Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 135
The City Council of Calabasas has published an open letter to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, spurning his requiest to meet and discuss his "vision" of law enforcement. Citing a spiraling increase in crime in Calabasas and the continued presence on the street of an accused serial child predator, Councilmember James Bozajian, a past president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, posted the below letter to Gascon, outlining the reasons a meeting w...
April 12, 2022 - City officials at all levels are struggling to respond to the recent news reports ranking Santa Monica as one of the least safe cities in California. In an open letter, City Manager David White and Police Chief Ramon Batista - both relatively new hires - claimed they have heard residents' fears and dismay and are taking aggressive action to restore the city's safety. Meanwhile, Barry Snell, the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.,...
Courts & Rulings FBI wins narrow high court ruling on failed mosque sting operation The FBI can invoke privilege for state secrets to duck a lawsuit over a failed operation spying on Muslims after 9/11, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision Friday. Sheikh Yassir Fazaga, an imam with the Orange County Islamic Foundation, brought the suit with two other Muslim men over a decade ago, saying their rights were violated through the FBI counterterrorism investigation...
As you might expect, conspiracy theories are making the rounds on Russian social media. One theory that the real reason Russia invaded Ukraine has nothing to do with history, national pride, neo-Nazi's or internal Ukraine politics. It's about the CIA Biolabs, of course. The US Embassy to Ukraine denied these rumors 2 years ago. But some Russians nevertheless deflect blame for their invasion, on the US and the CIA. "I'm not sure what the whole truth is, but for one, there are...
June 5Th 2015, Amber S. Jackson, #X15530 / (CIW) Dear [name redacted], Hi. This letter is being written by me to apologize for all the harm that I've done to you. I need you to know that I'm sorry. I'm acutely aware of all the ways my actions in Sept. 2004 hurt you and our family and our surrounding community in San Diego. You don't owe me anything. You don't even have to read this. But I pray that you will read this and that doing so will help your journey of healing. In...
Mayor Sheds Crocodile Tears While Ruining Santa Monica Permanently for Residents: Letter from Santa Monica Voter Boo-hoo-boo, Mayor Himmelrich. Cry me a river with your comments. If you and this City Council were doing your jobs for the people who voted for you, the citizens of Santa Monica would not be upset with your inadequate performance. You close off Parking Structure 3 so no one can park there, especially on Wednesdays during the Farmer's Market. People can't go to the...
Courts & Rulings Calif. DAs win temporary restraining order preventing corrections dept. from awarding 66% 'good conduct credits' to second-strikers The California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation recently enacted so-called "emergency" regulations to allow for additional "good conduct credits" to be awarded to serious and violent felons, and not based upon these felons completing any rehabilitation programs, or in essence, proving their good conduct. California...
Courts & Rulings California high court greenlights suit by assault victim, despite prior settlement In a ruling being hailed as a major win for victims of sexual assault and harassment, the California Supreme Court held Thursday that a contract barring two people from bad-mouthing each other doesn't prevent a woman from suing an abuser in court. "I think it's a great day for California victims of harassment and abuse because the opinion appropriately recognizes that such...
Courts & Rulings A court upheld the firing of 2 LAPD officers who ignored a robbery to play Pokémon Go An appeals court in California has upheld the firing of two former Los Angeles Police Department officers for playing Pokémon Go rather than responding to a nearby robbery. Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell, who were fired after the 2017 incident, had argued that the city violated the law by using their police car's digital in-car video system recording as evidence and by d...
1/21/22: Staff for the City of Santa Monica released a report this month titled "Overview of Homeless Outreach and Hygiene Services" in response to requests from some city councilmembers for a comprehensive report on what is being done to address homelessness, how much it is costing, and what effect it has had. None of the requested information is addressed in full in the January 6 staff report. Measures to address homelessness increase a complex web of different types of...
Courts & Rulings Judge halts California earlier releases for repeat offenders A judge on Wednesday temporarily halted California's plans to speed the potential prison release dates for repeat offenders with serious and violent criminal histories under the state's "three strikes" law. California corrections officials had filed emergency regulations to boost good conduct credits for second-strike inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses who are housed at minimum-security...
With Covid-19 case counts exploding in Los Angeles County and across the U.S., schools are mostly still planning to reopen. On Sunday night, the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District issued a "Superintendent’s Message" signed by Dr. Ben Drati. It reaffirms the school districts commitment to reopening Monday and Tuesday, even with Omicron. It does say the school is monitoring the situation and will regard a school closure "as a last resort and considered only after all av...
Courts & Rulings The Supreme Court found a Sonoma County man's arrest illegal. A state appeals court upheld his conviction anyway Six months ago, a North Bay man who was pursued into his garage by police scored a rare defense victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, which limited officers' authority to enter a suspect's home without a warrant. That meant the entry into Arthur Lange's garage was illegal - but because the officer couldn't have known that in advance, Lange's...
The following letter was sent to the entire city council, the city manager, and police chief. Chief Batista and City Manager White both replied with thanks to the author. A. SHORT TERM (IMMEDIATE) Objective: Stabilize safety 1) Update the current requirement of property and/or business owners having to renew the NO SITTING OR LYING IN THE ENTRANCE NOTICE from every 30 to 45 days, to INDEFINITELY. This would immediately create a uniform enforcement environment which would...
Courts & Rulings Federal judge rejects California's bid to postpone vaccination of prison staff With COVID-19 already having taken the lives of nearly 300 California inmates and prison staff, a federal judge has ordered all prison employees to be vaccinated by Jan. 12, and criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom and the prison guards' union for seeking to postpone his order. In the face of "undisputed scientific and medical evidence" that vaccines are both effective and essential in conf...
Saving the United States Postal Service and stopping disingenuous forces from dismantling and privatizing it must be a national priority. We have witnessed the destruction of our post office and that must end, service levels must be restored and expanded, postage rates reduced; PO box rental prices slashed and new PO boxes added, local post offices re-opened, mail boxes that this postmaster general blatantly confiscated weeks before a national election must all be returned;...
Courts & Rulings Qualified immunity: Supreme Court sides with police, overturns denial of immunity in two cases The Supreme Court sided Monday with police in two cases in which plaintiffs claimed officers used excessive force, overturning separate lower court rulings that had allowed the officers to be sued for civil rights violations. In two unsigned opinions, the court stressed police are entitled to be shielded from liability unless it is "clear to a reasonable officer"...
To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to express my concerns regarding the news of the State of California Bar appointing George Cardona as Chief Trial Counsel. Since the California State Bar is currently undergoing much awaited reforms, it is particularly important that the new Chief Trial Counsel is highly skilled and has a history of ethical and professional conduct. This communication is being submitted to the California Bar in the form of an open letter because the Bar...
Infectious Disease Doctor From UCLA Health Warns City About Threat of Typhoid and HIV in Garages Used as Campground by Homeless Third Street Promenade property owner John Alle asked Dr. Lewis Simon, an infectious disease doctor from UC San Diego, currently working for Santa Monica's UCLA Health Center, to walk through the city's public garages with him over a year ago, when Alle first noted the meth manufacture and human waste in the structures. Dr. Simon came on his own tour...
Courts & Rulings California Supreme Court rules prison inmates not allowed to have marijuana The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state's law allowing the use of recreational marijuana does not apply to prison inmates, overturning a 2019 appellate court ruling that allowed prisoners to possess up to 1 ounce of pot. In a 5-2 decision, the state's high court ruled that "it seems unlikely" voters sought to decriminalize possession of marijuana in prisons....
A rising tide of violence in Los Angeles There were more aggravated assaults in Los Angeles in July than during any month in over a decade, with 1,299. The spike highlights one of the emerging concerns about public safety during COVID-19. Overall crime has fallen sharply, as social distancing and lockdowns kept people apart. But violent crimes - from murders to shootings and assaults - have been climbing to alarming levels. Crosstown With 46 murders, Los Angeles sees...
If you are planning to attend classes on campus at Santa Monica College this fall, you need to be vaccinated. So says the local college as it is gearing up for the fall semester which starts August 30. In a letter to students, Santa Monica College detailed its mandatory vaccination program. The major requirements include: Evidence of vaccinations for all students taking on-ground classes beginning in the fall semester; All employees must report their vaccination status to the...
Courts & Rulings Judge asked to boot Gascón's special assistant from case Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brian C. Yep will be asked this morning to recuse a prosecutor who, according to a motion on behalf of the family of a murdered man, is a former deputy public defender who, after becoming a special assistant to District Attorney George Gascón, continues to fight for the interests of criminal defendants. The recusal is sought in a case where, at stake, is whether a man w...
Courts & Rulings CHP not liable for shooting by drunken off-duty officer Conclusory allegations pinning blame on the California Highway Patrol for a non-fatal shooting by one of its deputies while drunk and off-duty did not suffice, the Court of Appeal for this district held yesterday, affirming a judgment of dismissal which followed the sustaining of demurrers without leave to amend. Justice Kenneth Yegan of Div. Six wrote the opinion, which was not certified for...
Courts & Rulings Ninth Circuit overturns drug conviction because search for weapon surpassed frisking Police conducting a "stop-and-frisk" can pat someone down for guns or other weapons if they have reason to believe they're in danger. But inside the pockets is out of bounds, and any evidence the officers find there is inadmissible, a federal appeals court said Wednesday. San Francisco Chronicle Warrantless search of motel room of parolee was justified - court A parolee's...
