Controversies
ACLU Lawsuit Accuses the State of “Warehousing” Mentally Ill in Jails
Prisoners “languish in jail for months even after the court has ordered them committed for competency restoration,” according to a lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court. The suit blames the state Department of State Hospitals (DSH) and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) for backlogs that cause long jail incarcerations. read more
ACLU Sues Fresno County, Where Each Public Defender Has to Handle 700 Cases a Year
This has been going on for awhile. Then-Public Defender Kenneth Taniguchi told the Fresno County Board of Supervisors in 2009 that his office was maxed out and would have to begin declining cases. The office had 78 lawyers. The low point was 2012, when the office had just 50 lawyers among 79 employees. The office now has 66 attorneys read more
One in 10 Enrollees at Unaccredited California Law Schools Graduates
Just one in 10 enrollees graduates. Only one in five of the graduates passes the state Bar exam and earns an opportunity to compete for a job in the totally over-saturated legal job market. This is overwhelmingly a California story. The state is home to most of the nation’s unaccredited law schools because California is one of the few states that lets people take the bar exam without graduating from an accredited school. read more
Oakland’s Garbage Contract Trashes the Environment and Small Users
The higher compost fees are a mighty encouragement to restaurants and stores to chuck their compostable food products in the bin headed for the landfill. According to East Bay Express, that prompted Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan to blast out emails a couple weeks ago to city officials claiming, “We did NOT approve charging more for composting than for trash. . . . This is NOT in compliance with the Council's approval.” Indications are she is wrong. read more
Petition Drive Aims to Turn the Showers Back on at the Beach
“This draconian measure will likely cause 100 million extra gallons of water to be wasted because many of the 15 million annual park visitors who had previously taken short beach showers will now go home to take much longer showers,” petition author Jonathan Greenberg argues. He says the average shower at the beach is an icy quick rinse using 1.2 gallons of water, while the more leisurely warm shower at home consumes 17 gallons. read more
Everyone May Lose in UC-USC Battle over Alzheimer’s Study
San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith Hayes settled the dispute between the two universities, ruling in a lawsuit brought by UC that it would get the database that includes information from dozens of clinical trials across the country. Dr. Paul Aisen left UC San Diego in June to establish a rival Alzheimer’s program at USC, taking the project's database and a claim on $100 million in government funding with him. read more
Prisoner Early-Release Program Accused of Discriminating against Men
“It is hard to believe that in 2015 the State of California is operating a facially discriminatory program that perpetuates the outdated stereotype that only women can be caregivers," said attorney Grunfeld. "Our clients meet the stringent criteria of this program except for their gender. The Governor and CDCR should stop defending their discriminatory law and let qualified men participate in the ACP. Defendants’ policies de-legitimize the role that men play in their families." read more
5 Drones Interfere with Aerial Firefighters; Now That’s Entertainment
Five drones were spotted at the North Fire in Southern California that jumped the I-15 in the Cajon Pass and roasted dozens of vehicles on its way through. Three of the drones quickly split but the presence of the other two forced the U.S. Forest Service to ground their water-dropping planes for 25 minutes. read more
Police-Shooting Video Unsealed Just Long Enough to be Posted Online
U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson responded to a lawsuit brought by the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and Bloomberg News and unsealed two videos Tuesday taken from cameras mounted on police cars at the scene. The judge denied a plea from Gardena to stay his order until they could appeal the decision, but the city asked for, and received, and emergency order from U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Alex Kozinski to reseal the videos. It was too late. read more
Feds Bust 5-Member Tribe for Growing 12,000 Marijuana Plants
The DEA said early indications were that the two growing operations were financed by Canadian Jerry Montour, an entrepreneur who sells “hundreds of millions of dollars” of tobacco products a year. They say he has a lengthy rap sheet. Law enforcement moved in after Wendy Del Rosa sent a letter in June to the U.S. Department of Justice complaining that the actions of her brother, Phillip Del Rosa, were illegal and not authorized by the tribe. But the authorities were already on alert. read more
Superior Court Blocks State Curtailment of Older Water Rights
The judge told the State Water Resources Control Board that it should pause and reflect upon its decision to send letters of curtailment to thousands of older water rights holders without benefit of a hearing. Judge Chang said the letters amounted to issuing un-appealable orders and taking someone’s property without constitutional due process of law. read more
Tobacco Lobby Smokes the Opposition in State Legislature
Legislation to regulate e-cigarettes was eviscerated in an Assembly committee, where another bill to raise the age limit for purchasing tobacco was raised from 18 to 21. Earlier, another piece of tobacco legislation, Assembly Bill 768, aimed at banning smokeless tobacco, including e-cigarettes, at baseball stadiums was amended to apply just to weeds jammed up one’s nose and stuffed in one’s mouth. read more
State’s Independent Science Report Warns about Fracking's Known Unknowns
“Significant gaps and inconsistencies exist in available voluntary and mandatory data sources, both in terms of duration and completeness of reporting that limit assessment of the impacts of hydraulic fracturing,” the report says. The uncertainty has prevented the state from getting a handle on potential health and environmental risks from fracking. read more
State Still Not Checking on Foster Care Kids Near Sex Offenders
This audit updates the 2011 report and found in general that the department is “making progress” overseeing county efforts to protect children from abuse and neglect. But it still has a problem with sex offender contact. “Of the nearly 25,000 potential address matches, Social Services could not initially provide documentation for more than 8,600 to demonstrate that any outcomes had been reached," the report said. read more
L.A. OKs Hollywood Skyscrapers Despite Quake Fault Warning from State Geologist
Although the California Geological Survey shows the Hollywood fault from West Hollywood to Atwater Village, down the Sunset Strip, to be active, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety has accepted evidence to the contrary and declared it safe enough to build Hollywood’s tallest buildings upon. It’s their call. read more
California Supreme Court Lets Police Keep Personnel Records from D.A.
The justices told prosecutors if they want to look at something in police files, they need to follow the same procedures everyone else does when they encounter the Peace Officers Bill of Rights. Since Pitchess v. Superior Court in 1974, that procedure involves asking a judge for specific information in an unseen file and keeping your fingers crossed. read more