Author: Amber Westbrook

California Supreme Court Hears Argument Challenging Death Penalty Law

by · Jun 2, 2021 11:55 am

The California Supreme Court heard oral argument today in People v. McDaniel.  Donte McDaniel was convicted in 2009 of two brutal murders and attempted murder on two others.  In 2004, McDaniel and his accomplice entered a woman’s Los Angeles apartment looking for a man who had stolen drugs from another member of the gang he belongs to, the Bounty Hunter Bloods (BHB). McDaniel began firing as he walked in the door, shooting and killing the woman, then shooting the man he was looking for  so may times in the head that his face collapsed.  He shot two other women in the apartment, not involved in the drug dispute, critically injuring them both and leaving them permanently disabled.

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The Perfect Storm for Crime to Flourish in San Francisco

by · May 25, 2021 11:35 am

In San Francisco fear has become part of life for many of its residents. According to this article by Kenny Choi of CBS San Francisco:

Residents in San Francisco say they don’t feel safe amid an alarming rise in the number of burglaries across the city. Residents say the initial response form San Francisco police went nowhere. So after someone broke into her complex in the middle of the night, [Iryna] Gorb started sleuthing, obsessively collecting evidence on her own from neighbors’ cameras.  

 

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Effects of ‘Defunding’ Law Enforcement and Reducing Consequences for Crimes

by · May 19, 2021 11:32 am

The Wall Street Journal has this article by Jason Riley addressing a few early outcomes we are seeing as a result of lowering prosecution rates and defunding law enforcement in many large cities across the U.S. Riley points out the following:

In New York City, shooting and homicides rose by 97% and 44%, respectively, in 2020, and felony assaults are up by 25% this year. Yet seven of the eight candidates running in the Democratic primary for Manhattan district attorney have pledged to cut the police budget or prosecute fewer suspects—or some combination of the two. Baltimore began defunding law enforcement and turning a blind eye to criminal behavior a decade ago, and since then nearly 3,000 of its residents have been murdered. 

 

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California District Attorneys Petition to Repeal Release of 76,000 Inmates

by · May 14, 2021 10:57 am

Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, joined by 40 other elected DAs,  submitted this petition to the Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to, “…repeal the temporary emergency regulations contained in the Minimum Security Credit and Inmate Credit Earning rule making action filed with the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) on April 8, 2021.”   The regulations give 76,000 criminals in state prisons eligibility for early release. 

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Another Violent Felon Released from Prison Early to Commit More Crimes

by · May 13, 2021 3:10 pm

The Sacramento Bee has this story on Alberto Quiroz, who was sentenced to ten years in state prison for the events in the 2017 death of CHP Officer Lucas Chellew who died as a result of injuries sustained in a high-speed chase with Quiroz through South Sacramento.  Quiroz had 5 previous failures to appear on unrelated charges and previous cases. He was arrested on May 5th for assaulting one of his family members with a semi-automatic weapon. So the question is, why was he released less than three and a half years into this sentence?? Below is the answer offered by corrections spokeswoman, Dana Simas. 

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Taxpayer Funded Heroin Injection Sites in California?

by · May 3, 2021 11:46 am

Politico has this story on the proposal for California to provide on-site medical care for individuals injecting illicit drugs, including, but not limited to heroin. The goal of SB 57 (Wiener, D San Francisco) is also to obtain immunity from federal enforcement for the professionals running the program and the drug-users. The most recent proposal awaiting legislative approval is for the California  cities of San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles to open and run these injection sites for five years to “test” the model. 

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California to Release over 70,000 Inmates

by · May 3, 2021 10:30 am

The Associated Press has this story on the early release of thousands of inmates; “California is giving 76,000 inmates, including violent and repeat felons, the opportunity to leave prison earlier…” This is result of a promise made by Governor Newsom to decrease prison populations throughout the state of California and close prisons.  Thanks to Proposition 57 (adopted in 2016) state prison inmates, even those convicted of violent crimes, receive “good time” credits to reduce their sentences by up to 50%.  Last year approximately 21,000 inmates in California were released from prison. There will be a total of 3 prison closures in California by next year.

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Police Officer Injuries Increase and Officer Numbers Decrease

by · Apr 26, 2021 3:04 pm

Many police officers are hanging up their hats and some major city police departments are faced with serious understaffing with no real end in sight. CNN has this story on the gross understaffing of the Capitol Police, “Capitol Police Union Chairman Gus Papathanasiou said in a statement Saturday that the Capitol Police is staffed below its authorized level by 233 officers and could face larger staffing shortages as officers retire in the coming years.” The Chairman goes on to explain this understaffing in only exacerbated by the injuries sustained by officers during the January 6th riot. The NY Times published this article about the riot at the Capital that resulted, “In one of the worst days of injuries for law enforcement in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At least 138 officers —73 from Capitol Police and 65 from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington — were injured.” These are horrifically high numbers, yet there is little discussion about how to proceed in such a manner that our officers who are there to serve and protect our communities are given the tools to succeed; whether that be training, more officers, and/or improved response. 

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George Gascón Dismantles Gang Unit in Los Angeles County

by · Apr 21, 2021 10:49 am

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón eliminated the Hardcore Gang Unit and has replaced it with a unit he is calling the Community Violence Reduction Division. Scott Schwebke of the LA Daily News discusses Gascón’s new unit in this article.
Eric Siddall the Vice President of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys in Los Angels County stated the following in response to the new unit:

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In California, Sex Offenders Get Elected Mayor

by · Apr 15, 2021 3:30 pm

The former Mayor of Sebastopol, California, Robert Jacob was arrested this week on charges, according to this Fox News story: of committing lewd acts with a child ages 14 to 15, participating in sexual penetration of a child under 16, making a child under 16 available to another person for lewd or lascivious acts, and distribution of child pornography.   Jacob served as a member of the Sebastopol City Council in 2012 and was elected Mayor in 2013. Jacob served one term and did not run for reelection. Jacob’s term as Mayor and his success as a cannabis businessman, discussed in this article in the San Francisco Chronicle, noted that “He [Jacob] outspent rivals by running the most expensive campaign in city history to win.” Jacobs is also known as a founder of a medical marijuana dispensary. The question here, is how did an individual willing to molest children get elected to a position of such power?   Doesn’t anyone vet politicians anymore?