Why didn’t Diablo Valley College ethics professor Eric Clanton get any prison time for hitting seven Trump supporters in the head with a metal bike lock?
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
April 20, 2024
This video shows a masked Antifa thug using a metal bike lock to smash the head of an innocent Trump supporter at Berkeley, California, in April 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qKCl9NL1Cg
Some awesomely talented amateur sleuth observers at 4chan later identified the thug based on his partially visible face, his clothing, and several other things.
Any one of these things by itself is pretty meaningless. But taken together, it is extremely likely that they identified the correct person.
For specific details, see here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
The police also did their own investigation, and when they searched the person’s house, they found clothing and other items that matched that of the person in the video. Phone records also show that the person was present during the assault.
And it turned out that the thug is left wing Diablo Valley College ethics professor Eric Clanton.
Clanton supports shoplifting, opposes private ownership of property, and has defended convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal.
It was later reported that Clanton would not be getting any prison time for his brutal assaults against seven innocent Trump supporters.
The news reported that Clanton used the metal bike lock to assault the heads of at least seven people.
The news also detailed the evidence the police found in Clanton’s home tying him to these attacks.
It’s completely despicable that Clanton did not get any prison time for what he did.
Why didn’t Diablo Valley College ethics professor Eric Clanton get any prison time for hitting seven Trump supporters in the head with a metal bike lock?
Since July 2023, the city of San Francisco has been trying to cover up the murder of Yanfang Wu, has been refusing to release the video of her murder, and has been falsely claiming that her death was an “accident.”
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
April 9, 2024
On July 3, 2023, in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco, a woman named Thea Hopkins murdered a 63-year-old Asian woman named Yanfang Wu. The city has video of this murder, but refused to release it to the public. The city falsely claimed that Wu’s death was an “accident.” As of March 19, 2024, the city has still refused to release the video to the public.
On March 4, 2024, in the exact same neighborhood, the exact same violent criminal assaulted a 71-year-old Asian woman. This time, the victim survived. But this time, the city did not make the bogus claim that it was an “accident.” For this March 4, 2024 incident, the city arrested Thea Hopkins and charged her with assault and elder abuse.
The city has still not released the video of Thea Hopkins murdering Yanfang Wu.
The city still claims that Wu’s death was an “accident.”
Since July 2023, the city of San Francisco has been trying to cover up the murder of Yanfang Wu.
Sources:
https://sfstandard.com/2024/03/11/video-push-yanfang-wu-thea-hopkins/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/yanfang-wu-19206066.php
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sf-mayor-police-agree-release-180219978.html
https://nextshark.com/elderly-asian-woman-death-sfpd-reopen-investigation
California’s minimum wage hike blamed for Fosters Freeze store closing down — worker laments she’d rather have the old wage because ‘now we don’t have a job’
https://moneywise.com/news/economy/californias-minimum-wage-hike-blamed-for-fosters-freeze
California’s minimum wage hike blamed for Fosters Freeze store closing down — worker laments she’d rather have the old wage because ‘now we don’t have a job’
The owner says small businesses can’t survive, but is she right?
By Jing Pan
April 5, 2024
California’s decision to increase the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour is primarily aimed at improving the standard of living for these workers in a state that’s notoriously expensive.
However, there’s concern that this new law, which went into effect on April 1, may have a more complicated impact on the local economy.
A Fosters Freeze outlet in Lemoore shut down on Monday — the same day the new minimum wage kicked in — and its workers are now out of a job.
Some employees initially thought it was an April Fool’s joke.
“We had gotten a text in the group chat that we were shutting down, and I completely thought it was an April Fools joke,” former employee Jason Boado told KMPH Fox 26 News.
Unfortunately, it was not a joke. In a text to KMPH, Loren Wright, the owner of the Fosters Freeze, wrote, “Last thing I ever wanted was to close down. By Friday night I knew I was most likely not gonna be able to stay open but I didn’t want to ruin their Easter Sunday.”
Small businesses ‘can’t survive’
According to Wright, the substantial rise in minimum wage has made it challenging for small businesses to stay afloat.
“Small businesses can’t survive a 120% plus min wage increase over the last 10 years. We are all more broke than we were 10 years ago its clear raising min wage isn’t helping,” he wrote.
California has seen a consistent and significant increase in its minimum wage over the past decade. In 2014, the state’s minimum wage was $9.00 an hour. Today, it’s set at $16 an hour, rising to $20 an hour for fast food workers.
Monica Navarro, former assistant general manager of that Fosters Freeze location, told Fox Business that she and her former colleagues would prefer the old wage over being unemployed.
“From the people that I spoke to, my employees, we would have rather stayed at the wage that we did have before, just because now we don’t have a job,” she said. She also observed the impacts of the new minimum wage on those fortunate enough to keep their jobs, stating, “Those who are still working in the areas around us that went up to $20 an hour, they got their hours severely cut and it’s a lot less people working on shifts, so their jobs got a lot more difficult.”
Owners explore other options, majority in US support hikes
Navarro noted that the closure of the Fosters Freeze location is not an isolated incident, cautioning, “This is not the first business that’s closing, there’s already a few local businesses for me that are closing, so I feel like this is just only the beginning.” Critics have long pointed out the unintended consequences of a minimum wage hike.
These fears are not unfounded.
The Wall Street Journal looked at state records and found that California restaurants had outlined plans to cut hundreds of jobs in the months leading up to the April 1 wage mandate.
However, the report adds that many restaurant operators are looking for other ways to cover the cost, like reducing hours, closing during slower parts of the day or serving menu items that take less time to make. Some are also choosing automation, which is something “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe recently warned about.
Menu prices have risen at several locations in the Los Angeles area, per the New York Post. Scott Rodrick, who owns 18 McDonald’s locations in the state, told CNN he has raised prices about 5% to 7% in the last three months to anticipate the higher wages. Instead of cutting any worker hours, he also plans to grow his delivery operations and make decisions about large capital expenses, like postponing updating a dining room or putting off buying new grills or rooftop HVACs.
Nationwide, not all small business owners are against this trend. In fact, the majority (61%) surveyed earlier this year by CNBC said they support raising the minimum wage in their state, even though only one in five (19%) believe that it will help their business.
California homeowners are using vigilante justice to kick out squatters, because the government is not enforcing the laws against squatting.
Out-squatted: Handyman Flash Shelton will squat with your squatters — until they leave
By Jack Flemming
March 12, 2024
On a winter morning in Woodland Hills, the “Squatter Hunter” slowly approaches a posh two-story home dressed in all black, armed with a Glock 26 pistol, stun gun, pepper spray and baton. His body camera is on. His two-man squad lurks behind him.
They’ve spent four days in surveillance, learning the habits of the man squatting inside. They’ve waited for him to leave, but he never does. So they knock on the front door, and when the occupant opens it, they barge inside.
Their plan: live with the squatter. Dirty the bathroom. Take the best spot on the couch. Commandeer the TV remote. Blast music. Drink his coffee. Eat his Cheetos.
Out-squat him. And film it all for YouTube.
As the body camera footage shows, the team starts installing Ring cameras throughout the home to document every interaction. The Squatter Hunter, Flash Shelton, hands the man a lease with Shelton’s name on it.
“You’re an intruder in my house now,” he says.
Shelton explains that the man is there illegally, and the team is not going anywhere until he leaves. The squatter was out before they could even share breakfast together.
For homeowners in Southern California and beyond, run-ins with squatters can be a nightmare both emotionally and financially. For the Squatter Hunter, it’s just another day on the job.
What started as a viral YouTube video has grown into a one-of-a-kind vigilante-style service, helping homeowners boot trespassers from their property.
His motto: “If they can take a house, I can take a house.”
Bakersfield, California gives zero jail time to two street racers who killed a third street racer
https://yahoo.com/news/2-sentenced-deadly-street-racing-163049330.html
2 sentenced in deadly street racing crash
By Jason Kotowski
March 8, 2024
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Two men were sentenced Thursday in connection with a street racing crash that killed a third racer.
Javontae Murphy and Brian Dickerson last month pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter and a felony count of engaging in a speed contest resulting in injuries in exchange for 200 hours of community service and two years’ felony probation.
Early March 17, 2021, three vehicles sped east along Panama Lane at more than 100 mph. One of the drivers, Antwon Washington, 29, crashed his Maserati Quattroporte. It rolled and hit trees, and Washington was thrown.
He died at the scene.
Murphy stopped his Dodge Challenger at the crash scene near Stine Road for five minutes but left when the first patrol vehicle arrived, according to court filings. Dickerson drove a Cadillac XT5 SUV and stayed at the scene.
Police later determined Washington reached a top speed of 123 mph, Dickerson 107 mph and Murphy 104 mph, according to the filings. Surveillance video and phone records eventually led investigators to Murphy.
What good is California’s “health insurance” if it doesn’t actually let you see a doctor?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/hours-hold-limited-appointments-why-110011226.html
Hours on hold, limited appointments: Why California babies aren’t going to the doctor
By Jenny Gold
February 26, 2024
Maria Mercado’s 5- and 7-year-old daughters haven’t been to the doctor for a check-up in two years. And it’s not for lack of trying.
Mercado, a factory worker in South Los Angeles, has called the pediatrician’s office over and over hoping to book an appointment for a well-child visit, only to be told there are no appointments available and to call back in a month. Sometimes, she waits on hold for an hour. Like more than half of children in California, Mercado’s daughters have Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents.
Her children are two years behind on their vaccinations. Mercado isn’t sure if they’re growing well, and they haven’t been screened for vision, hearing or developmental delays. Her older daughter has developed a stutter, and she worries the girl might need speech therapy.
“It is frustrating because as a mom, you want your kids to hit every milestone,” she said. “And if you see something’s going on and they’re not helping you, it’s like, what am I supposed to do at this point?”
California — where 97% of children have health insurance — ranks 46th out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia for providing a preventive care visit for kids 5 and under, according to a 2022 federal government survey. A recent report card from Children Now, a nonprofit advocacy group, rated California a D on children’s access to preventive care, despite the state’s A- grade for ensuring children have coverage.
A library in California is closing because the government doesn’t lock up criminals
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/coco-county-closes-antioch-library-concern-over-crime/
CoCo County closes Antioch library due to concern over crime
February 16, 2024
ANTIOCH — The Antioch Community Library is being closed because crime has made it too dangerous for users and staff, the Contra Costa County Library announced Friday.
The county library said it “has made this difficult decision after repeated dangerous incidents in the last few months that have threatened the safety and security of patrons and staff,” according to a Facebook post.
“Beginning Saturday, February 17, 2024, the Antioch Library will be closed until further notice,” the post said.
The library apologized for the lack of notice on the closure, “but the safety of our patrons and staff is a top priority.”
The library said it is working on new security measures that will allow it to reopen as soon as possible.
“These will take some time to complete, and we do not have an estimated date for reopening,” the library said.
People with books to return are asked to take them to the Prewett Library in the Antioch Community Center, Pittsburg Library or any other Contra Costa County Library.
“You may also hold onto your returns until after the Antioch Library reopens,” the library said. “The Library will automatically extend the due dates on your materials.”
“Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is drawing new criticism over her plans not to pursue jail time for those who commit violent crimes against the Asian American community.”
“Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is drawing new criticism over her plans not to pursue jail time for those who commit violent crimes against the Asian American community.”
Denny’s closes its 54-year-old Oakland restaurant over safety concerns, days after In-N-Out announced plans to do the same
https://www.yahoo.com/news/dennys-closes-54-old-oakland-131918096.html
Denny’s closes its 54-year-old Oakland restaurant over safety concerns, days after In-N-Out announced plans to do the same
By Grace Dean
February 1, 2024
Denny’s has closed its only diner in Oakland, California over safety concerns.
This comes hot on the heels of In-N-Out Burger’s announcement that it’s closing its Oakland restaurant.
In-N-Out had cited frequent and severe crime in the area, like car break-ins and armed robberies.
Denny’s has closed its only restaurant in Oakland, California because of concerns about customer and staff safety.
“Closing a restaurant location is never an easy decision or one taken lightly,” a spokesperson for the diner chain told Business Insider. “However, the safety and well-being of Denny’s team members and valued guests is our top priority. Weighing those factors, the decision has been made to close this location.”
The spokesperson added that team members who could relocate would be offered positions elsewhere, where available.
Denny’s didn’t respond to BI’s request for information on the measures it took to keep staff and diners safe.
Denny’s said the 24-hour diner had been open for 54 years. It was located close to Oakland International Airport and Oakland Arena.
The announcement came just over a week after cult West Coast burger chain In-N-Out Burger said that it will close its Oakland restaurant in March.
COO Denny Warnick attributed to the “frequency and severity” of crimes experienced by its customers and staff. The company said that these included car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies.
This will be the first time In-N-Out has ever had to close a restaurant.
The Denny’s and In-N-Out restaurants are located just under a mile from each other.
Data from the city’s most recent crime report shows that the number of reported robberies between January 1 and January 28 was up 10% over the three-year average.
However, the same dataset suggests that reported incidents of many other types of crime, such as burglaries, car theft, and larceny, had fallen.
SF man who brutally murdered 3-year-old granted parole
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/sf-man-who-brutally-murdered-3-year-old-granted-parole/
SF man who brutally murdered 3-year-old granted parole
January 25, 2024
A San Francisco man now serving a 25 years-to-life sentence at the California Department of Corrections health care facility in Stockton for the brutal 2000 murder of a 3-year-old boy has been granted parole. Patrick Goodman was convicted of second-degree murder and child abuse in the beating death of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son Elijah Sanderson.
Prosecutors say the child had more than 50 bruises on his body.
“We are talking about the murder of an innocent and vulnerable 3-year-old child in the brutal fashion that he was killed to grant parole,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “On just the second attempt when we have seen even at the last hearing, where parole was denied that this is a person who was still in denial about his actions and his conduct on that incident.”
DA Jenkins’ office was at the December hearing and argued against parole.
“We have to be advocates for public safety and we have to make sure that people one, serve the time that they were sentenced to, but then also that when it’s time for them to integrate back into the public, that they are ready to do so and to be productive members of society,” DA Jenkins said. “And right now, we do not have faith and trust that this individual is ready for that at this time. And that again, he poses a significant public safety risk.”
The DA’s office is now in the process of drafting a letter to Gov. Newsom asking him to intervene and overturn the parole board’s decision. Overturning such decisions is not unheard of. The governor did it eight times last year and 21 times the year prior.
Los Angeles just released a serial armed robber named Bruce Edward Bell from prison. Anyone who isn’t a brain dead liberal can guess what he did after he got out.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/71-old-serial-bank-robber-173144627.html
71-year-old serial bank robber who spent 40 years in prison strikes again in LA
Natalie Neysa Alund
January 12, 2024
Police in Southern California on Tuesday announced they arrested a 71-year-old convicted serial bank robber after they say he allegedly struck again – this time stealing $64,000 in cash from bank in Los Angeles.
Bruce Edward Bell is facing felony charges including kidnapping in connection to the armed robbery late last month in Sun Valley, a neighborhood in the northern San Fernando Valley region .
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the heist took place on Dec. 21, 2023, and during the robbery, “Bell entered the location, grabbed an employee and pointed a firearm.”
Police said Bell forced the employee to walk over to a door with restricted access, demanded entry into the secure area and said if he was not granted access, he would shoot the employee.
The employee complied, and once inside, Bell ordered another employee to fill a bag with cash.
The armed suspect then fled the bank with more than $64,000, police reported.
A photo released by police shows the suspect pointing a firearm and wearing sunglasses, a black ski mask, a black hat and a gray scarf over a black jacket with orange stripe.
A getaway car and a traffic stop
Witnesses called 911 and told officers they watched the suspect drive away in a 2002 silver Volvo sedan.
Shortly after officers spotted the suspect vehicle, conducted a traffic stop and detained the driver.
During a search of the vehicle, police learned the Volvo was stolen and also recovered a black replica firearm and $64,000 in cash inside the car.
Police arrested Bell on charges including kidnapping and booked him into the LA County jail where online records show he was being held without on $1.6 million bond Wednesday.
It was not immediately known if Bell had obtained an attorney.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office records show he is due in court on the kidnapping charge on Feb. 9.
More than 40 years in prison
According to a Tuesday news release from LAPD, Bell has four prior bank robbery convictions and has spent more than four decades in the Federal Department of Corrections for the crimes, He was released from prison in July 2021.
Bell was on supervised release at the time of his arrest, police said.
According to the release, investigators said they believe Bell has other robbery victims who have not yet been identified.
Police seek more information about Bruce Bell
Anyone with information about Bell or the most recent bank robbery is being asked to contact LAPD.
Bakersfield, California is allowing car thieves under the age of 18 to steal as many cars as they want, and deliberately crash them into each other at this intersection, without getting punished.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLmuy4r_2Kw
https://autos.yahoo.com/kids-regularly-crash-stolen-cars-210000327.html
Kids Regularly Crash Stolen Cars At This Intersection
By Steven Symes
January 7, 2024
Kids who steal cars seem to think not only is swiping people’s cars a joke, but so is law enforcement. That’s the only way we can explain stories like this one where kids take stolen vehicles and do little takeover events, purposely crashing into each other in the same intersection over and over again.
A family who lives near the intersection in Bakersfield, California says they’ve reported this activity to authorities but nobody has done anything to put an end to it. We’d love to say we’re shocked, but it’s almost like certain municipal leaders are encouraging this sort of behavior what with car thieves getting released before the paperwork on their crimes is even filled out.
You can watch the video report we’ve included from KGET News to see these kids crashing stolen cars over and over again. The local news at least seems to understand why this is such a problem, so why don’t leaders in Bakersfield?
The dad in the story doesn’t seem to have much hope about the situation. He feels nothing is going to change until one of the kids in a stolen car does “some real damage to someone.” We understand the frustration anyone would feel as they watch their city turn into a giant Grand Theft Auto game server. Nobody wants to live like that.
It’s worth noting that in the footage you see Kias. Those cars are notoriously easy to steal, which is why some insurance companies won’t even extend coverage to them anymore. All kids have to do is jump on TikTok to learn how to boost one with simple tools. But that doesn’t excuse city officials from doing something about kids committing these crimes.
How thoughtful! Governor Newsom is trying help the other 49 states to solve their illegal immigration problem by encouraging all of their illegal immigrants to move to California. I hope his plan works!
https://twitter.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1740866878824915142
To me, this is what it means to be a libertarian
https://twitter.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1740615275182264577
You can either have compassion for these doctors who were assaulted and robbed, or you can have compassion for their violent attackers
https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-couple-followed-home-16-003634568.html
California couple are followed home for 16 miles and robbed of ‘generations of jewelry’
December 27, 2023
Dr. Vijay Wali and his wife, Dr. Jyotika Wali, had just pulled into their driveway in Fullerton on Friday night when two men attacked, one pouncing on each of them, the family said.
The man punched Vijay Wali in the head and threw him on the ground, he said. When his wife returned to help, another attacker went right at her, the couple said.
Jyotika Wali said: “I was immediately attacked by another man, and my purse was taken, and I saw my husband had been assaulted, and I screamed for help. My daughter was inside the house and called 911.”
The face of at least one attacker was clearly captured by security cameras at the house, while one of the two drivers was caught on camera at the jewelry store
Among the items stolen was a dehjoor, a hexagonal jewel worn off the ear of a Kashmiri Hindu bride.
“And so it has deep, deep symbolic significance in our culture, and there were generations of jewelry stolen,” said Priyanka Wali, who is engaged to be married and had expected to receive some of the jewels in ceremonies.
The family were traumatized by the attack, but both victims still went to work over the weekend. Jyotika Wali is a primary care physician who worked Saturday, while her husband is an emergency room doctor who did a shift on Christmas Eve.
“I’m scared to come back home,” Jyotika said, adding that she now jumps in fear at the sounds of firecrackers she thinks might be gunshots.
She added: “This is no way to live. I mean, it looks like there is no law. It’s very scary.”
Priyanka Wali, also a practicing physician, said she’s not sure whether her family will ever be able to shake the fear brought on by Friday night’s attack.
“Emotional trauma and physical trauma are one and the same thing,” she said. “So yes, we may be able to walk and talk and have all of our limbs and vital organs functioning, but emotionally the damage has been absolutely devastating.”
I’m looking forward to watching California environmentalists argue with each other over whether or not they should mine this lithium for electric cars
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/worlds-largest-ree-lithium-discovered-160012987.html
World’s Largest Reserve Of REE Lithium Discovered Beneath California’s Salton Sea: $540 Billion Motherlode Could Meet America’s Supply Demands For Decades
By Eric McConnell
December 26, 2023
When it comes to rare-earth elements (REEs), lithium stands out because of its usefulness and potential value. That’s why the Department of Energy (DOE) was jumping for joy when it discovered what is believed to be the world’s largest supply of lithium beneath California’s Salton Sea. The estimated 18 million-ton motherlode could be worth up to $540 billion and meet America’s demand for decades to come.
In the 1990s, lithium was perhaps most famous for being the title of a hit song by the band Nirvana. Fast forward 30 years, and Lithium has become famous as an indispensable element in the multibillion-dollar renewable energy industry. Lithium is a key component of the rechargeable batteries that power things like electric cars. Production of other important consumer products like cellular phones and solar energy panels also requires large amounts of lithium.
Without enough Lithium to power those batteries and other innovations, the world’s effort to fight climate change through renewable energy will be hampered. In a recent report, high-ranking DOE official Jeff Marootian said, “Lithium is vital to decarbonizing the economy and meeting President Biden’s goals of 50% electric vehicle adoption by 2030.” The problem with that is China currently dominates the global production of lithium.
A global rival such as China controlling the world’s supply of lithium runs counter to America’s strategic and economic interests. That’s why the DOE has been funding the exploration of lithium sources inside the United States. As part of that effort, it gave a $14.9 million grant to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy to study the area surrounding the Salton Sea, which straddles Riverside and Imperial counties in the California desert.
California Gov. Gavin Newsome was touring the Salton Sea with President Joe Biden to tout America’s renewable energy industry when he referred to the area as “the Saudi Arabia of lithium.” If that sounds like an exaggeration, consider that the DOE estimates there is enough lithium beneath the Salton Sea to provide batteries for more than 375 million electric vehicles (EVs).
The estimated 18 million tons of lithium would put America firmly in the lead in terms of supplying the global market. It could turbocharge EV and solar production and has the potential to give the United States an unprecedented level of energy independence.
If the lithium beneath the Salton Sea can be harvested and brought to market, America would no longer have to rely on nations like Saudi Arabia and China for its energy or automaking needs. America would also be much richer because lithium is worth an estimated $29,000 per ton. That would make the Salton Sea’s estimated 18 million gallons worth $540 billion.
A partnership between the U.S. government and Buffett has the potential to increase America’s production of lithium and profitability for the industry. That’s why Berkshire Hathaway Energy is hard at work. The company operates 10 of the Salton Sea’s geothermal power plants.
It is not alone. EnergySource and Controlled Thermal Resources are also operating in the area. If America becomes the global leader in lithium production, it could lead to a boom of lithium-based businesses that could add billions or trillions of dollars per year to the U.S. economy.
In Los Angeles, a 49-unit apartment complex is taking 17 years to complete, the result of complex laws that exacerbated California’s affordable housing crisis
https://www.yahoo.com/news/los-angeles-49-unit-apartment-014226893.html
In Los Angeles, a 49-unit apartment complex is taking 17 years to complete, the result of complex laws that exacerbated California’s affordable housing crisis
By John L. Dorman
December 17, 2023
For decades, California has struggled with a persistent affordable housing shortage.
A WSJ report detailed how one LA housing project was unable to get off the ground for over 15 years.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has made it a priority to obtain project approvals in a timely manner.
Los Angeles has long attracted new residents with its warm weather, abundant outdoor amenities, and the lure of opportunities in the media and entertainment industry.
But the state of California has also become widely known for its severe housing crunch, with affordability being the leading issue that has driven many natives and longtime residents to inland communities and lower-cost states.
According to The Wall Street Journal, California’s complex regulations have played a major role in delaying the construction of a 49-unit apartment complex known as Lorena Plaza in the Boyle Heights neighborhood east of downtown Los Angeles.
In 2007, A Community of Friends, a local nonprofit organization, was given land to build a small affordable housing development, but construction on the project only began roughly a year ago.
The project was slowed down by the need for various approvals from politicians and commissions and higher construction costs caused by multiple delays, the Journal reported.
The city wants to build 450,000 new units of housing by 2029, according to The Los Angeles Times.
But the absence of housing remains a significant obstacle for many Angelenos right now. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, in their 2023 report, estimated that roughly 46,000 people in the city are experiencing homelessness on any given right.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a former congresswoman who this month completed her first year in City Hall, said last December that the glacial pace of progress regarding Lorena Plaza was emblematic of policies she sought to reshape as mayor.
“How on earth could we expect to house 40,000 [homeless] people if we continue to do business as usual?” the mayor said at the Lorena Plaza site at the time, per The Journal.
Bass has prioritized projects that only contain affordable units, but there’s still a need for more subsidies to build additional buildings, per The Journal. And there’s also the issue of some cities in California carefully scrutinizing projects to such a degree that long construction delays are inevitable if the projects even get off the ground.
According to a UCLA and CSU-Northridge analysis of building permits from 2010 to 2022, constructing an apartment building in California took an average of four years during that period.
According to the analysis, 36% of the projects awarded permits in the state during that timeframe have yet to be finished.
“Thinking about building in a city like Los Angeles and dealing with the politics, navigating the bureaucracy, it’s the last place I want to be,” Pacific Companies CEO Caleb Roope told The Journal.
A 1970s-era state law permitting an appeals process for environmental reviews further halted construction at the Lorena Plaza project before it was revived.
However, Bass has pushed for major changes in Los Angeles that would seriously limit the sort of delays that previously plagued the Lorena Plaza project, per The Journal.
And Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a slew of laws in October to help ease the state’s housing crisis, according to Business Insider.
Environmental appeals can no longer drag on for a year or more, and hearings must be conducted within a 75-day timeframe. And the zoning approvals for affordable housing projects are occurring more swiftly, sometimes within a few months, as part of an executive order signed by Bass.
California gave “compassionate release” to an armed robber. Anyone who isn’t a gullible idiot can guess what he did after he got out.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-accused-robbing-armored-car-023023518.html
Man accused of robbing armored car received ‘compassionate release’ from previous sentence for same crime
By Travis Schlepp
December 12, 2023
A man accused of robbing an armored car at gunpoint earlier this year had previously served 26 years in federal prison and was granted “compassionate release” by the state of California, which is typically reserved for inmates diagnosed with terminal diseases or other debilitating illnesses.
Markham David Bond, 60, of Inglewood was arrested in November for allegedly robbing a Brinks courier at gunpoint in a Chase bank parking lot on South Sepulveda Boulevard in Westchester on Aug. 18.
Bond allegedly pointed a gun at a Brinks employee who was carrying a blue duffel bag full of cash, ordered him to the ground and verbally threatened him. He then fled with the duffel bag, which was filled with about $145,000 in cash.
Police issued a crime alert for the suspect, releasing still images of a getaway car and the person identified as the robber.
On Aug. 27, officers located and seized the vehicle, a Chevrolet Tahoe with “distinctive rims and damage to a rear window,” where they found the blue duffel bag and a black Las Vegas Raiders ballcap that matched the one shown in surveillance images.
Bond was eventually identified as the suspect through DNA evidence collected from the ballcap and was arrested at his Inglewood home on Nov. 22. His home is located only about a few-hundred feet from where the suspect vehicle was found, officials said.
During the arrest, authorities recovered a .40-caliber pistol with 10 rounds of ammunition, a maroon-colored long-sleeve shirt similar to the one worn by the armored car robber, as well as $9,000 in crumpled cash that was hidden inside a refrigerator.
According to the United States Department of Justice, Bond was previously convicted in 1985 and 1995 for armed bank robbery, firearms violations and other crimes. In January 1995, he was sentenced to 46 years and 10 months in prison for another armed robbery of an armored vehicle courier.
But in January 2022, Bond’s attorney petitioned for him to be placed on supervised release, citing California’s “compassionate release” rule which allows for the release of prisoners who are terminally ill or have other serious health complications that could result in them being unable to care for themselves.
Bond’s lawyer argued that the now 60-year-old was in fragile health and was no longer a threat to the community. Despite objections from the DOJ, a judge granted his release and Bond began his 12-year supervised release that was part of his original sentence.
Bond now awaits new charges for the armored car heist, as well as charges related to gun and ammunition possession, which violated the terms of his release.
He is currently being held in jail without bail while he awaits trial. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
Three people were murdered in a mass shooting because California gave probation to a violent serial criminal named Louis Peter Hernandez
https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-gang-member-convicted-felon-234756160.html
California gang member, a convicted felon, goes on shooting rampage, killing 3, while on probation
November 30, 2023
A California man — a convicted felon out on probation — is facing multiple murder charges after he allegedly went on a shooting rampage that took the lives of his current and former girlfriends in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to authorities.
Officers say Louis Peter Hernandez, 41, entered a home Nov. 25 in Fontana, and allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend along with one other person inside the home. Hernandez then allegedly traveled to Riverside County and shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, according to a release from the San Bernadino County District Attorney.
Authorities added there’s also an ongoing investigation into a fourth gunshot victim who was allegedly involved in an altercation with Hernandez. That victim is recovering in the hospital.
According to the release, Hernandez is a known gang member with a violent criminal history, and was on probation and post-release community supervision at the time of the shooting spree.
California Governor Gavin Newsom gave early release to a convicted mass shooter, became friends with him, was photographed in public with him, and got him a cushy government funded job. Meanwhile, Newsom has shown zero concern for the innocent victim who was paralyzed by this convicted mass shooter.
LA gangster who shot and paralyzed a 16-year-old girl now works for California’s Department of Public Safety after Gavin Newsom slashed his 162 year sentence to just eight years
Jarad Nava shot into a car carrying four young women in September 2012
They were relatives of a rival gang member and one was a pregnant teenager
Another, Yesenia Castro, had her spinal chord severed by a bullet
After serving 8 years in prison, he was released in December 2020
By Jen Smith
November 23, 2023
Above: Jarad Nava, now 28, works as an assistant in the Department of Public Safety and is an advocate of prison reform and was featured in a Los Angeles Times profile today. He is shown with California Governor Gavin Newsom
Above: Victim, Yesenia Castro, was 16 when she was shot in the back and lost use of her legs. She wanted Nava to spend at least 50 years in prison
A former gangster who was sentenced to 162 years in prison for shooting and paralyzing a 16-year-old girl in 2012 is now working in the California capitol.
Jarad Nava, now 28, works as an assistant in the Department of Public Safety and is an advocate of prison reform. He was featured in a Los Angeles Times profile Thursday and credits California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom for his early release.
In 2012, while drunk and high, he shot into a car carrying the relatives of a rival gang member. One of the victims was 16-year-old Yesenia Castro, who was shot in the back.
The bullet severed her spinal chord and she was paralyzed from the waist down.
Nava, who was 17 at the time, rejected a plea deal that would have sentenced him to 30 years in prison.
After trial, he was sentenced to 162 years in prison on four counts of attempted murder.
In the years that followed, he was featured in a prison reform documentary that highlighted his case and the plight of young offenders who the filmmakers felt had been unfairly represented.
Yesenia, his victim, was interviewed for the film and said she wanted him to spend 50 years in prison.
‘When they arrested him, I felt relieved. I don’t want him to be dead or anything, I just want him to pay a price,’ she said.
Despite that, his sentence was commuted to 10 years by Gavin Newsom. He eventually walked free in 2020, eight years after the shooting.
Victim, raped repeatedly by her uncle at 14 years old, terrified by his impending parole 29 years later
https://www.yahoo.com/news/victim-raped-repeatedly-her-uncle-030443925.html
Victim, raped repeatedly by her uncle at 14 years old, terrified by his impending parole 29 years later
November 17, 2023
The California state Board of Parole will release a serial child rapist with 140 years left on his sentence using a program allowing the early release of older inmates, despite objections from his victim and those who prosecuted him.
Cody Woodsen Klemp, now 67, had previous convictions for rape and attempted rape before his niece was placed in his care in 1990, per reporting by FOX 11.
Four years later, he was convicted on 40 felonies stemming from his repeated rape of the then-14-year-old, including 20 counts of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child, 10 counts of rape and 10 counts of forced oral copulation on a child.
Jurors heard evidence that Klemp made numerous threats to kill his victims for reporting the abuse, per The Press Enterprise – but the child managed to escape and disclose the abuse to her therapist.
On November 8, just 29 years into Klemp’s 170-year prison sentence, the state parole board announced his impending release some time before or on March 15, 2024.
The body, made up of 21 commissioners appointed by the Governor and approved by the state senate, justified their decision with his “low risk for violence,” his advanced age and his “marketable skills.”
When it was enacted in 2018, the Elderly Parole Program allowed for a parole review for inmates over 60 who have already served 25 years of their sentence. Revisions in 2021 changed the program, making inmates over 50 eligible for parole hearings if they served 20 or more continuous years of their sentences, per reporting by The Press Enterprise.
Riverside District Attorney Mike Hestrin, whose office prosecuted Klemp, expressed shock at the board’s decision:
“This is a devastating blow to victims, and our office will continue to fight on their behalf,” Hestrin wrote in a statement Friday. “Although this practice of early release is far from unusual these days, considering the inmate’s particularly violent criminal history, and admissions to the parole board itself, it is shocking that such a release would be considered.”
Before his release was announced at the November 8 parole hearing, his victim testified to the lasting psychological effects of her uncle’s abuse.
“It was because of him that I learned to cut. It was because of him that I hate me,” Klemp’s victim, now 48, told the board. “It was because of him that the only prayer I had was a prayer not to wake up. I always believed that somehow I did something to deserve it.”
“Unlike Cody, for me, for his victims, there is no parole board,” she continued. “We don’t get to ask or request release from our mental prisons.”
Klemp’s victim was born to a developmentally disabled mother who bore at least a dozen children, all of whom were adopted to foster homes or families, per reporting by The Orange County Register.
The abuse started with a tickling game, she told the outlet. That game escalated to repeated rape and psychological abuse. When she threatened to kill herself, the victim said, Klemp gave her a gun and dared her to follow through.
“The only reason the abuse stopped was because I had the guts to run away,” she told the outlet. “I had no money, I had nowhere to go, and yet anything that I faced in the streets would have been better than what I was facing at home.”
Following Klemp’s conviction, his niece sued child welfare agencies in Riverside and Los Angeles on the grounds that they did not perform sufficient background checks before placing her with her uncle. Klemp’s victim told The Press Enterprise she lost on a technicality.
A year after her placement, a Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services administrator told The Press Enterprise, mandatory background checks and home visits were mandated for child placements through the agency.
In an interview with South California News Group, the victim said she was “terrified [Klemp is] going to kill [her].”
“He’s a lifetime criminal,” she told the agency. “He’ll do it. He’s dangerous. I have been a mess. I’ve had nightmares all night long. It’s just this impending doom. It’s like being raped over and over again.”
More so than her own safety, his victim said, she feared for other potential victims:
“I am very scared – but I can only die once,” she said. “The victims that he goes on to perpetrate against will die many, many more times.”
She decided to go public with her story hoping that the board would reconsider its decision, saying that she “want[s] this in every newspaper.”
The Riverside District Attorney’s Office wrote in their news release Friday that anyone opposed to Klemp’s release or the Elderly Parole Program’s minimum eligibility requirements may contact Gov. Gavin Newsom at 1021 O Street, Suite 9000, Sacramento, CA 95814 or by calling (916) 445-2841.
In Los Angeles County, a person was stabbed because the judges and district attorney refused to lock up a violent serial criminal who had been arrested 14 times since 2019
https://www.yahoo.com/news/violent-repeat-offender-considered-armed-015251714.html
Violent repeat offender considered armed and dangerous wanted in L.A. County
By Josh DuBose
October 23, 2023
Police are searching for a 41-year-old man in connection with a violent stabbing in Claremont who is a repeat offender and should be considered armed and dangerous.
Officers with the Claremont Police Department responded to 200 West First Street, a Metrolink Station, at around 4 p.m. Sunday on reports of the stabbing, according to a CPD news release.
The suspect, now identified as Phillip Borunda, had already fled the scene when police arrived.
Authorities located the victim in the grassy area near the Claremont Museum of Art and learned that he had been stabbed in the ribcage after an alleged argument with the Borunda. Paramedics with the Los Angeles County Fire Department took the victim, who was suffering from possibly life-threatening injuries to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.
“All l saw was cop cars, the ambulance,” Amal Najir, who works at the nearby Jax Bicycle Center said.
Claremont resident Melissa Larose, who owns the Method Lagree, a fitness studio, told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson that she has seen the 41-year-old suspect before.
“It’s a block from where my studio is and we have young girls who are opening the studio and closing it after and before hours, so it’s really scary, feels unsafe,” she said.
Larose’s friend, Tina Rodriguez, she’s not surprised by the incident.
“If this would have happened a few years ago, it would have been completely shocking,” she said. “But I think that we’ve just both seen the city go in a direction that we’re not happy with.”
According to police, Borunda is known to frequent Claremont and Pomona and that he has a lengthy criminal history. Since 2019, police say he’s been arrested some 14 times for crimes including burglary, arson, possession of stolen property and drug offenses. The 41-year-old is also out of custody while waiting to be arraigned for an arson case this past summer.
The Claremont Police Officer’s Association has criticized Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, saying in part:
“Unfortunately, District Attorney George Gascón’s policies have often resulted in [Borunda’s] release without facing charges or consequences, posing a significant threat to our community.”
For its part, the DA’s office disputes that narrative, saying that in this case their bail policy has no impact on Borunda’s release because he was cited and released by law enforcement before the L.A. County court system’s zero bail policy went into effect.
“The defendant was arrested by the Claremont Police Department (CPD) on July 13th for a misdemeanor arson offense,” the DA’s office said in a statement to KTLA. “CPD released him and gave him a citation to appear on 9/12 for arraignment. The defendant failed to appear, and the court issued a $15,000 warrant. The [L.A. DA’s] bail policy had no impact on his release.”
While police told KTLA that the stabbing appears to be an isolated incident and that the victim is still hospitalized in stable condition, some residents said they want to see change.
“We need to get back to a law-and-order society,” Claremont resident Dan Hartman said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Claremont Police Department at 909-399-5411.
This video from KTLA in Long Beach is good news for anyone who wanted to defund the police.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4byEY8AFEZk
Here’s more proof that the voters in the Bay Area are in favor of violent crime, car theft, and car burglaries
This violent serial criminal has been arrested more than a dozen times in the past five years.
He has stolen many cars.
He has stolen the contents from many parked cars.
He has caused multiple hit and runs, which injured multiple people.
He even ran over one person’s foot.
The police are doing their job, but the district attorneys and judges are not.
The people who live in the Bay Area are getting exactly what they voted for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Tr3R_9ZMY
California serial killer dies of old age 37 years after being sentenced to death. This is pathetic. California’s “death penalty” is a joke.
https://ktla.com/news/california/california-serial-killer-death-row-inmate-anthony-sully-dies-at-79/
California serial killer, death row inmate Anthony Sully dies at 79
By Amy Larson
A San Francisco Bay Area serial killer died from natural causes after spending the last four decades of his life on San Quentin prison’s death row, state officials said.
Anthony J. Sully was sentenced to death on June 3, 1986, for murdering six victims. Sully was a former Millbrae, California police officer who beat, raped, and killed prostitutes.
“Anthony J. Sully, housed at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center on condemned status, died of natural causes Sept. 8,” California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials wrote.
Sully, 79, was pronounced deceased at 2:21 a.m. Friday at an outside medical facility. A Marin County Sheriff’s coroner will conduct an autopsy.
The policeman-turned-serial killer had been locked in San Quentin since June 15, 1986. Sully was convicted by a San Mateo County jury of murdering Kathryn Barrett, 24; Barbara Searcy, 22; Gloria Jean Fravel, 24, Brendan Oakden, 19; Michael Thomas 24, and Phyllis Melendez, 20.
After leaving the police force in Millbrae, Sully set up an electrical contracting business at a warehouse in Burlingame. Inside the warehouse, Sully tied up, beat, and brutally raped prostitutes, according to court records filed in 1991 in response to one of his appeals. Some of the women were killed during the beatings.
A witness said Sully told her that the only difference between “killing someone now, and killing someone as a policeman,” was that police had permission to do it, court records state.
He murdered five women and one man “in bizarre episodes. He freebased cocaine and had sex with prostitutes at the warehouse, subjecting the prostitutes to rape, beatings, and other forms of violence. Although he denied committing any of the murders, extensive circumstantial and physical evidence, as well as accomplice testimony, supported his conviction on each count,” court records state.
A second former San Quentin prison death row inmate, 71-year-old Ronald L. Sanders, died on Tuesday from natural causes, CDCR officials said. Sanders was pronounced deceased at 10:02 a.m. at California Medical Facility in Vacaville.
Sanders was sentenced to death in Kern County on March 3, 1982 for the murder of Janice Dishroon Allen, 29. He was admitted to San Quentin’s death row on June 13, 1984.
There are currently 654 condemned inmates in CDCR prisons. California has not carried out a death row execution in 17 years. The last execution was that of Clarence Ray Allen held on Jan. 17, 2006, prison officials said. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-09-19, instituting a moratorium on the death penalty in California.
San Quentin State Prison was once home to America’s largest death row. Earlier this year, Governor Newsom announced plans to transform and renamed the notorious lockup to “San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.”
Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog 