Now about $15,000,000

Big Question At Bug Board!
Indio Attorney says no oath of office taken as required.  

Bug Board Knew Of Forged Ticket Allegations 
If forged tickets were made, who used them?

Copeland Resigns

Karl Baker: 'The board needs to formally accept or reject the resignation'

Gomsi, Mann Face Criminal Charges - Forgery

Bug Board Bugs Cost Big Bucks

Armed Guards Needed to Control Media

Buy your surveillance FM bug on e bay

'Cities Do Not Have Power To Remove Trustees' 

Indio Reaffirms Decision To Replace Duran 

Old Desert Hot Spring City Council Still Listed On Riverside County Fire Department Website 

City Council:

Mayor: Alex Bias

Mayor Pro Tem: Mary K. Stephens 

Council Member: Henry Hohenstein

Council Member: Yvonne Parks

Council Member: Dot Reed 

More Drama Cooks Up At CVMVCD: Baker Considers Legal Action Against Bug Board 

He said/She said! Who Knows? Copeland's Board
  
The good ship Copeland

Probe now a criminal investigation

Only Bug Board attorney Copeland decides who Indio can appoints to Board. Indio's council has no say so says Copeland 

Bug Board VS Citizens Showdown Continues
Is the board more concerned about what bugs you or what bugs them?
  or

 Bug Board Bugs Cost Big Bucks

Armed Guards Needed to Control Media

Buy your surveillance FM bug on e bay 
Listen in on whispered conversations ( brown act violations)
Use your FM radio in the privacy of your automobile

'Cities Do Not Have Power To Remove Trustees' 

Indio Reaffirms Decision To Replace Duran On Bug Board
 

Old Desert Hot Spring City Council Still Listed On Riverside County Fire Department Website 

City Council:

Mayor: Alex Bias

Mayor Pro Tem: Mary K. Stephens 

Council Member: Henry Hohenstein

Council Member: Yvonne Parks

Council Member: Dot Reed 

More Drama Cooks Up At CVMVCD: Baker Considers Legal Action Against Bug Board 

He said/She said! Who Knows? Copeland's Board
  
The good ship Copeland

Probe now a criminal investigation

Only Bug Board attorney Copeland decides who Indio can appoints to Board. Indio's council has no say so says Copeland 

Picture of Bug Board, General Manager, Gomsi listening to Brian Passaro speak about how he feels he was fired unfairly by Gomsi and should get his job back on March 11, 2008. 

Bug Board Leader 
Placed On Administrative Leave!
Desert Sun

This website stood by our city and its appointed trustee Karl Baker when allegations were flying about him from officials at the Bug Board. People at the Bug Board going after Baker included several bug board trustees, the bug board attorney and a general manager who is now placed on paid administrative leave over allegations of forgery, internet porn and more.

The Bug Board Boss should have been placed on administrative leave months ago. This website documented (see below) more than enough to cause Bug Board trustees and the cities that appoint them to call for an investigation.

Multi-million dollar surpluses, wild spending and blatant abuse of the taxpayers trust are more than enough to have caused the trustees and the cities to have acted long ago.

09/10/07 Delusional Bug   Delusional - No other word describes the charges by the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control Board that Desert Hot Springs is trying to dismantle the agency. No one in Desert Hot Springs is trying to dismantle the agency - its only its board of trustees that should go.   Those trustees, in addition to turning a blind eye to wild spending by bug board top management, is now allowing tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to be spent on one attorney's personal vendetta against Desert Hot Springs appointed trustee Karl Baker.    Baker, along with other private citizens and The Desert Sun, called into question well documented waste and excessive spending by bug board management and trustees (That wild spending continues. see below)   In response to those charges, the agency filed a defensive suit to try and have Baker removed. A judge chastised the agency for bringing the suit and ordered the agency to reimburse Desert Hot Springs for its legal costs.   Instead, the bug board made a huge document request of Desert Hot Springs that cost the city tens of thousands of dollars more to fill and will cost the bug board thousands of dollars as well.   The bug board alleges those documents show Desert Hot Springs is, get this, conspiring to dismantle the agency. Wow. Delusional might not be the right word. In an interview on KESQ, "paranoid" was the word Baker used to describe it.   Another apt description might be, "scorned." As in, there is no fury like that of a bug board attorney scorned.   We again call on the the supervisors and cities with oversight on this agency to question your appointees about the ongoing waste and abuse at this agency. You have a fiduciary duty to intervene. Exercise it!   06/29/07 Marchand Accused Of Cover-Up  "Then Trustee Paul Marchand"   Then trustee of the bug board and now Cathedral City Councilman Paul Marchand has been accused in legal documents of attempting to cover up illegal activities. He was warned against interfering in an investigation and also against retaliating against any employees.   Those are the charges made by Bug Board attorney Lisa Copeland in a lawsuit filed yesterday on behalf of the Mosquito Valley Bug Board. It is a lawsuit that can only be described as a petulant legal frenzy, one on par with the level of school yard debate.   Ongoing Waste And Abuse Bug Board Vacations Continue $7,800 trip request on Agenda For Bug Board Meeting   On the agenda for the bug board meeting to be held tomorrow (9/11/07) is a $7,800 trip request for travel to one of the bug board trustees favorite quarterly retreats, Lake Tahoe.  10.            Consent Calendar A.         Approval for Board President, General Manager, Scientific Operations Manager, Fishery & Environmental Biologist, and two additional staff members to attend the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California Quarterly Fall Meeting in Lake Tahoe, October 31 – November 2, 2007. Amount not to exceed $6,500 from Fund 6110.01.225 – Conference Expense and $1,300 from Fund 6120.01. 250 – Trustee Support. (Pg.73 ) 07/03/07  Every Room With An Ocean Front View Nothing highlights the excesses at the Bug Board more graphically than the Pacific Ocean views two Bug Board managers will enjoy as they attend conferences at two of California's most posh ocean front resorts.   Portola Plaza Hotel Overlooking Monterey Bay Coronado Bay Resort Every room an ocean-front view In an interview on the Steve Kelly radio show, Bug Board Trustee Bruce Underwood said it was not the trustee's job to look at every trip. Ok, Mr. Underwood, we appoint ourselves to look at what you refuse to.   We looked at the upcoming travel plans of two Bug Board managers, Mr. Don Gomsi and Mr. Brian Passaro. Both are scheduled to attend conferences at two of the finest beach front resorts California has to offer.   Let's start with Mr. Passaro, Administrative Services Manager at the Bug Board. He will be attending a two-day conference on August 20-21 at Loewes Coronado Bay Resort on the shores of Coronado, California. The purpose: the Human Resources Generalist Educational Seminar..   The trustees voted to allow Mr. Passaro to spend $2,000.00 from Fund #6110.01.200 (Conference Expense) on the trip.   We talked to Trustee Underwood about this trip. He assured us Mr. Passaro would enjoy a discounted government room rate. He was right. Instead of the normal room rate of $350 a night, the room rate for the conference Mr. Passaro will attend is just $275 per night (plus tax).   What of Mr. Gomsi's trip? Meanwhile, General Manager Gomsi will be resting on percale linens while attending a California Special District Association conference in early October to be held at the Portola Plaza Hotel. The Portola is an ocean front property overlooking California's Monterey Bay. The trustees gave Mr. Gomsi $1,400 to spend in Monterey. . Who needs that little putting green Gomsi ordered district employees  to install at the Bug Board offices. C . What exactly will Mr. Gomsi be doing at this conference? From a description of the conference provided to the trustees... . "The focus of this conference is the preservation of our resources.  A critical look will be taken at how we manage the resources we use to provide the services our members need.  Attendees will study methods in which Districts can manager (sic) resources and showcase those districts that are making a difference." . Here at FODHS we don't need a conference to tell us how our local Mosquito Vector Control manager's can preserve resources. Stay home! Use the money you are lavishing on unnecessary travel and conferences to fight mosquitoes.

09/15/06
Bug Opera

Another significant event took place on Tuesday night when the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control Board acquiesced to the appointment of Karl Baker after spending months and thousands of dollars to block Karl from taking his rightful seat on the Dais.

The evening was not completely uneventful. Standing with Karl were the Bug Board employees represented through their union that attended the meeting in support of Karl. Part of the angst between those on the bug board an Karl was over Karl's insistence that the board adhere to its own procedures when disciplining an employee. The board had gotten itself into a legal mess over an employment issue when it did not follow Karl's advice.

To us it seems like a good team that showed up Tuesday with the employees giving the Mosquitoes in the Coachella Valley something to worry about and Karl left to deal with a few gnats on the Board. We are all better off.

Desert Local News Reports on our 09/12 and 09/13 story
regarding the Planning Commission 3 month extension to
Vista Del Monte Developer granted on 09/12 

Be careful what you wish for
They wished to call negative attention to Karl Baker.
Instead it finds itself the focus of attention.

Attempts by the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District to block Desert Hot Springs appointee Karl Baker from sitting on the Districts Board of trustees has opened the agency itself up to charges of financial secrecy, mismanagement and purposeful blocking of internal financial oversight.

Those are the charges made by the some trustees on the Vector Control Board that FODHS contacted in recent days as we looked into charges the Vector Control Board is raising against Baker and that they agency has cited as reasons why he should not be appointed by Desert Hot Springs.

Those reasons contained in an eight-page letter drafted by the Vector Control Board and sent to Desert Hot Springs (exclusively obtained by FODHS and available at this link) allege that Desert Hot Springs did not properly appoint Baker and also that Baker was the subject of a sexual harassment complaint in 2002.

Karl Baker

However, Vector Board trustees that we spoke with say the charge against Baker is a smokescreen for the real reason why some on the Board do not want Baker to serve.

“The problem some on the Board have with Baker is that he is asking the right questions, he is going in the right direction,” said a trustee agreeing to speak on background only.

Vector Board Trustee Sharon Lock, Palm Springs appointee to the Vector Control Board, said “If there was a problem with the state law (governing how Desert Hot Springs can appoint a council member) they should have just gone to the council and asked them to clear up the issue.” 

Of the charges against Baker, Lock said, “My guess is there is nothing to it.”

As to how Desert Hot Springs goes about appointing a member to the Vector Control Board, FODHS sources in City Hall say that the Vector Control Attorney, Lisa Copeland, is not correct in her assertion that Baker’s appointment must be by a specific vote of the council. This they say is because Desert Hot Springs is a charter city, not a general law city.

One of the Vector Board's trustees agreed, saying he did not see a problem with Baker’s appointment. It is his understanding, he said, that there is a minute-order in effect at Desert Hot Springs giving the Mayor authority to make the appointment. 

One of the charges by the Vector Control District is that the City Council not the Mayor must make the appointment.

To put any question to rest over Baker’s nomination as Desert Hot Springs choice for its representative on the Vector Control Board, FODHS has information that the entire council will vote to reaffirm Baker’s appointment at the upcoming August 29 regularly scheduled city council meeting. Our tally indicates the vote in support of Baker will be 4-0.

That will leave Baker on the Board and free to again question the Vector Control District's finances and other matters. Other trustees we spoke with have similar questions.

On the minds of two trustees are financial records for credit cards issued to Vector Control employees. One trustee did not have a problem with the employees having them, “actually they make for a very good paper trail,” he said. But what he did object to is the inability of trustees to see those records.

“There is a lack of accountability regarding credit card records. There is no transparency if we don’t see a paper trail. Trustees are not allowed to see paper trails,” said the trustee.

Lock told FODHS that she has requested credit card receipts for the second quarter of 2006 but has yet to receive them. “They told me it was a lot of records to supply.”

Baker’s run-in with the Vector Control Board started sometime in 2000 when he questioned the firing of two union employees. It was Baker’s opinion that the employees did not receive "progressive discipline" and should not have been terminated.  The Board upheld decision of the General Manager to fire the employees. The firing was later reversed by the courts and the matter cost the Vector Control District thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Baker also said he questioned the appropriateness of a proposal to build a Bio-Technology facility without a "needs assessment."  That facility was later built and cost in excess of $5 million dollars.

He also questioned the ability of a trustee, Dr. Ron Walker, Indio, to serve since he was not a U.S. citizen. Baker says he requested action by the Vector Control District attorney (Copeland) but the attorney refused to act on the matter.

A short time after raising these issues, the Vector Control Board contacted then Mayor of Desert Hot Springs Matt Weyuker and asked him to remove Baker from the Board, an action Weyuker took without a council vote.

As for the recent efforts to keep Baker off the Board, both trustees we talked to said that they do not feel the actions of the Vector Board are justified, one saying that it was never brought before the Board of Trustees for a vote.

And regarding that action, both trustees questioned how much legal expense the Vector Control Board has dedicated to the effort to remove Baker. FODHS is seeking those records under a Freedom of Information Request.

“Copeland is very unwilling to share her legal bills (charged to the Vector Control District)” said one of the trustees. “She contends they are privileged.”

Said another trustee, “I didn’t realize the president (John Fuschetti) had unlimited power to direct legal council. “He told me he has unlimited authority to use her (Copeland's) legal resources.”

Other matters the trustees told us they want to look into include where money is being spent.  “There is nothing wrong with trustees asking this question,” said one trustee. "The board is operating in a vacuum and we need to follow up on reportable conditions found in a recent financial audit of the Vector Board.”

To get these and other questions answered, said one trustee, to know about this agency, “Get your hands on the books.” FODHS will report back on our efforts to do just that.

EXCLUSIVE
We Have The Eight Page Letter

To: Desert Hot Springs
From: Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District

The publicly funded vector-control district takes in "way too much money" and is "top-heavy" in management, among other concerns. "I'd love to bring sunshine to a board that usually gets to skate under the radar," - Karl Baker, Desert Hot Springs representative to the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District board.

Excuse Me!
Just Who Does Lisa Copeland Think She Is?
Coachella Valley Mosquito Board Tells DHS Who They Can Not Appoint 

The publicly funded vector-control district takes in "way too much money" and is "top-heavy" in management, among other concerns. "I'd love to bring sunshine to a board that usually gets to skate under the radar," - Karl Baker, Desert Hot Springs representative to the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District board.

That's the charge. The response from the Vector Control Board has been to send an eight-page letter to the City of Desert Hot Springs to say that Karl Baker should not be appointed and asking the city to provide details of how our city council went about appointing Baker.

And at last nights Vector Control Board meeting, the board tried to keep Baker from attending, telling Baker he was not duly appointed. (Desert Sun article) 

FODHS called Vector Control Attorney Lisa Copeland who we understand from a couple of sources is leading the charge against Baker (just why an attorney representing a board would be politicking seems out of place but we will leave that for another day).

Attorney Copeland told FODHS that Baker could not attend because Karl was not appointed by ALL council members. FODHS reminded Copeland that if any of the council members had objections at the time Baker was appointed, they could have spoken up but did not. In legal terms, that's called implied consent.

FODHS also asked Copeland if she asking only Desert Hot Springs to prove its representative was properly appointed or is she making the same request of every other city represented on the Vector Board?

Just who are the other Board members? What were the terms of their appointment? Do their appointments meet the same letter-of-the-law standards she is insisting on for Desert Hot Springs?

While she is investigating Desert Hot Springs appointee, she might just as well investigate the entire Vector Control Board. We say a great place to start would be with Baker's charges against the Board that we find worth repeating. 

The publicly funded vector-control district takes in "way too much money" and is "top-heavy" in management, among other concerns. "I'd love to bring sunshine to a board that usually gets to skate under the radar," - Karl Baker, Desert Hot Springs representative to the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District board.

For starters, just how much does the Vector Board pay Attorney Copeland?

NOTE TO VALLEY MEDIA: At one time someone raised concerns about the Visitors and Convention Bureau, something about spending too much money. Perhaps you can refresh our memory on this Valley wide agency and what exactly that was all about.

Final Word: We have heard from two of our council persons that they have no problem with either the appointment of Baker to the Vector Board or the manner in which Desert Hot Springs has traditionally appointed members to the Vector Board. That's encouraging. Our city telling Copeland and the Vector Control Board to mind their own business is the right response.

Valley Media (Lack of) Coverage Questioned 

It is looking more and more to us that the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control Board has something to hide - three trustees of the Vector Board have told us as much. What we find extraordinary, though, is the not one major news outlet in the Valley has looked into Baker's or the other trustee's charges.

Perhaps good investigative reporting is now the exclusive domain of websites such as this one and that of private citizens and members of boards and commissions willing to dig in, take the heat and report what they find. 

Despite our confidence in our abilities and those of our Friends contributors, we still find it disturbing that modern investigative journalism is now reduced to the resources available by a website like this one.

That said, our congratulations to the Desert Hot Springs City Council for its reaffirmation of the Baker appointment.