General Updates
January 27, 2012
California Supreme Court denies challenge of Senate maps
The California Supreme Court ruled today that state Senate maps drawn by a citizens commission will be used in this year's elections, despite a pending referendum to overturn them.
The issue came before the High Court after a Republican-backed group, Fairness and Accountability in Redistricting, filed more than 711,000 signatures with county elections offices in a referendum to overturn Senate maps drawn by a 14-member citizens commission.
Californians will decide the fate of the newly drawn Senate districts in November if 504,760 of the signatures are from valid voters. Legislative candidates must file and run their campaigns before then, however, so justices needed to identify district maps to be in effect immediately...
LINK - SacBee.com
January 26, 2012
Update: Ruling in the McGowan Case
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruled at 8:20 this morning (view the decision below) in the case of Rob McGowan. While the decision is quite complicated, and doesn’t free Rob immediately, it is an incredible victory, and presents the opportunity to get Rob home in the near future.
In a nutshell, the Court denied Rob’s appeal on the conviction, saying the appeal should be brought as an ineffective assistance of counsel claim under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 before the trial court on remand...
January 26, 2012
Sentence overturned for Chino prison guard
A federal appeals court panel has overturned the sentence of a former guard convicted of abusing two shackled inmates at a Chino prison.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that 42-year-old Robert McGowan was deprived of due process when a judge relied on an inmate's allegations as the basis for the four-year sentence imposed.
McGowan has served 19 months....
LINK - SFGate.com
January 26, 2012
Appeals Panel Tosses Prison Sentence Given To Chino Guard Convicted Of Abusing Inmates
A federal appellate panel Thursday threw out a four-year sentence given to a former Chino prison guard convicted of abusing inmates.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a district judge in Los Angeles should re-sentence Robert McGowan. He was convicted by a federal jury in 2007 after being accused of assault in a case in which shackled inmates were thrown to the ground.
In his appeal, McGowan, 42, of Apple Valley successfully argued that he was deprived of due process when the trial judge relied on a state prison inmate’s “unreliable allegations” as a basis for the 51-month sentence imposed in 2010...
LINK - LosAngeles.CBSLocal.com
January 22, 2012
More Lockouts as Companies Battle Unions
America’s unionized workers, buffeted by layoffs and stagnating wages, face another phenomenon that is increasingly throwing them on the defensive: lockouts.
From the Cooper Tire factory in Findlay, Ohio, to a country club in Southern California and sugar beet processing plants in North Dakota, employers are turning to lockouts to press their unionized workers to grant concessions after contract negotiations deadlock. Even the New York City Opera locked out its orchestra and singers for more than a week before settling the dispute last Wednesday.
Many Americans know about the highly publicized lockouts in professional sports — like last year’s 130-day lockout by the National Football League and the 161-day lockout by the National Basketball Association — but lockouts, once a rarity, have been used in less visible industries as well...
LINK - NYTimes.com
January 18, 2012
2012 State of the State Address
The full text from the 2012 State of the State Address given by Governor Jerry Brown in Sacramento, California on January 18, 2012...
January 11, 2012
The 2012-13 Budget: Overview of the Governor’s Budget
The Governor’s proposed tax initiative is the cornerstone of his 2012-13 budget plan, which includes proposals to restructure education finance, reduce social services and child care programs substantially, and implement trigger cuts--primarily affecting schools--if voters do not approve the tax measure.
The Governor’s plan would continue the difficult task of restoring the state budget to balance, but the difficulty in knowing how much taxable income will be attributable to high-income Californians makes the state’s revenue estimates an even bigger question mark than usual.
With regard to the Governor’s major proposals, we think the Governor’s education restructuring proposals would institute lasting improvements to the system, and we observe that, while his social services and child care proposals have merit, they involve considerable drawbacks as well, given potentially severe impacts on affected families...
January 4, 2012
CCPOA Member Alert: Parole Agent Shot
December 2, 2011
CCPOA supports Childhood Cancer Foundation of Southern California
The Loma Linda Drayson Center (25040 Stewart Street Loma Linda 92354) will be transformed into a Winter Wonderland for Childhood Cancer Foundation of Southern California’s (CCFSC) 30th Annual Christmas Celebration presented by San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. The celebration is for children with cancer and their families who are registered with Childhood Cancer Foundation on Sunday, December 4, 2011 from 1:00-5:00pm. The annual celebration is provided by Childhood Cancer Foundation with the desire to provide families who are battling cancer the opportunity to enjoy the holidays in a safe environment.
More than 480 children and their parents have pre-registered to enjoy of the days holiday celebration. As the children arrive they are surrounded with 25 craft tables and activities to choose from. Christmas music will fill the gym with holiday cheer. Families will enjoy pizza that will be donated from Domino’s Pizza in Redlands and other goodies while listening to an interactive music program...
LINK - HighlandNews.net
November 3, 2011
Assembly budget aides expecting $5 billion to $8 billion state budget deficit next year
Assembly budget officials expect California to face a deficit of about $5 billion to $8 billion next fiscal year, higher than the $3.1 billion projected by Gov. Jerry Brown, according to a legislative memo obtained by The Bee.
The memo itself doesn't explain why Assembly officials believe the deficit will be larger than once projected, but one budget source said it was due to a variety of factors such as uncertainty over legal challenges, additional demand for public programs and a less optimistic view of the economy in the next fiscal year...
LINK - SacBee.com
