Beaumont 2019/20 Budget Combines HR & Risk Departments

Before the Raids Beaumont’s ‘Risk Management’ department was used for James Gregg’s $1/4 Million/year salary. James Gregg collected a salary as the City’s ‘Risk Manager’ while he was the Principal of ERMAC and was the original Principal of GGMS. Gregg was triple-dipping from Beaumont Taxpayers while running his private sector businesses inside City Hall.

The City never filed a complaint or sued James Gregg for his part in the illegal operations of the City, but every month Pinkney submits an Invoice for ‘Gregg’. The California Bar Association asked me why I didn’t file a Complaint against James Gregg with the Riverside County D.A., but I did send all the documents to the D.A.

Before the Raids Beaumont’s ‘Human Resource’ department was headed by Elizabeth Gibbs-Urtiaga and nothing more than a shell to comply with State Laws. Beaumont’s HR Department’s failure to Hire qualified employees or properly keep records was addressed in the November, 2015, State Controller’s Investigative Report.

Gibbs-Urtiaga was gifted the title of ‘City Manager’ for a year and has been gifted numerous job titles in the last two years; the latest of which is ‘Transit Director’ with a salary of $300,000/year.

Since the Law Firm of Slovak Baron Empey Murphy Pinkney slithered into Beaumont and was gifted a no-bid contract in May, 2015, the Citizens have paid $3,458,361.90 for a City Attorney. When asked where does a City with $16 million General Fund Revenue get $1 Million/year to pay a City Attorney the reply is ‘from the Budget’.

Beaumont’s 2019/2020 Budget has merged the Human Resource and Risk Departments. The HR Department budgets $439,707 for ‘Personnel Services’ and $1,202,352 for ‘Operating Costs’. There is still also a Legal Department that has $750,000 Budgeted for Operating Costs.

‘Personnel Services’ is code for ‘government employees and all expenses’.

‘Operating Costs’ is code for ‘Contracts to private sector businesses’ like the City Attorney.

Budgeting millions every year to pay the legal problems created by the poor choices made by the Council at the behest of their City Attorney is a ridiculous waste of Taxpayer money and a vicious cycle that needs to come to an end.

How many Public Bid Contracts Proposals have been submitted by the City of Beaumont as required by State Law in the last quarter century?

Zero.

The Beaumont City Council knows the law, but Pinkney told the Council that they don’t have to follow the law and the City Council ‘trust their staff’.

When a lawyer tells you that it’s ok to violate the law; he’s a bad lawyer.