The president of San Bernardino County's most powerful labor union announced Tuesday it is bankrolling an initiative to reduce county supervisors' jobs to part-time status.

The announcement by Laren Leichliter, president of the San Bernardino County Safety Employees Benefit Association, or SEBA, came hours after he appeared before the Board of Supervisors to protest pension reforms proposed by Supervisors Janice Rutherford and Gary Ovitt.

On a narrow vote, the board authorized county counsel to draft a ballot measure requiring any proposed pension increases for county employees be put to a vote by taxpayers....

Officials from Chino and Chino Hills have protested state plans to house mentally ill prisoners at the California Institution for Men since 2005, when a proposal surfaced to build a facility for 1,500 such inmates at the Chino prison complex.

Three months ago, Mayors Dennis Yates of Chino and Peter Rogers of Chino Hills expressed public safety concerns about the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's plan to convert the Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility in Chino to a prison for 1,200 adult inmates.

Now the Corrections Department's plans are in writing in the form of a detailed long-range plan filed with a federal district court to provide new medical and mental health treatment beds under a court order…

The City Council voted Tuesday night to adopt a new law aimed at restricting group homes for parolees at a time when city officials are dreading the potential of a major release of inmates from state prisons.

City Attorney James F. Penman, who has long supported restrictions on parolee housing, proposed the law to the council.

The new law, which was passed as an urgency item by a 5-1 vote, prohibits the establishment of any new group homes for parolees, probationers or sex offenders inside city limits…

James E. Tilton, Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation made a whirlwind swing through San Bernardino to meet and thank the officials for supporting the implementation of AB 900. Signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger April of 2007, the historic legislation provides a road map to reform and provides short-term and long-term solutions for the California prison system. According to Tilton, the reforms have already reduced the prison population from 173,000 to 170,000, by infill beds, getting people into drug treatment programs and making beds available for those who are mentally ill.

County Supervisor, Josie Gonzales welcomed Tilton, area elected officials, community and law enforcement citizens. He thanked them for this community's support. He will be retiring in May, but has left a team in place that can carry out the reforms already in action…

Richard DeLaRosa, 2nd District councilman, announced Friday he will join two other people in running against Kelly Chastain for mayor in the June 3 recall election. DeLaRosa, a lifelong city resident and a peace officer for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for 21 years, pulled nomination papers on Thursday.

Retiree Jack Woods pulled nomination papers on Tuesday. He couldn't be reached for comment on Friday. School board member Mel Albiso - a lifelong Colton resident who is assistant superintendent of human resources for the San Bernardino City Unified School District - on March 6 was the first to pull nomination papers and announce his mayoral run.