September 2010 News
September 30, 2010
Schwarzenegger vetoes prison cell-phone bill
September 30, 2010 - Despite threats posed by skyrocketing cell-phone use by prison inmates, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation Wednesday to make furnishing them such devices a misdemeanor.
The governor also rejected a measure that would have lowered the fine for motorists who make illegal right turns at a red light, saying the change from $450 per violation to $220 would send "the wrong message to the public that California is tolerant of these types of offenses." Cities, many of which use video cameras to enforce red light violations and charge the higher fine for turning right at a red light without coming to a full stop, had pushed for the veto...
LINK - SacBee.com
Related news - just a couple weeks earlier...
Attack on SC prison guard renews phone-jam debate
September 13, 2010 - South Carolina authorities who have helped push for permission to block cell phone signals inside prisons say an officer in charge of keeping out contraband was nearly killed at his home - in an attack planned with a smuggled phone.
Corrections Department Capt. Robert Johnson was getting ready to go to work at Lee Correctional Institution about 50 miles east of Columbia one day last March. Around 5:30 a.m., a man broke down the front door of Johnson's mobile home, shooting the 15-year prison veteran six times in the chest and stomach...
LINK - AP.Google News
September 30, 2010
Parolee found with drugs, guns in Apple Valley
Sheriff's deputies arrested a High Desert parolee Wednesday after they found him in possession of two handguns, methamphetamine, PCP and marijuana, sheriff's officials said.
Raymond Vargas, 33, of Apple Valley was a parolee who was wanted back into custody of law enforcement. They found the weapons and drugs after finding him in the 19000 block of Highway 18...
LINK - SBSun.com
September 29, 2010
Few sex offenders being released from prison with GPS
Paul Franklin Castro, an Escondido sex offender, failed to report to his parole agent to be fitted with a GPS tracking device after he was released from prison Aug. 30.
While the episode ended well ---- he turned himself in after intense media coverage ---- it raised the question of why Castro, 53, a convicted rapist and child molester, or any sex offender, would be freed from prison without first being fitted with the global positioning system tracking technology that became mandatory under 2006's Jessica's Law.
But no law or policy says GPS monitoring must begin the moment a sex offender gets out of prison. And it's not standard procedure...
LINK - NCTimes.com
September 29, 2010
Be on lookout for ‘dangerous’ parolee on the loose
Cops are hunting a “dangerous” parolee they say brutally raped, robbed and beat a victim in a Potrero Hill public housing complex Tuesday.
Damir Shalako, 25, is accused of attacking the victim around noon in the Potrero Hill Housing Authority Development.
Authorities say he is on parole from Santa Rosa. He is believed to have family in San Francisco and associates in Susanville. He could be using public transit to get around, cops said...
LINK - SFExaminer.com
September 29, 2010
Chu Vue Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder
Former Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy Chu Vue has been found guilty of first-degree murder for orchestrating the 2008 killing of his wife's lover, Steven Lo.
Chu will spend the rest of his life in prison with no possibility of parole for the shooting death of Lo, who was also a state correctional officer.
Chu was also found guilty of being an accessory to a felony, harboring a fugitive and illegally accessing another person's data...
LINK - CBS13.com
September 29, 2010
Echo Park gunman fatally shot by LAPD had history of weapons convictions
A heavily armed man who was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers after a confrontation during a traffic stop in Echo Park was identified Wednesday as Jack Schlesinger, whom authorities described as a parolee with multiple weapons convictions.
Schlesinger had convictions dating back to at least 2002, when he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in state prison for shooting into an inhabited dwelling, authorities said. He was convicted several additional times between 2004 and 2008 for possessing a weapon in state prison.
After his release from prison April 22, 2010, Schlesinger failed to report to his parole officer and within a week was classified as a parolee at large...
LINK - LATimes.com
September 28, 2010
2010 General Election Endorsement
CCPOA's Official Endorsements for the 2010 California General Election
Senate and Assembly candidates by district/location, Statewide candidates and Proposition 22...
September 23, 2010
State promises money to keep CCF operating
The City of Taft has been promised money from the state to keep the Community Correctional Facility open after it said it would close it down before using up city general fund reserves to keep it open.
That word came on Wednesday when city officials and officials from other Kern County cities with CCCFs met with with the California Department of Corrections and rehabilitation.
Taft has not been paid by the state in since April for housing inmates and reached the point where it told the CDCR it would close the facility if it didn't get money...
LINK - TaftMidwayDriller.com
September 23, 2010
Parolee from Turlock was wanted in string of burglaries
UPDATE - Stanislaus County sheriff's officials this evening released the name of a parolee wanted for a string of burglaries who holed up in a mobile home in Keyes and surrendered after the SWAT team fired tear gas into the house. Paul Parmley, 35, of Turlock faces charges of violating his parole as well as evading a law enforcement officer during a chase.
LINK - ModBee.com
A standoff in the town of Keyes between Stanislaus County Sheriff's deputies and a parolee wanted for felony evasion and burglary has ended.
The incident unfolded behind a home in the 5400 block of 8th Street near Lizzie Avenue where the suspect was hiding inside a trailer.
The suspect was taken into custody at around 2:15 p.m. after SWAT officers fired tear gas at the suspect...
LINK - CBS13.com
September 23, 2010
Coroner names parolee who died after use of Taser by deputies
Coroner's officials on Monday identified the parolee who died after he allegedly fought with deputies and was Tased this weekend.
Joseph Frank Kennedy, 48, died at 1:53 a.m. Saturday at La Palma Intercommunity Hospital in La Palma, according to Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Department of the Coroner. An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Corral said they don't have a current address for Kennedy and the family member they notified about his death lives in Pennsylvania...
LINK - WhittierDailyNews.com
September 23, 2010
Suspect in escape threw guns into Arizona prison, report says
A woman charged with helping three dangerous inmates escape from a northwest Arizona prison tossed handguns into the prison along with wire-cutting tools, according to a report released Monday.
A 46-page state Department of Corrections investigative report states Casslyn Welch provided the tools the three needed to cut through a perimeter fence to make their July 30 getaway.
The report also reveals that escapee John McCluskey borrowed a prohibited cell phone that another inmate used for "drug dealing" to speak with Welch minutes before she parked near the prison and walked to the fence to facilitate the breakout, according to fellow escapee Tracy Province...
LINK - LVRJ.com
September 23, 2010
CA parolee arrested in Wyoming
Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers Wednesday arrested a California man who was wanted on a nationwide felony warrant after a brief pursuit near Green River, Wyo.
A trooper spotted a Ford F-150 eastbound on Interstate 80 about 30 miles west of Green River. Authorities were searching for the vehicle after a woman told law enforcement in Evanston that she was a passenger in the truck and that the driver, Alfred R. Digiandomenico, 42, of Vallejo, Calif., had assaulted her in Utah.
The trooper and a pair of Sweetwater County Sheriff’s deputies tried to stop the F-150, but it sped off at speeds of up to 100 mph, according to a highway patrol press release...
LINK - BillingsGazette.com
September 23, 2010
Parolee problems: Woman with kitchen knife repels parolee burglar
Police say a Concord woman fought off a parolee who was hiding in her bedroom with a kitchen knife.
Lt. Andrew Gartner said Robert Jarrett was running from a police officer who had tried to arrest on him an outstanding warrant Wednesday afternoon when Jarrett allegedly holed up in the woman's home.
Gartner says the woman reported that Jarrett tried to force her into the bathroom when she found him there, but fled when she cut his face and arm with a knife...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
September 22, 2010
CDCR’s 12-hour shift proposal could prevent volunteering
Correctional peace officers at Pelican Bay State Prison are asking for support in protesting shift changes they say will limit their ability to serve as volunteers in the community.
Officers recently requested letters of support from the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors and the Crescent City Council to send to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
Paul Wenning, Pelican Bay chapter president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, said CDCR is proposing a switch from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts...
LINK - Triplicate.com
September 22, 2010
CCPOA Member Alert: Gov Candidate Positions
Meg Whitman v. Jerry Brown on the Issues that affect California state workers and BU6 the most.
Meg Whitman:
• Collective Bargaining:
Whitman also said the extension of collective bargaining rights
to state workers in 1977 was "probably not a good thing."
Source: Sacramento Bee, 9/20/2010• On State Employees:
“Well, I know, from my experience, that almost any
organization, you can lay off 10 percent of the
bureaucracy, and actually -- maybe it's easier, actually,
with fewer people, and it will not be a hardship on the
state. And, so, that would say that you want to lay off
between 30,000 and 40,000 people.”
Source: CNN, 5/18/2009
September 22, 2010
Supervisory Update: September 22, 2010 (Various Issues)
Dear Supervisory Member,
Over the past week numerous meetings have been held in various forums to discuss supervisory issues.
On Thursday September 16th Steve Weiss, CCPOA Chief of Labor, Michael Smalley, CCPOA Benefit Trust and myself attended a meeting with two DPA Labor Relations employees. We initiated this meeting to request giving our SO6 and MO6 members the option of remaining with the CCPOA Benefit Trust for dental. I know for me personally it would save $60 a month. It may not work for everyone, but we believe we should have the option, just as other units that operate their own trusts have...
September 22, 2010
Supervisory Update: September 22, 2010 (Governor’s Race)
Dear Supervisory Member,
If you need any evidence to demonstrate just how important the upcoming election is to our profession you need to look further than Meg Whitman’s quotes (below) over the last two days. I seriously doubt that this is a coincidence considering we just came out in support of Jerry Brown for Governor. If her quotes are in fact coincidence then I personally am glad we are not supporting her...
September 22, 2010
Vallejo parolee captured after manhunt
A Vallejo parolee led law enforcement on a daylong manhunt Monday before his arrest that evening.
Johnny Colcleaser, 27, was being sought in connection to alleged death threats he made to his cousin earlier that day. Colcleaser, allegedly armed with a handgun, managed to evade a multi-agency search that included Lake County Sheriff's deputies, the California Highway Patrol and Sonoma County Sheriff's helicopter support.
Law enforcement was tipped off to Colcleaser's whereabouts at about 9 p.m., and discovered him, allegedly hiding and unarmed in a residence...
LINK - TimesHeraldOnline.com
September 21, 2010
Whitman willing to take pension cutbacks to the ballot box
Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman said Monday that she would place pension cutbacks on the ballot if negotiations with state workers fail and would consider using her personal fortune not only to win office but to advance her agenda if elected.
Taking the issue to voters is "not my first choice," she told The Bee's editorial board. "But if we have to … this is an issue we have got to take up."
The former eBay CEO and billionaire said she "possibly" would put her own money behind a ballot measure campaign...
September 20, 2010
Whitman proposes reduced pensions for correctional officers and privatized prisons
Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman told The Sacramento Bee editorial board this morning that, if elected, she'll negotiate with the three biggest public employee unions to create 401(k)-style retirement plans for new state workers.
She also said she would "take a whack" at reining in the state's prison costs, including moving prisoners to other states and cutting prison health care costs.
She added that she would seek pension reforms for prison guards, while other public safety employees would be exempt from such changes...
LINK - SacBee.com Capitol Alert Blog
CLICK HERE to see video clips from the Meg Whitman interview with the Sacramento Bee.
September 20, 2010
Prison reopens dormitory
The California Institution for Men has reopened the dormitory that was closed after inmates destroyed the housing unit in a riot last year.
Reception Center West at CIM has been redubbed "CIM West" and has a grand opening ceremony scheduled for Oct. 6. Contractors have finished refurbishing about half of the area's eight dormitories. The housing area is expected to be completely refurbished at the end of the month, said Lt. Mark Hargrove, CIM spokesman, at a cost of $6million. As of last week, 461 inmates had been moved into CIM West.
Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have decided that the refurbished dorms will no longer house higher-risk reception center inmates...
LINK - SBSun.com
September 20, 2010
Thousands of state inmates shut out of the classroom
Fewer than one in every ten California inmates are enrolled in an educational program, despite a pledge by state officials to enhance rehabilitation efforts in order to cut recidivism and relieve prison overcrowding.
An estimated 14,360 inmates were taking part in a variety of academic classes out of a total adult inmate population of 162,608, according to a report [PDF] released last week by the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board.
As part of its biannual report on the prison system, the board calculated enrollment in academic classes at 35.9 percent of existing capacity. That means that two-thirds of the classroom slots available for adult inmates in California were empty as of last June, when the data was compiled...
LINK - CaliforniaWatch.org
September 19, 2010
Fresno police arrest wanted parolee
Fresno police officers arrested a wanted parolee in central Fresno on Sunday morning on suspicion of car theft and possession of marijuana for sale.
Officers said they spotted a 2005 BMW 525 that had been reported stolen in Fresno and tried to get the driver to pull over around 11 a.m. Sunday. The driver sped up to 70 mph at Gettysburg and Blackstone avenues and officers called off their pursuit.
Officers found the car with the doors locked a short time later at the Save Mart Supermarket parking lot at Ashlan and West avenues...
LINK - FresnoBee.com
September 18, 2010
VISTA: Wanted parolee arrested
Authorities arrested a parolee suspected of assault and indecent exposure Friday, sheriff's deputies said.
A deputy with the Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Andres Hernandez Camarena, 36, at 5:56 p.m. after a traffic stop in the 600 block of West Vista Way, deputies said.
Sheriff's Department investigators said Camarena was driving in the 400 block of Massachusetts Avenue in Vista on Sunday when he stopped two teenage girls. The investigators said the suspect told the girls that he was lost and asked them for directions while masturbating in his vehicle...
LINK - NCTimes.com
September 17, 2010
Supervisory Meeting Minutes: September 17, 2010
Minutes for the CCPOA Supervisory Meeting
September 17, 2010
Conducted by:
Kevin Raymond, CCPOA Supervisory Vice President
Date: September 17, 2010
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: CCPOA HQ - NCWF Conference Room
Keynote Speakers:
• Chuck Alexander, CCPOA State Executive Vice President
• Dave Sanders, CCPOA Chief Operations Officer
• Daryl Lee, CCPOA R&F CYA Vice President
• Steve Weiss, CCPOA Chief of Labor
• Dan Lindsay, CCPOA, Chief Counsel
• Jeff Nicolaysen, CCPOA, Chief Financial Officer
• Stephen Walker, CCPOA Director, Legislative Affairs
• Jevaughn Baker, CCPOA Press Secretary
• Heide Smith, Benefit Trust Fund, Communications Director
September 17, 2010
Parolee arrested after police search
Amador County Sheriff's Office deputies have arrested a parolee on Jackson Gate road and Highway 49 after an extensive search of the area, including air support from a California Highway Patrol helicopter.
A sergeant at the Amador County Jail could not release the name or any other information about the parolee on Friday, saying they would be unable to provide the public information before Monday.
The search for the unnamed suspect ended in a takedown in the middle of the intersection of Highway 49 and Jackson Gate Road. Officers responding to an earlier call learned that the parolee at large had been at that location and had started down Jackson Gate Road toward Jackson...
LINK - Ledger-Dispatch.com
September 15, 2010
Prison officials dispute study on sexual violence behind bars
State prison officials are disputing findings from a new federal study that identified two California prisons as having some of the highest rates of sexual violence in the nation.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics ranked two California adult men’s prisons among six others nationwide as “high rate” facilities based on the prevalence of “inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization.”
The report gave the California Medical Facility a prevalence rate of 5.8 percent and Pleasant Valley State Prison a rate of 5.5 percent. The national rate for adult male inmates was 1.9 percent...
LINK - CaliforniaWatch.org
September 15, 2010
Corrections gave up $18 million in uncollected penalties
Over the past four years New Mexico has potentially given up more than $18 million in never-assessed penalties despite repeated contractual violations by two private prison operators, a new legislative report says.
By contract New Mexico can levy penalties against GEO Group and Corrections Corp. of America (CCA) when staffing vacancies at the facilities they manage in Hobbs, Grants, Clayton and Santa Rosa stay at 10 percent or more for 30-consecutive days.
That penalty has been triggered regularly, state records show and the new report by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) confirms...
LINK - NewMexicoIndependent.com
September 15, 2010
Bureau of State Audits Reviewing Dept. of Mental Health, Sex Offender Program
2010-116 AUDIT SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES—Department of Mental Health, Sex Offender Commitment Program
The audit by the Bureau of State Audits will provide independently developed and verified information related to sexually violent predator (SVP) laws and Department of Mental Health’s (Mental Health) Sex Offender Commitment Program and would include, but not be limited to, the following...
September 15, 2010
Bureau of State Audits Reviewing California Prison Industry Authority
2010-118 AUDIT SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES - California Prison Industry Authority
The audit by the Bureau of State Audits will provide independently developed and verified information related to the California Prison Industry Authority (PIA) and would include, but not be limited to, the following...
September 15, 2010
Bureau of State Audits Reviewing CDCR’s COMPAS Program
AUDIT SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES—California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) Program
The audit by the Bureau of State Audits will provide independently developed and verified information related to the CDCR’s COMPAS program and would include, but not be limited to, the following:
September 15, 2010
County weighs ambulance rate hike
...Sandler said the proposed increases are a result of low Medi-Cal and Medicare reimbursement rates and low reimbursement rates from calls to Pelican Bay State Prison.
The state reimburses ambulance providers at about $125 per Medi-Cal call no matter what the caller’s ailment is. Sandler said the payment is far below the actual cost of response.
Jay Sarina, county administrative officer, said Del Norte Ambulance’s main financial problem is a lack of Medi-Cal and Medicare funding — an issue shared by other companies...
LINK - Triplicate.com
September 15, 2010
Calaveras County Parolee at Large
San Andreas, CA -- The Calaveras County Sheriff's Department is asking for assistance in locating Rylan Christopher Luckey.
The suspect is a parolee at large with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Luckey, 24, ran from deputies in the West Point area over the weekend. He is 6'3", 200 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes. Luckey has multiple tattoos on his neck, chest and arms. Anyone with information on Luckey's whereabouts should contact the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office at 754-6500.
LINK - MyMotherLode.com
September 15, 2010
MTA Statewide Meeting
MTA STATEWIDE MEETING - Will be held at the location above on October 16th, Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Lunch and coffee breaks will be provided. Mileage will be paid to the driver/owner if three or more members come in one car. Mileage claims will be reimbursed from Sacramento Headquarters...
September 14, 2010
REGIONAL: Officials seek wanted parolee
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office is attempting to locate a wanted parolee who has been on the run for three months.
Shane Hutchins, a 32-year-old transient from the area, is being sought on a variety of charges, including evading and resisting arrest and being a wanted parolee, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb.
Smallcomb said Hutchins has been evading law enforcement for the past three months in incidents that took place in Potter Valley, Redwood Valley and Ukiah...
LINK - LakeCoNews.com
September 14, 2010
Absconded parolee named prime suspect in slaying of Valley Village woman
A parolee who received an early release from state prison for armed robbery was identified by police detectives Tuesday as the prime suspect in the fatal stabbing of a Valley Village woman whose home was set on fire.
Omar Armando Loera, 34, who served 23 months of a 32-month prison sentence, is wanted in the slaying of Chere Osmanhodzic, 34, whose fiance returned home to the 11500 block of Riverside Drive on July 24 and confronted a stranger, whom he chased down the street for several blocks.
When he returned, the home was ablaze, and firefighters eventually found Osmanhodzic dead inside from multiple stab wounds...
LINK - LATimes.com
September 14, 2010
Fed Receiver Kelso wants prison health care separated from CDCR
Eighteen months ago, I promised to reduce prison medical costs by up to $500 million while improving the quality of care ("Prison health care reform can save money"; Viewpoints, March 16, 2009). Now that the 2009-10 fiscal year has ended, it is time for me to report on my promise.
We began the year anticipating our expenditures would be $2.146 billion. During the year, we implemented substantial changes to improve quality of care while simultaneously reducing unnecessary costs. The result? A reduction of $408 million in our expenditures. That is almost a 20 percent reduction and just over 80 percent of what I had forecast 18 months ago. My executive team and staff in the 33 institutions deserve the credit for this success...
LINK - SacBee.com
September 13, 2010
Schwarzenegger Defends Asia Trip Amid Budget Deadlock
California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger defended his week-long business trip to Asia as needed to research high-speed rail options even as the state operates without a budget
“In each one of the countries that we go to, which is China, Japan and Korea, we are going to ride high speed rail and they all are going to be part of the bidding process in California,” Schwarzenegger said at the Netrepreneur Summit in Hangzhou, China, today. “It would be a mistake for California to think we can do high-speed rail ourselves.”
Hangzhou is Schwarzenegger’s first stop on a week-long trade mission to China, Japan and South Korea, even as he and state lawmakers fail to agree on how to eliminate a $19.1 billion deficit before the state runs out of cash. State lawmakers including Noreen Evans of Santa Rosa have called on Schwarzenegger to postpone the trip...
LINK - BusinessWeek.com
September 13, 2010
Police chase reaches 115 mph
A wanted parolee and another man led two Tehachapi police cars on a 50-mile, 35-minute high-speed chase Sept. 9 that began on H Street in Tehachapi and ended after the California Highway Patrol laid down spike strips on Highway 58 at Comanche Drive.
The pursuing Tehachapi police officers — Sgt. Kevin Paille and Officer Pete Graff — said the driver had no regard for others as the chase speed peaked at 115 miles an hour on the highway.
No one was injured in the incident...
LINK - TehachapiNews.com
September 13, 2010
Convicted killer to be released in Lassen County
Requests from victims and witnesses were considered and once convicted killer Loren Herzog will be released on parole in Lassen County rather than San Joaquin County.
According to Luis Patino, public information officer for the California Department of Corrections, by law, a parolee should be released to the county of last legal residence.
However, Patino said, victims, victims’ next-of-kin and witnesses have the right to file for special consideration as to the location of the parole releases of their offenders. All requests are evaluated on a case by case basis...
LINK - LassenNews.com
September 11, 2010
Oceanside police arrest robbery suspect
A parolee-at-large who police say robbed a couple Friday night surrendered after a two-hour standoff with officers.
Refugio Pineda, 44, was booked into Vista jail on an outstanding arrest warrant. He also will be charged with armed robbery, said Oceanside police Lt. Fred Armijo.
Police said Pineda approached a man and woman about 4:30 p.m. on Bush Street near San Diego Street and asked for cash. When they said they did not have any, he displayed a black handgun and asked again. They gave him cash and he walked away...
LINK - SignonSanDiego.com (San Diego Union-Tribune)
September 10, 2010
CCPOA Mourns the Passing of Linda Dabb
It is with profound sorrow that on behalf of Mike Jimenez and the entire Executive Council that we inform you of the passing of our beloved friend and co-worker, Linda Dabb. Linda passed away after a courageous battle with cancer on Monday, September 6, 2010, surrounded by loved ones.
Linda joined CCPOA in 1983 as a Legal Secretary and worked her way up through the organization to become our Assistant to the Organizational Planning Coordinator. She has always shown dedication and caring in dealing with members and staff alike...
September 10, 2010
Governor Appointments: September 2010
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the following appointments:
Cleotha Adams, 54, of Marysville, has been reappointed to the Corrections Standards Authority, where he has served as a member since 2006. He has served as a sergeant in the Civil Division of Yuba County Sheriff’s Department since 2007, where he previously served as sergeant of corrections from 1999 to 2007 and deputy sheriff for the Corrections Division from 1995 to 1999...
September 10, 2010
CCPOA Benefit Trust - Open Enrollment
Don't miss out! Open Enrollment starts September 13th. If you want to request changes to your Medical and Dental programs, take action now.
The latest health plan information and health fair schedules are on the Trust website: www.ccpoabtf.org.
To make changes, Active CCPOA members must complete paperwork through their personnel specialists; Retired members through CalPERS...
September 9, 2010
Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument in Challenge to Furloughs
Attorneys for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger argued to the California Supreme Court yesterday that the governor did not exceed his authority when he furloughed state employees and used his veto power to further cut budget appropriations already reduced by the Legislature.
The governor’s lawyers rejected arguments challenging Schwarzenegger’s Dec. 19, 2008 executive order which unilaterally imposed mandatory two-day-a-month unpaid furlough. They also said that the governor’s line-item veto power applied to provisions in a mid-year emergency bill that reduced appropriation amounts of a previously enacted budget bill.
The high court heard the arguments in proceedings in San Francisco broadcast live on television and on the Internet by public affairs cable television network The California Channel...
LINK - MetNews.com
September 7, 2010
Arizona prison escape, killings prompt lawsuit
The first legal action in the Arizona prison breakout that led to the killing of two campers has been filed against the state and the operator of the private prison.
Vivian Haas, the mother of murder victim Gary Haas, filed a $10 million claim against Arizona and a wrongful death lawsuit against Management Training Corp., the company that operates the private prison near Kingman where three fugitives escaped on July 30.
The notice of claim is a required precursor to a lawsuit...
LINK - AZCentral.com
September 7, 2010
Parolee Back in Jail After Drug Bust
Monterey County Sheriff's deputies arrested a parolee after a traffic stop revealed his expired registration.
Deputies said 52-year-old Paul Harris tried to hide a backpack under his car when they pulled him over.
Harris could not produce identification and then gave deputies a false name. Further investigation revealed Harris was a parolee at large with three warrants out for his arrest...
LINK - KIONRightNow.com
September 7, 2010
Armed parolee arrested after East Bay chase
In the East Bay overnight, a police chase ended with the arrest of an armed parolee in West Oakland.
The suspect drove his car into the grassy median at Mandela Parkway and 28th Street just before 1:00 Tuesday morning.
Officers had tried to stop the man for speeding, but he tried to outrun them before his car became disabled...
LINK - ABCLocal.go.com
September 7, 2010
Wanted Parolee Caught at DUI Checkpoint
A wanted parolee is back in custody and facing several new charges after he ran from a DUI checkpoint in a stolen truck early Tuesday morning.
36-year-old Richard Caldwell was driving a stolen Toyota Tundra pick-up when he got stopped at the checkpoint around 1:30 a.m.
Police thought they smelled alcohol on Caldwell and when the officer reached inside to grab a cup, Caldwell put the truck in gear and took off, slightly injuring one of the officers...
LINK - CBS47.tv
September 4, 2010
Sixth inmate accidentally released; prison officials search for solution
What do six inmates at Delaware County’s George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Thornbury have in common?
They were all accidentally released ahead of time — the sixth just this past Tuesday.
According to officials at the prison, Gary Tagland, 21, of Cherry Hill, N.J., was brought to the county-owned facility Aug. 26 on a bench warrant stemming from an arrest last year...
LINK - DelcoTimes.com
September 4, 2010
Third Hawaii inmate faces death penalty in Arizona
A third Hawaii inmate serving time in an Arizona prison faces the death penalty after allegedly killing a fellow inmate during an argument in June.
Mahina Uli Silva, 21, was indicted by a Pinal County grand jury yesterday for allegedly strangling his cellmate from Hawaii, Clifford Medina, 23, on June 8. Medina was found unresponsive in the cell he shared with Silva at Saguarao Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz.
Clayton Frank, director of the state Department of Public Safety, said his office was informed of the indictment yesterday...
LINK - StarAdvertiser.com
September 4, 2010
Tax increases for AB 900 beds, J. Woodford discusses CDCR
One option to address the jail overcrowding issue will be before the voters in the November election.
Santa Barbara County officials have proposed a half-percent sales tax increase to construct and operate a new North County jail and enhance local public safety agencies.
The ballot proposal, known as Measure S, would dedicate half of the annual tax revenue — estimated at $30 million — to constructing and operating a new 304-bed jail in Santa Maria...
LINK - LompocRecord.com
September 3, 2010
Parolee flees, hits house
A Gerber man armed with a semi-automatic pistol crashed his car into a Walton Drive residence Tuesday night while fleeing police, according to Red Bluff Police reports.
Police first noticed Jose Luis Hernandez III, 22, was driving a 2006 Kia on Tuesday night with a defective headlight near the corner of Luther Road and South Main Street, according to a press release issued by Sgt. Quintan Ortega.
As the officer approached, Hernandez sped through a red light, driving onto Diamond Avenue and then Walton Drive, where he reportedly crashed into a home on the 500 block...
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
September 3, 2010
Expert: Bracelets don’t act as a jail
A pair of scissors can make all the difference if you’re on parole or probation, stuck in an ankle bracelet and willing to risk the consequences.
Some parolees, including Siskiyou County resident Richard Leslie Taylor, removed their monitors and ran. Taylor removed the device Aug. 19 and has yet to be caught, according to the state corrections department.
Others, including Shasta County resident Daniel Edward Munger, chose to avoid the bracelet altogether. Munger was arrested Monday, the same day his arrest warrant for failing to participate in the monitoring program was issued...
LINK - Redding.com
September 3, 2010
Parolee accused of driving car over Rancho Cucamonga lawns, crashing into garage
Ronny Ambroise, 36, of Rancho Cucamonga was arrested on suspicion of possessing a weapon after San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies located him just one street over from the crash.
Officials believe he was driving the vehicle that drove over three lawns and took out a garage.
About 6:30 p.m., Ambroise was allegedly speeding in the 9500 block of Deerbrook Street, when he lost control of the car - a 1990s model Buick - drove up onto a front yard and hit an attached garage, Rancho Cucamonga Fire Battalion Chief Jim Curatalo said...
LINK - DailyBulletin.com
September 2, 2010
La Mesa police seek parolee who fled traffic stop
Investigators are looking for a 25-year-old man who ran from police Sunday night, leaving behind a borrowed car, drugs, stolen property, and a passenger, who was arrested.
Police said an officer pulled over two men in a Ford Explorer for a traffic violation on Lake Murray Boulevard about 7:30 a.m. Sunday. As the SUV rolled to a stop, the driver jumped out, scaled a wall and ran off.
The officers couldn’t catch him, but detained the male passenger...
LINK - SignonSanDiego.com (San Diego Union-Tribune)
September 2, 2010
State prison officials considering layoffs
California prison officials are reviewing recommended staff eliminations sent to them last week by prison wardens.
State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials in August asked for a 3 percent employee reduction - about 1,100 positions - to save between $80 million and $100 million.
An analysis of the potential cuts is expected to be completed in about 30 days, state prison officials said...
LINK - DailyBulletin.com
September 2, 2010
Schwarzenegger, union argue furlough case next week
If the bitter furlough battle between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state employee unions happened to be a heavyweight fight, Wednesday would be the final round.
After nearly two years, 40 lawsuits and more than $1.2 million in state legal bills, the California Supreme Court will hear debate next week over whether the governor has illegally forced state workers to take unpaid days off from work. Here's a brief guide to the 9 a.m. hearing and beyond:
The stakes.Enormous, starting with the bank accounts of more than 200,000 state workers who have lost nearly 50 workdays and close to a combined $3 billion or so in pay since February 2009...
LINK - SacBee.com
September 1, 2010
Supervisory Update: September 1, 2010
Dear Supervisory Member,
The date for the first CCPOA supervisor information forum is approaching quickly, at this time there is still space available for members that would like to attend. The meeting has been set for Friday September 17, 2010 at CCPOA headquarters in West Sacramento to begin at 9am. Please RSVP if you plan attending so we can have an accurate head count.
As the post and bid period for supervisor’s approaches we are having numerous issues statewide with managements interpretation of the Seniority Assignment Agreement for Sergeants and Lieutenants. The main issue focuses on the exempt positions, which can be controlled by management, however they still must be included in the count by the agreement. In a nutshell, management wants the positions but they wish to exempt them totally from the reconciliation process. If your institution is facing this problem please contact us...
September 1, 2010
Police shoot, kill parolee - Suspect allegedly threatened girlfriend
A man was shot and killed Wednesday by police officers after he threatened his girlfriend with a gun and rammed a police vehicle, authorities said.
Jason Marcellus Martin, 37, of Desert Hot Springs was taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds, Ontario police Sgt. David McBride said. He was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived.
The incident started a day earlier when Martin reportedly brought a gun to his girlfriend's residence in the 1000 block of East Sixth Street...
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
September 1, 2010
Changes made in Delco prisoner-release process
In the wake of the mistaken releases of at least four inmates, the Delaware County Council announced Tuesday that changes had been made in how prisoner releases would be handled and that other changes were in the works.
The council is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the releases and may further review policies and procedures. County detectives are also investigating the releases.
The changes at the privately run George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Thornbury Township include having a sergeant and lieutenant at the prison to oversee the release process...
LINK - Philly.com
September 1, 2010
No penalties for understaffed private prisons
The New Mexico Corrections Department has not collected penalties from two private prison operators despite repeated contract violations, costing the state potentially millions of dollars in uncollected fines, state officials have told The Independent.
That has put New Mexico Corrections Secretary Joe Williams on a collision course with state lawmakers, some of whom are questioning Williams’ decision not to collect penalties from GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). The companies have repeatedly violated a contractual obligation to keep certain staffing levels at the prisons they operate. The two for-profit businesses operate four correctional facilities for the state in Hobbs, Grants, Clayton and Santa Rosa...
LINK - NewMexicoIndependent.com
September 1, 2010
Re-entry prison facility on hold due to site issue
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation may have to go back to the drawing board when it comes to finding a site for the proposed prison re-entry facility.
The proposed facility would house Solano County prisoners who are serving the final year to 18 months of their sentence and would help to acclimate them to the community once again.
After talks of building the facility in Fairfield had fallen through, the CDCR had hoped to build the facility near the intersection of Cordelia and Chadbourne roads, adjacent to the sewage treatment plant in an unincorporated area of Solano County...
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
