In light of the SEC findings, what should happen to Mr. William Vickrey and his sidekick Overholt?
Posted on June 14, 2012
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unionman575
June 14, 2012
Send them to the soup line and/or jail.
Wendy Darling
June 14, 2012
Vickrey and Overholt should be indicted for misuse and misappropriation of public funds and perp walked out the front door in metal bracelets.
Long live the ACJ.
wearyant
June 14, 2012
This is one time I don’t agree with our Unionman. No soup for them and prison rather than jail. The evil duo should be indicted for their abuses of their public office and positions of trust and manacled together onto a cold, slimy, brick wall where there’s no sunlight. For how long, I’d leave to someone else to decide.
Recall Tani
Pass and implement AB 1208
Long live the ACJ
Wendy Darling
June 14, 2012
And stripped of their public pensions.
Long live the ACJ.
unionman575
June 14, 2012
I had other ideas Ant, but that would result in an immediate interaction with OERS.
unionman575
June 14, 2012
And….Ant I am not doing that again.
🙂
The OBT
June 14, 2012
A number of us throughout our system have discussed this and the sad reality is that no one will ever be held accountable for the financial waste and ruin our branch leadership helped cause. When it is time to move on I may write about all this in a book entitled “The Arrogance of Power ” . The goal for all that care here would be to continue to stay involved and respectfully work to insure that the the anti- democratic , and insular power structure created by RG and BV be democratized and the crystal palace which is the symbol of their arrogance be auctioned off and its occupants moved to Sacramento including out of state and out of country lawyers and “Scholars in Residence”. Implementing all of the SEC recommendations might also be a good start toward reform and positive change.
dan dydzak
June 14, 2012
Messrs. Vickrey and Overholt will in due course be deposed under oath before a certified court reporter. It will be interesting to see what their responses under oath will be to questions connected with the misappropriation of AOC funds and their involvement in RICO activities, among other subject matter. Certainly, pertinent documents will be duly subpoenaed. Mr. Eric M. George, son of Ronald M. George, did not timely respond to my lawsuit pending in Orange County Superior Court, and his default has been requested. His deposition has been scheduled near the end of this month, with an appropriate document request. It will be interesting to see if he shows up for this lengthy deposition.
Public funds should not be converted by any public or private individual, that goes without saying.
unionman575
June 15, 2012
Today is the day. 157 LASC folks go out the door.
😦
wearyant
June 15, 2012
My thoughts and prayers are with these people and their loved ones!
Disgusted
June 15, 2012
After learning of being laid off……………………..Mr. Nemo had a heart attack at Stanley Mosk Courthouse today.
“(Sent on behalf of Presiding Judge Lee Smalley Edmon and Executive Officer/Clerk John A. Clarke)
We’ve been advised this morning of the passing of Mr. Greg Nemo. Our hearts go out to the Greg’s family and colleagues. We understand that this is a difficult time and that he was a long term and valued part of the Los Angeles Superior Court Family
We were advised by Sheriff personnel that it appears that Greg suffered a heart attack. We will provide further information as it becomes available.”
Disgusted
June 15, 2012
Mr. Nemo was 49 years old.
Wendy Darling
June 15, 2012
The truly disgusting part is that Mr. Nemo’s passing, and the circumstances of his death, will be dismissed as nothing more than “collateral damage” from those responsible at 455 Golden Gate Avenue.
Long live the ACJ.
wearyant
June 15, 2012
OMG! Our sincere condolences to the loved ones and friends of Mr. Nemo! So sorry …
😦
Res Ipsa Loquitor
June 15, 2012
Hopefully some one from LA (or perhaps Unionman?) can in due time post information about family and an address where memorial contributions or cards may be sent.
God bless all the good people at LASC.
Wendy Darling
June 15, 2012
Published today, Friday, June 15, from The Metropolitan News Enterprise:
Hundreds of Employees to Be Laid Off or Have Pay Cut Today, Los Angeles Superior Court Officials Say
By a MetNews Staff Writer
More than 400 Los Angeles Superior Court employees will be notified today that they are being laid off or otherwise adversely affected by budget cuts, court officials said yesterday.
The 431 affected workers, nearly 10 percent of the workforce of the nation’s largest trial court, including 157 who will no longer be employed by the court, 108 who will lose 40 percent of their salaries when they are moved to a three-day-per-week schedule, 86 who will lose between 5 percent and 40 percent of their salaries when they are reclassified to lower-level positions, and 80 being transferred to new jobs because their old jobs have been eliminated, the court said in a release.
The affected employees will receive hand-delivered notices today, Presiding Judge Lee Edmon said in a statement. The moves are being made, she explained, because “reductions in state financial support for the California judicial branch force us to cut our budget by $30 million.”
Today’s round of personnel actions represent “the unfortunate human impact of the need to reduce our spending,” Edmon said. “
We are laying off people who are committed to serving the public,” she added. “It is a terrible loss both to these dedicated employees and to the public.”
Edmon noted that the court has been shedding workers, and costs, since April 2010, with savings to date of $70 million. But the court “faces future additional shortfalls as more reductions in state support for the trial courts are proposed for the Fiscal Year 2012-13 budget.”
Gov. Jerry Brown proposed last month to reduce judicial branch funding by another $544 million, and to eliminate the ability of the courts to use or maintain reserves as bridge funding to delay the impacts of cuts. The Los Angeles Superior Court has estimated it was face additional mandatory reductions of more than $40 million during the next fiscal year.
“Because the California trial courts are state funded, our Court has become a casualty of the state budget crisis,” Edmon said in her statement. “We have blunted the impacts of the cuts through the use of locally held reserves,” said Edmon. “But we cannot do that indefinitely—especially if those reserves are swept, as is being considered in the current budget talks. Our Court is in the midst of a series of painful and wrenching reductions that must ultimately bring services in line with significant reductions in state funding.”
Under the plan previously announced and already partially implemented by the court, 56 courtrooms will be closed or left unstaffed—24 in civil law, 24 in criminal, three in family law, one in probate, and four in juvenile law. Eleven more courtrooms will be closed through the elimination of Informal Juvenile Traffic courts, court reporter services have been reduced, and more than 100 non-courtroom positions are being eliminated.
Laid off employees will be given two weeks administrative leave and an opportunity to attend workshops on post-employment benefit issues. By the end of today, the court noted, its total budgeted workforce will have been reduced by 23 percent in 10 years.
Long live the ACJ.
Lando
June 15, 2012
To be fair you can’t just blame Vickrey and Overholt. The real blame resides with HRH 1 and his many minions like J Huffman. Given what I observed over the years it was these two that controlled the branch from picking JC members to authorizing that top managers not have to pay into their retirements. Where I come from that would be considered a gift of public funds.
Res Ipsa Loquitor
June 15, 2012
Lando, you are correct. The problem is at the top. But that said, Vickrey and Overholt are culpable because they saw what was going on and rather than quit, decided to stay and personally enjoy the benefits from HRH-1 and his cohort’s pillaging of the public purse.
And I, like others, am disgusted with the outcome: these moral midgets are getting away with it. Good people will lose their jobs so that these people will enjoy inflated pensions and “other benefits.”
I guess it is the sign of the times in the USA.
Stuart Michael
June 15, 2012
These two not only saw what was going on – they did much of it themselves and or directed others to do it, or failed to correct their own and others illegal actions. The former CJ and JC members will never be prosecuted. Criminal and legislative investigation of BV & RO and all other top AOC management – such as the OGC Director, the former Finance & HR Directors, the OCCM Director and others to numerous to list – should be demanded
Since the current CJ will never issue this call – its up to the rest of the judiciary and others to do so
Wendy Darling
June 15, 2012
We all live for that day, Stuart Michael.
Long live the ACJ.
wearyant
June 15, 2012
Another “love” note from me to Messrs. Vickrey and Overholt via Friedrich August von Hayek (1899-1992):
“In government, the scum rises to the top.”
Best wishes, gents, for your future. Oh, and don’t worry about the caring and dedicated, loyal public servants keeling over in the streets — directly attributable to your actions; just swill down another lobster with your Grey Goose. That may help you forget all the sorrow and damage you have wrought!
And here’s hoping you two villains vacate the California judiciary branch soon.
Recall Tani!
Pass and implement AB 1208!
Long live the ACJ!
Wendy Darling
June 15, 2012
From today’s Twitter Feed at Legal Pad, the legal blog of The Recorder, the on-line publication of CalLaw:
Capital Accounts @CapitalAccounts
And the Assembly passes the main budget bill with the court cuts. On to the governor’s office.
http://twitter.com/#!/CapitalAccounts
Long live the ACJ.
courtflea
June 15, 2012
Is that really true about Mr. Nemo?? If it is how sad.
As I read more and more of the SEC report, I could say what I would do with HRH1, Bill, Ron, and J Huffman but, the only part I can print here includes being tarred and feathered, run out of town on a rail, and keel hauled. Perhaps we should return to the colonial style public dunking. Jail in a Club Fed would be too good for them.
JusticeCalifornia
June 15, 2012
The thing that is really, really bad here– apart from the complete devastation of the branch– is that anyone who criticized what was going on over the past decade or two got nailed or targeted. Top leadership is dealing with a whole lotta people who have been done wrong, and/or have seen a lot of wrongdoing, and it is also dealing with the fact that it has wreaked immeasurable suffering on so many innocent people. At the moment the public, and those on the front lines who serve the public, are the ones paying for top leadership’s breach of the public trust. A somber reminder: Tani Cantil Sakauye still has Team George firmly in charge of the AOC.
Disgusted
June 15, 2012
http://news.yahoo.com/video/losangelescbs2-15750780/massive-layoffs-hit-los-angeles-county-court-workers-29684339.html#crsl=%252Fvideo%252Flosangelescbs2-15750780%252Fcommunity-stunned-after-deaths-of-2-young-children-29684337.html
This is the link which mentions Mr. Nemo. KCal 9 News
Disgusted
June 15, 2012
I also was laid off today from Los Angeles Superior Court. On July 1, management gets raises and judges get a $40,000 bonus. Congrats to you all.
JusticeCalifornia
June 15, 2012
Please do provide details.
As far as I am concerned, everybody is fair game, in shaking down what has been and is going down in the branch.
Official
June 15, 2012
So sorry to hear that, Disgusted. 😞 Hang in there.
Judge Lee Edmon appears to be sincere (from what I’ve read) in her opposition to the JC/AOC and her support of the court workers… what is your opinion of her?
Also, did you know before today you were being laid off? My heart sank when I read an article that said many workers would be told they were being laid off for the first time today. Very sad.
You have a place here at JCW to vent… Take care.
wearyant
June 16, 2012
I’m very sorry to hear you were laid off, Disgusted. Here’s hoping the best for you and yours in the future. Let us hear from you and how you’re doing at JCW. The agonies of the L.A. Courts even made the Washington Post …
wearyant
June 15, 2012
“There are questions of real power and then there are questions of phony authority. You have to break through the phony authority to begin to fight the real questions of power.”
~Karen Nussbaum, Founder of 9 to5, served as director of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), director of the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor and director of the AFL-CIO Working Women’s Department
I believe in unions because workers would be earning five cents an hour and have no protections whatever without them, in my humble opinion.
That said, there must be an investigation into billV and ronO. It’s obvious even to a gnat brain that they exceeded their “power” many times over in a multitude of ways. They did not come to work to serve the trial courts, but themselves, as was the original proposal set forth.
For instance, how did the top 30 in the AOC manage to achieve the perk of 100 percent public funded retirements? Where is that in writing? When did this come about? I am positive this can and SHOULD be overturned. On what basis was this obscene perk granted and to whom exactly — and by whom. An investigation into this would be a good starting point. This perk can NOT be lawful. And it’s so damned ironic because these people certainly could have afforded to fund their own retirements; don’t they “earn” over $100,000?
Haven’t heard from teensy Tani lately. Not that I miss her.
Recall Tani!
Pass and implement AB 1208!
Long live the ACJ!
Wendy Darling
June 15, 2012
An investigation should also examine the embezzlement in the AOC’s HR Division, and the attendant failure to report it to law enforcement, failure to prosecute, the connection between the person who did the embezzling and the recently departed HR Director, and the coverup by the AOC’s Executive Office, as well as an examination of the Trial Court Workers Compensation Fund.
Long live the ACJ.
wearyant
June 15, 2012
Absolutely correct, Wendy. When did the AOC garner the ability to prevent the investigation of a crime? I’ve seen in court a victim refuse to press charges, but law enforcement and the prosecutor still goes forward with an investigation and criminal proceedings. It’s outrageous what happened in the AOC. An examination of the Trial Court Workers Compensation Fund should be taken up by the state auditors sooner than later!
Wendy Darling
June 15, 2012
Not to mention, Ant, that the AOC had an affirmative public duty to report the embezzlement of public funds to law enforcement, and a fiduciary public duty to take all necessary measures to have that embezzlement prosecuted and to recover the stolen money. Not that it mattered to anyone in charge at 455 Golden Gate Avenue.
Long live the ACJ.
Lucy Van Pelt
June 16, 2012
There is a paper trail to this one. It is all in HRs files. Its still in tact. I have heard that over the years, this has been brought up several times. Executive Office has requested it several times and then never done anything. There is a file and it’s intact and very detailed. It just needs to be requested.
JusticeCalifornia
June 15, 2012
In figuring out what has happened, everybody is fair game.
Lando
June 16, 2012
The massive layoffs in the LA Superior Court could mark the saddest day for justice in California. Despite their size the Judges and managers of that court have always figured out a way to administer their system in a positive way that benefits the public. The wasteful spending of a centralized anti democratic bureaucracy at the crystal palace at 455 Golden Gate has robbed the trial courts like LA of their ability to function and serve the public effectively. What is very scary is that more layoffs like these are about to hit LA again along with every other court in California. The face of the court system is literally changing overnight. Commissioners, court reporters , civil trials , may soon be a thing of the past. Despite all this the JC/AOC and our CJ are in denial. Worst of all they accept no responsibility for any of these problems claiming they have fixed everything. We need to recall the CJ, pass 1208 and democratize the JC.
Wendy Darling
June 16, 2012
Not even during The Great Depression did this happen, Lando. Somewhere between then and now, those responsible for the adminstration of the California Judicial Branch have not only forgotten their public duty, they have just thrown it away altogether.
Recall the Chief Justice.
Long live the ACJ.
unionman575
June 16, 2012
JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIA MEETINGS
455 Golden Gate Avenue • San Francisco, California 94102-3688
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 • 1:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 21, 2012 • 11:00 a.m.–4:40 p.m.
Friday, June 22, 2012 • 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Meeting materials will be hyperlinked to agenda titles as soon as possible after receipt by the
Judicial Council Secretariat. Please check the agenda at http://www.courts.ca.gov/jcmeetings.htm
for recent postings of hyperlinked reports.
unionman575
June 16, 2012
Official
June 17, 2012
Oh, a name change! How nice! Goodness me, how would the trial courts survive without this level of SERVICE by the Judicial Council??? Please… what a joke.
wearyant
June 17, 2012
Four pages to set forth a recommendation to change a committee name to “technology committee”! You gotta laugh — or cry! They’re obviously sensitive about the acronym CCMS. Maybe they heard the comments about stabbing it with a wooden stake in order to drag this monster out into the sunlight to kill it off. It’s best for all to leave CCMS in the dust where it belongs. Oh, but what about recompensing the public for the waste of dollars spent? Any hope or discussion on that score?
unionman575
June 17, 2012
After 500 mil plus of trial court money “donated” to this ..I doubt it Ant.
unionman575
June 16, 2012
wearyant
June 17, 2012
Hah! CART! Another lineup of baddies on this one. All the recognizable names. What a dearth of brain power. Bobble heads discussing revenue streams. Good Luck. Anyone thought about cutting back on anything executive? Perks? No? Oh, yeah, cut the front line workers like crazy who serve the public. When they’re all gone, what are ya gonna do, bobble heads? Convene another committee?
unionman575
June 16, 2012
wearyant
June 17, 2012
Let’s make sure and double check that the trial courts are properly following the government code as they announce the closure of many, many courts, clerks office windows, etc. VERY important that the gov’t code be followed to the letter. Examine the notices closely, AOC humps. How else can you justify your existence? Make sure the trial courts are playing by the rules now! Oh! How do you justify your high-flyin’ salaries and public funded retirements? Can you answer that one, AOC top 30? GREAT service you’ve provided that is sending the California system of justice into the crapper!
unionman575
June 16, 2012
Jody what are you smoking?
wearyant
June 17, 2012
Ooh-wheee, goals and priorities designed for the California judicial branch dreamed up by the AOC! Oh, wow. A never-ending list of crap designed to keep the AOC busy for the next decade. Never mind that there aren’t any trials courts open or operating. The AOC will still be out there, plugging away for YOU, the beleaguered citizen. Just keep your mouth shut and continue to pay your taxes.
When I started in the courts decades ago, trials were held in temporary (tow-away) buildings. How “wonderful” that we’ve come full circle! How delightful! And now I feel compelled to retire to the bleachers and sip on my arsenic drink as we all watch another dog-and-pony show put on for the unwashed masses.
God help the innocent as this group of villains continues to ride roughshod over us all.
The OBT
June 17, 2012
Hmm Judicial Council Secretariat ? Sounds like they pulled that idea right from the Soviet Union. Do you still need to tell them in advance what you want to talk about and is there some arbitrary time limit still in effect when you address the JC/AOC at the Ronald M. George State Complex , William C. Vickrey Conference Center ? Kind of like speaking to the man behind the curtain ? You really can’t make any of this up .
Dan dydzak
June 17, 2012
So sorry for all the people out there who were laid off. The layoffs would have been a lot less had there not been financial misconduct and mismangement. Keep the faith, union people.
By the way, wearyant, ms. darling and others, embezzlement issues are being brought up in my lawsuit, and AOC records being requested. Mr. Eric M. George has defaulted in timely responding and his attorney says he won’t show up for his depo with documentation.
The Attorney General’s office so far has not indicated that they will represent Messrs. Vickrey and Overholt in the litigation. Interestingly, the AG is not willing to represent Ronald M. George and the former Chief Justice claimed to me by phone that he would be represented by AOC attorneys. However, when I called AOC offices in SF to find out which specific attorneys or attorneys would represent Ronald M. George, no one called me back. The AOC attorneys get paid all this money, and not one could call me back.
By the way, just found out recently that apparently Ronald M. George owns a very luxurious Nob Hill condo in addition to his BH house. The Leslie Brodie Report reported this story. The units there are mostly One Million Plus, with major condo association dues. It is interesting that a person who by and large lived allegedly on a judge’s salary untill recently could afford such a lavish lifestyle. Information provided also says he has used Tom Girardi’s and Ron Burkle’s private jets and got the Paul Anka lavish farewell party comped by Mr. Girardi and his crowd. In my world of ethics, getting such freebies would impair and affect the impartiality of a judge or raises the appearance of same. Such freebies and associations raise legitimate conflict of interest claims.
I wonder what hotels in SF the Judicial Council stays in. Last time, I was in SF I stayed at the Comfort Inn near Fisherman’s Wharf with the breakfast buffet. Reasonable. I am not against anyone making money LEGITIMATELY, but workers should not be laid off so that an elite few can rob government coffers.
Again, my best out there to all the hard-working people who were laid off or got their hours and workdays savagely cut. They will have to petition and take measures that let the Legislature, judiciary and Gov. Brown recognize the AOC mismanagement and unlawful activities.
unionman575
June 17, 2012
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/budget-cuts-lead-to-pinks-slips-for-la-court-employees/1d2ccmzce?cc=se
wearyant
June 17, 2012
http://napa.patch.com/articles/county-court-staff-balks-at-new-labor-contract#photo-10322889
My, my, it appears Napa is not sufficiently cowed by the AOC. Glad Napa is holding on to their self-respect. Don’t let the bastards grind you down, people!
Recall Tani!
Pass and implement AB1208! Steinberg, get outta the way of true progress and reform!
Long live the ACJ!
unionman575
June 17, 2012
I am with you all in Napa!
🙂