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MONDAY, JUNE 09-JUNE 15, 2025
VOL. 11,
NO. 227
Prosecutor: Case against developer epitomizes ‘corruption’
City Manager Levitt to exit Fullerton for new post in San Bernardino
By City News Service
joet@beaconmedianews.com
E
ric Levitt will be San Bernardino’s new city manager following City Council approval Wednesday and the controversial departure last year of Levitt’s predecessor Charles Montoya. Levitt is currently Fullerton’s city manager, and his agreement with that city requires a 45-day notice of departure, officials said. His start date in San Bernardino is Aug. 4. “Today marks a significant moment for the city of San Bernardino. I am proud to officially welcome Eric Levitt as our permanent city manager,” Mayor Helen Tran said in a statement. “Eric sees the potential of our city, shares our vision, and has the leadership skills to bring a stronger, more vibrant city to the residents we serve.” The announcement followed a nationwide recruitment process, officials said. Levitt has been Fullerton’s top administrator for three years. During his tenure with the Orange County city of nearly 145,000 residents, he worked with the City Council
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losing statements are set to conclude Friday in the trial of real estate developer John Elroy Wessman, who is accused in a bribery scheme involving ex-Palm Springs Mayor Stephen Philip Pougnet and his support for projects brought before the City Council between 2012 and 2014. Pougnet admitted all charges against him and is due for sentencing in July. The 86-year-old real estate developer is accused of giving Pougnet six-figure bribes to win his support for projects violated the “public trust,” putting a politician in his pocket to satisfy his greed, a prosecutor said Friday, while the defense countered that the real corruption lies with a former business partner who testified against the defendant. “He acted with the corrupt intent to bribe,” Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Amy Zois said in her closing statement Thursday in the trial of John Elroy Wessman. “Who benefited the most to their pocket? It’s the defendant.” Testimony in Wessman’s two-week trial at the Banning Justice Center concluded Wednesday, and the prosecution and defense presented final arguments to jurors Thursday afternoon. However, the defense did not complete its statement, and
By Joe Taglieri
See Levitt Page 31
Balloon Festival to feature legendary band, rides, camping
Former Palm Springs Mayor Stephen Pougnet. | Photo courtesy of Steve Pougnet/Flickr
Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz directed the jury to return Friday for the end of the attorneys’ summation. Wessman is charged with nine counts of bribery of a public official and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony. “This is not about a bribe,” Zois told jurors. “It’s about corruption and the public trust.” She reminded the jury of evidence confirming Wessman’s signature on numerous checks issued against Wessman Development Inc. in 2012 and 2013. The money was part of the payoff scheme involving Pougnet, the prosecutor said.
“He has said that he signed all of those checks without knowing what’s going on?” she said. “It’s ridiculous to believe that a CEO of a company wouldn’t follow the major decisions of his own company.” She dismissed the defendant’s claims of ignorance about the flow of funds, telling jurors, “You know the truth: He’s guilty.” Zois said Wessman and fellow developer Richard Hugh Meaney, 59, conspired to favor Pougnet with highdollar rewards for gaining the mayor’s support for the men’s redevelopment projects between 2012 and 2014. All the felony charges
against Meaney were dismissed over a year ago. However, he pleaded guilty to a reinstated misdemeanor count of financial conflict in a government contract. He testified for the prosecution during Wessman’s trial, and defense attorney Elliot Peters pointed the finger of blame at him. “Mr. Wessman is not guilty,” Peters told jurors. “What you heard was speculation, guesswork and the false testimony of Mr. Meaney.” The attorney characterized the witness as a “dishonSee Corruption trial Page 31
By City News Service
I
n just over two weeks, the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival will open in Winchester, featuring a legendary country band, barbecues, carnival fare and balloon rides overlooking Wine Country. The event — a tradition going back to 1983 — is slated to begin the morning of June 20 and continue through the evening of June 22 within the Lake Skinner Recreation Area, just east of Temecula. “The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival is one of the region’s longest running festivals and has been a longstanding cornerstone of Southern California’s vibrant cultural landscape,” Event.com President Stephen Partridge said. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of its continSee Balloon festival Page 32
OUR 2025 SUMMER CAMP GUIDE IS HERE!