cultural Alliance keep $ 162,000 ( plus interest) in taxpayer money, the Record Gazette noticeably avoids covering the story anywhere. For all of what Record Gazette readers know, there was never a response to the Grand Jury by the City Council. Not even on the back pages could we find any mention of  the City’s response. Why do you think such vital information is being withheld from the citizens of Banning ? Is the Record Gazette trying to protect a corrupt City Council from being thrown out of office ? – click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cultural Alliance Director caught lying about use of taxpayer money

5/9/10 - The Director of the Banning Cultural Alliance, Carol Newkirk, lied to the public when she stated that no public (redevelopment) funds were used for a political propaganda event .  Documents obtained by the Banning Informer now show that the taxpayer forked up the money for “Hang the Politicians”, a so-called “art”  exhibit promoting Mayor Bob Botts and Council member Don Robinson. - click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Council member Don Robinson bounces several checks to Banning Utility  – apparently without any consequences

4/26/10 - Don Robinson’s business, Renaissance Pet Resort and Spa,  has bounced several checks to the Banning Utility . Contrary to the Utility’s written shut off policies, they did NOT tag Robinson’s business for non-payment nor was his business ever shut off . Unlike any other utility customer that fails to pay, Robinson was able to enjoy uninterrupted service for his business and did not have to stand in line to pay in person either …..    - click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Independent auditors find “significant deficiencies” in City’s financial reporting

4/12/10 - The auditor’s report ( view ) states that fund balances for both the General Fund and the Redevelopment Fund had to be “restated” ( page 8 ), meaning the City’s books are significantly flawed. Furthermore, the City was entitled to over a million dollars in Federal Grants in 2008/09   but never asked for the money. The total expenditures of the City that were subject to these grants were $ 1,388,600 ( page 5 ). Under the program the Federal Government would have matched those funds. - click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Government by Secrecy :  Botts, Hanna, Robinson holding illegal secret meetings with Banning Cultural Alliance

4/1/10 - Conspiring against all citizens of Banning, three City Council members have been attending secret meetings organized by the Banning Cultural Alliance. The meetings , held under the ambiguous name “Banning Revitalization Initiative”, are conducted in secrecy : the public is not allowed to attend, there is no agenda available, no minutes are published and the time and location is being withheld.  According to press reports the meetings are aimed at shaping City policy. – click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grand Jury Video Flashback :  Who is responsible for funding the Banning Cultural Alliance ?

3/9/10 – Let’s look back at who voted for funding the Banning Cultural Alliance with complete lack of oversight  : on June 23, 2009, the Community Redevelopment Agency voted to fund the Alliance with an additional $ 131,500. This article contains telling video from this session –   click here for full article ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grand Jury finds abuses by Banning City Government on many levels

2/27/10 – The Riverside County Grand Jury has issued a report that confirms what the Banning Informer has been pointing out all along : The Community Redevelopment Agency ( City Council ) is not doing its job, has overpaid for properties without appraisal  and should immediately “cease and desist” funding the Banning Cultural Alliance. Furthermore, the CRA should ask the Alliance to immediately return $ 162,000 plus interest for services they never performed.

>>>>> DOWNLOAD GRAND JURY REPORT HERE <<<<<

CLICK HERE to  podcast the latest “Pass Politics” Radio show discussing the Grand Jury Report – with hosts Victor Dominguez and  Pam Rein – aired on March 3, 2010 – KCAA 1050 AM

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Corruption : Banning School Board President Amy Herr influences votes for personal financial gain

2/26/10 -  Conflict of Interest laws say you can’t serve two masters. But that is exactly what Banning School Board President Amy Herr did when she influenced not one, but two votes on the Banning School Board, both resulting in handsome payoffs for herself. Aside from being the President of the Banning School Board , Herr  acts also as Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of the San Gorgonio Pass and made sure the Club received two big contracts.    –   click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City Council allows Haven Coffee to operate without required permits

2/19/10 - Here is yet another example of Banning’s corruption and the “selective enforcement” that goes along with it : Haven Coffee , Banning’s government funded coffee house ( view previous article ) , apparently  is above the law : it was allowed to open and continues to operate illegally without proper permits,  without paying fees, without plans or City inspection, without Fire inspection, without safety inspection, and without displaying a valid business license -  for 3 months now ! –   click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Banning’s  biggest fraud : Council member Don Robinson

2/13/10 –  Banning City Council member and confirmed tax dodger Don Robinson has made false claims – under oath – that he underwent training as a Navy S.E.A.L.. As we will show, Robinson’s Navy S.E.A.L. claims  are taken straight from his sworn deposition  and are a complete lie .   –   click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City Council member John Machisic lies in financial declarations

2/8/10 - For years, Banning City Council member John Machisic has been filing  false declarations under penalty of perjury, lying about the true nature of his economic interest.  –   click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“High on the Hog” :  Mayor Botts orders $ 65  Filet Mignon

2/1/10 - City employees are being laid off.  Due to  a severe budget crisis Banning  City Hall remains closed on Fridays  .  But Mayor Bob Botts doesn’t seem to care  : on an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. in 2009 he ordered a Filet Mignon for $ 64.95 at the plush “Ruth Chris”  Restaurant  – and charged it to the Banning taxpayer.  Way to go, Bob !  –   click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MORE INSANITY : City Council (CRA) gets ready to spend hundreds of thousands on Cultural Alliance Art Gallery

1/27/10 - Layoffs and cutbacks in essential City services now are a daily reality within the City of Banning, which is facing the greatest financial crisis in it’s history . But the City Council seems to ignore the crisis :  they are getting ready to spend at least $ 250,000  – and maybe as much as half a million – on the most non-essential building the City owns : an Art Gallery operated by the Banning Cultural Alliance - click here for full article__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Facade Grant” Monkey Business ?

1/16/10 - Allegations have surfaced that the Banning Redevelopment Agency ( City Council ) has been anything but responsible when it comes to distributing funds under the agency’s “Façade Grant “ program.  - click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tax Delinquent Don Robinson unanimously re-confirmed as Chairman of CRA

1/2 /10 – In a move that can only be viewed as the ultimate insult to every Banning taxpayer , the City Council (CRA) on Dec. 8, 2009 unanimously reelected tax delinquent Don Robinson as chairman of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) for yet another year.  Several weeks before this vote was taken, the Banning Informer had exposed Don Robinson as not paying his fair share of taxes –   click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATED : Barbara Hanna took money from Special Interest – MORE QUESTIONABLE DONATIONS DISCOVERED

- an investigative report by The Banning Informer – 10/19/09 – updated 12/15/09

12/15/09 - The Banning Informer has learned that City Council member Barbara Hanna has been receiving funding from special interest in at least three five different cases   – click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did Council member Hanna’s husband, Ed Ball, perform consulting services for the owners of the Oddfellows building ?

12/10/09 -  It is no secret that Banning City Council member Barbara Hanna owns a consulting firm named “Hanna & Associates” which generates declared annual revenues between $ 10,000 and $ 100,000 (view page 2).  Hanna’s  husband, Ed Ball , is a partner in her firm , however, Hanna keeps the identity of all of her clients a secret. -   click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Only in Banning : City Council gives Free Rent on City owned building AND relinquishes $ 192,000  in income belonging to the taxpayer

12/2/09 – In mid 2008 the Community Redevelopment Agency (City Council) bought a building on 130 N. San Gorgonio for $ 450,000 specifically for use by the Banning Cultural Alliance as their Art Gallery. The taxpayer was told  that this was a good deal for the City because rental income from the building was going to offset the cost of funds used for the purchase. As it turns out, nothing could be further from the truth.  –   click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Redevelopment Disasters courtesy of City Councilmembers Hanna and Machisic (and others)

11/24/09 - If the Banning Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was a business enterprise, chances are it would have been bankrupt a long time ago. Many projects that were approved for funding by City Councilmembers  Barbara Hanna and John Machisic have gone sour : due to foreclosure proceedings they have ended up as a total loss  to the taxpayer .  -  click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

San Gorgonio Inn Redevelopment :  Who takes the risk ?

11/20/09 – The US commercial real estate market is the worst it’s ever been and is on the verge of a total  collapse. Commercial real estate financing is practically unavailable.  Warnings of ghost malls, too much commercial real estate, rising vacancy rates are all over the place.  So why on earth is the City of Banning thinking that we still need MORE retail and/or office space ?   - click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Is That The Coffee You Smell ? -  by Lyndon Taylor

11/17/09 -  Amazing things continue do happen in the operation of the City of Banning ! With Measure L settled and more taxpayer money flowing to the City, the Banning Community Redevelopment Agency has found a new way of spending tax dollars. Imagine someone comes to you requesting a $30,000 loan to start a coffee house in downtown Banning…. click here for full article__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Downtown Revitalization” efforts fail to attract any new businesses

11/12/09 – After receiving over $ 700,000.00 in Redevelopment Funds from the City of Banning , Cultural Alliance Executive Director Carol Newkirk is forced to admit that the Alliance’  activities have failed to attract even a single new business to  Banning. – click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The strangely identical voting records of Bob Botts (“Dr. Evil”)  and Don Robinson  (“Mini Me”)

11/5/09 – In this article we will examine the  strangely identical voting records of Bob Botts and Don Robinson on the Banning City Council. In 2009, the Council voted a total of 89 times . Not a single time was Robinson’s vote different from that of Botts  -  click here for full article ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Councilman Don Robinson delinquent on over $ 20,000 in taxes

11/4/09 – He portrays himself as a responsible and honest businessman claiming to be qualified to sit on the City Council.  As current Chairman of the Banning Redevelopment Agency Don Robinson decides how Millions of dollars in taxpayer funds are being spent. Yet a look at the tax roll reveals that he has not paid his own property taxes since 2005. -  click here for full article ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The $ 110,000 Rip Off

10/28/09 – How the Banning Cultural Alliance ripped off the taxpayer for $ 110,000 – with the CRA  (City Council) looking the other way    click here for full article ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Expert warned against funding Banning Cultural Alliance

10/26/09 – In 2006, right before the City first contracted for “services” by the Banning Cultural Alliance, the acting Redevelopment Director Oscar Orci issued a memorandum in which he concluded that funding the Banning Cultural Alliance would be a bad idea.  -  click here for full article _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Banning Cultural Alliance :  first audit raises more questions than it provides answers

10/19/09 – For several years – since 2006 – the Banning Cultural Alliance has received massive taxpayer funding from the City of Banning totaling roughly $ 750,000. However, how this money was used has always remained  a mystery. Giving in to public pressure, the Banning Cultural Alliance has now released it’s first  audit  . – click here for full article ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Banning’s  $110 Million Dollar Bond Debt – or how Hanna and Machisic mortgaged our future

10/19/09 – Most voters of Banning have little or no idea that in 2005 the City Council indebted Banning with over $ 110,000,000 for the next 30 years !  You may say this cannot be true. Why is it that we never got to vote on this ? No, this is not a misprint. Over Onehundred Million Dollars were borrowed in 2005/06  via several bond issues. This was voted for by no other than Barbara Hanna and John Machisic, who apparently thought that they – not the voters of Banning – should make the decision to borrow this unprecedented sum of money. They felt that they knew best what’s good for us.    -  click here for full article __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your tax dollars at work - by Chuck Katz

10/19/09 – Very recently we learned that  the Banning Cultural Alliance presented us with a show entitled “Hang the Politicians”. The event featured  the “art” work of Mayor Bob Botts, Council member Don Robinson and former Council member Jenkins . Unfortunately the local press failed to mention a very important detail about this event: The City of Banning , meaning you the taxpayer, was the official “sponsor” of the event . - click here for full article ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Video : Botts and Hanna interrupt speaker critical of City Council

10/19/09 – During the public session of October 13, 2009  Banning resident Chuck Katz, an activist who helped defeat the Liberty sludge plant, addressed the City Council. He was cut off by Bob Botts acting in concert with  Barbara Hanna - click here for video __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________