Embattled San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus, once among the county's most powerful politicians, resigned today under pressure of corruption allegations, an arrest on suspicion of drug violations and two investigations into his department.
Postmus' attorney Stephen Levine delivered the letter of resignation about 2:30 this afternoon to San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors' office. His resignation is effective at noon Feb. 13.
"It is with tremendous sadness that I submit this letter which announces my resignation from the office of San Bernardino County Assessor," Postmus wrote. (SB Sun 2/6/09
Postmus was on his way out one way or another, with a recall effort picking up steam. You would think this would be the end of Postmus' political career, but he is a Republican, and they are into the redemption stories. But, I wouldn't hold your breath on this one, there are just a ton of skeletons in Postmus' closet. In a way, you have to feel for the guy, he is seemingly losing a battle to addiction. But with so many lies abound, there is no doubt that the county is better off without him. You can find his full letter here(PDF), and a statement (PDF) from GOP SB County Board of Supes Chair Gary Ovitt.
I hate to interrupt the all budget all the time vibe we have going on here, but this was really too juicy to pass up. Yesterday, San Bernadino County Assessor Bill Postmus was arrested and charged with several felonies related to drug charges and possible money laundering. We'll see more as the case proceeds, but it has become clear that at the very least, Bill Postmus is addicted to methamphetamines.
Postmus isn't the first to become addicted to meth, and surely won't be the last. Meth has ruined lives up and down the state. It has decimated rural populations where meth labs sprout up faster than they can be eliminated. Even after psueodephedrine, the main ingredient in the original form of Sudafed, was made a controlled substance, it is cheap and easy to manufacture. Well, an asterisk thrown in there on the easy part, because on occasion the meth labs end up like this photo, you know, big fiery explosion. And in California, the problem is particlurly acute. Not only in rural parts of the state, where the problem was bad enough back in 2000 for McClatchy to write up a whole series on the problem in the Central Valley, but also in the cities. It has hit the gay community particularly hard, where it has become a party drug.
And this is where Postmus comes in, it seems Postmus has been hiding secrets for most of his life.
(Postmus was really a rising star in the GOP. You used to see his ads all over the Flash Report. I suppose this is a parable about the dangers of meth. - promoted by Brian Leubitz)
For decades now, the War on Drugs has been a largely Republican propaganda campaign -- devoted to criminalizing possession of even small, personal amounts of illegal drugs; imprisoning millions of mostly poor, black or brown people who were unfortunate enough to become addicted to such drugs; and demonizing Democratic politicians who support a more humane approach to the problem.
So, when a somewhat prominent Republican has an illegal drug issue, it's one of those GOP hypocrisy moments that deserves a DKos diary.
The GOP pol is Bill Postmus, the assessor of San Bernadino County, Calif., who was "once a political juggernaut who showered money on his Republican allies."
Now, not so much. Postmus evidently has rehab and legal bills that take precedence these days.
