Supervisors to discuss ousting San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus
The chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Friday called for a special meeting next week to discuss ways to oust recently arrested county Assessor Bill Postmus from his job.
“After [Thursday’s] investigative raids by the district attorney’s office and the arrest of Mr. Postmus, it is clear that this intolerable situation has to be remedied immediately,” Chairman Gary Ovitt said.
Postmus, who told supervisors last week that he had beaten a drug problem, was arrested after agents found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in his Rancho Cucamonga apartment. The district attorney launched raids in six cities and carried out 10 search warrants Thursday in its ongoing investigation of Postmus and the activities of the assessor’s office.
The supervisors had originally planned to meet Jan. 27, but the arrest compelled them to move more swiftly. San Bernardino County is the only county in the state that allows supervisors to remove elected officials from office.
“The need for action has been exacerbated by the alleged discovery of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia at his home [Thursday] following his appearance at the Jan. 6 board meeting, during which he vowed to the board and to the public that his drug problem had been resolved,” Ovitt said in a written statement.
“Postmus has run out of excuses for his actions and behavior,” the statement said. “We need to resolve this unacceptable situation now.”
Postmus, 37, was charged with felony drug possession and a misdemeanor charge of possession of paraphernalia for unlawful use.
He was released on $11,450 bail.
The supervisors will meet Thursday at 1 p.m.
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