Hundreds of protestors marched Saturday from Chicano Park to the downtown federal building to show their opposition to a controversial new immigration law in Arizona.
But San Diego Minutemen and other supporters of the Arizona law are also downtown, and are holding a “San Diego Pro-American Law Enforcement Rally,” according to news reports.
Protestors, many carrying “Boycott Arizona” signs, U.S. and Mexican flags, gathered at the Barrio Logan park about 11 a.m.
They watched a performance of an indigenous dance group before rallying for the march, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The march in San Diego is one of dozens expected to be held across the nation today. Participants hope to draw attention to their plea for reform of immigration laws.
San Diego police have been monitoring the immigration rights march and helping protestors to get across intersections. No arrests have been reported.
And additional officers are posted near the federal building at Front Street and Broadway. “We’ll make sure (the march) safely gets where it’s going,” police Sgt. Ray Battrick said.
Source
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
After Another Murder, Another Proposed Law
Megan, Jessica, now Chelsea — each name a legislative expression of public fury.
The rape and murder of 17-year-old Chelsea King outside a San Diego park generated a media firestorm and incensed residents in Southern California after the police charged John Albert Gardner III, a convicted sex offender, with the crimes.
Mr. Gardner has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. He was released from prison in 2006 after serving time for beating and molesting a 13-year-old, and records show that he committed seven parole violations in the time between his release and the rape and murder of Ms. King.
On Monday in Sacramento, Kelly and Brent King announced a bill called Chelsea’s Law, named after their daughter. The bill notably includes a “one strike” provision that would allow prosecutors to pursue a life sentence without parole for forcible sex crimes against a minor when there are aggravating circumstances like torture and kidnapping.
“Life without possibility of parole for a violent sexual predator is needed,” Mr. King told reporters. “These offenders cannot be rehabilitated. They do not deserve a second chance.”
The parents were joined at the capitol by Nathan Fletcher, the Republican assemblyman from San Diego who sponsored the bill.
Still, the proposed legislation is reigniting the debate over the the effectiveness, justness and consequences of laws against sex offenders that have been ushered through in the aftermath of shocking and high-profile crimes.
Chelsea’s Law would increase — to 25 years from 15 years — the minimum sentence for forcible sex crimes that involve minor aggravating circumstances, like drugging the victim. Those convicted of sex crimes against children younger than 14 would also face lifetime of parole that included GPS monitoring. And, instead of a residency restriction like those contained in previous sex offender legislation, Chelsea’s Law forbids sex offenders from visiting public spaces like parks without the permission of their probation officers.
Mr. Fletcher said he drafted and revised the bill after consulting law enforcement officials, judges, community forums in his district and Bonnie M. Dumanis, the district attorney of San Diego County. His office has received a deluge of calls from constituents who support his measure, Mr. Fletcher said, and his district has galvanized around the issue.
“You feel anger, you feel rage, you feel frustration,” Mr. Fletcher said. “Now the community is channeling all those emotions into motivation for change.”
Source
The rape and murder of 17-year-old Chelsea King outside a San Diego park generated a media firestorm and incensed residents in Southern California after the police charged John Albert Gardner III, a convicted sex offender, with the crimes.
Mr. Gardner has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. He was released from prison in 2006 after serving time for beating and molesting a 13-year-old, and records show that he committed seven parole violations in the time between his release and the rape and murder of Ms. King.
On Monday in Sacramento, Kelly and Brent King announced a bill called Chelsea’s Law, named after their daughter. The bill notably includes a “one strike” provision that would allow prosecutors to pursue a life sentence without parole for forcible sex crimes against a minor when there are aggravating circumstances like torture and kidnapping.
“Life without possibility of parole for a violent sexual predator is needed,” Mr. King told reporters. “These offenders cannot be rehabilitated. They do not deserve a second chance.”
The parents were joined at the capitol by Nathan Fletcher, the Republican assemblyman from San Diego who sponsored the bill.
Still, the proposed legislation is reigniting the debate over the the effectiveness, justness and consequences of laws against sex offenders that have been ushered through in the aftermath of shocking and high-profile crimes.
Chelsea’s Law would increase — to 25 years from 15 years — the minimum sentence for forcible sex crimes that involve minor aggravating circumstances, like drugging the victim. Those convicted of sex crimes against children younger than 14 would also face lifetime of parole that included GPS monitoring. And, instead of a residency restriction like those contained in previous sex offender legislation, Chelsea’s Law forbids sex offenders from visiting public spaces like parks without the permission of their probation officers.
Mr. Fletcher said he drafted and revised the bill after consulting law enforcement officials, judges, community forums in his district and Bonnie M. Dumanis, the district attorney of San Diego County. His office has received a deluge of calls from constituents who support his measure, Mr. Fletcher said, and his district has galvanized around the issue.
“You feel anger, you feel rage, you feel frustration,” Mr. Fletcher said. “Now the community is channeling all those emotions into motivation for change.”
Source
Monday, June 28, 2010
Five cleared in San Diego pension case
A federal judge has dismissed all criminal charges against five former San Diego pension system members whose willingness to grant fiscal relief to the city in 2002 backfired and pushed it to the brink of bankruptcy.
The ruling posted yesterday exonerates the former city and pension officials after four years of federal court proceedings.
“I’m very pleased,” said defendant Cathy Lexin, a former city employee who now works in the private sector in Sacramento. “I’ve never doubted this outcome, and I said that to people from the very beginning.”
Cleared in the case were Ronald Saathoff, former head of the city firefighters union; Teresa Webster, a former city employee; Lawrence Grissom and Loraine Chapin, former pension system officials; and Lexin.
While the ruling may close a significant chapter in the city’s long-running pension dispute, San Diego remains in an unstable financial position, forced to make sweeping cuts in services such as fire protection while making larger and larger payments to its pension system.
The city’s money problems could have been a lot worse had it not been for an unrelated legal ruling announced yesterday.
Source
The ruling posted yesterday exonerates the former city and pension officials after four years of federal court proceedings.
“I’m very pleased,” said defendant Cathy Lexin, a former city employee who now works in the private sector in Sacramento. “I’ve never doubted this outcome, and I said that to people from the very beginning.”
Cleared in the case were Ronald Saathoff, former head of the city firefighters union; Teresa Webster, a former city employee; Lawrence Grissom and Loraine Chapin, former pension system officials; and Lexin.
While the ruling may close a significant chapter in the city’s long-running pension dispute, San Diego remains in an unstable financial position, forced to make sweeping cuts in services such as fire protection while making larger and larger payments to its pension system.
The city’s money problems could have been a lot worse had it not been for an unrelated legal ruling announced yesterday.
Source
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
San Diego man gets 17 years in DUI sibling deaths
CHULA VISTA – A San Diego man who was drunk from partying in Tijuana when his truck slammed into a car in Chula Vista, killing two teenage brothers, was sentenced Monday to 17 years in state prison.
Enrique Coronado, 32, pleaded guilty Feb. 11 to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing injury. The defendant also admitted he has a robbery conviction from 1999. He was sentenced by South Bay Judge Esteban Hernandez.
Prosecutors said Coronado crashed his pickup truck into a Mitsubishi Galant at Brandywine Avenue and Main Street about 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 21, 2008.
Coronado left the scene but was arrested when he came back to get his wallet, prosecutor Cally Bright said.
Daniel Spickerman, 18, was pronounced dead at Rady Children’s Hospital about three hours after the crash. His brother, 16-year-old Jason Spickerman, was declared brain-dead the next day.
Another brother was driving the Mitsubishi and suffered minor injuries, police said. The siblings were Chula Vista residents.
Jason’s organs were donated by his foster parents against the wishes of his biological family.
The foster parents said the boy would have wanted to help others by donating his organs, but his biological family objected because they thought he might recover one day.
Neither Coronado nor his his passenger said what they were doing in Chula Vista at the time of the accident, said Deputy District Attorney Cally Bright.
Source
Enrique Coronado, 32, pleaded guilty Feb. 11 to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing injury. The defendant also admitted he has a robbery conviction from 1999. He was sentenced by South Bay Judge Esteban Hernandez.
Prosecutors said Coronado crashed his pickup truck into a Mitsubishi Galant at Brandywine Avenue and Main Street about 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 21, 2008.
Coronado left the scene but was arrested when he came back to get his wallet, prosecutor Cally Bright said.
Daniel Spickerman, 18, was pronounced dead at Rady Children’s Hospital about three hours after the crash. His brother, 16-year-old Jason Spickerman, was declared brain-dead the next day.
Another brother was driving the Mitsubishi and suffered minor injuries, police said. The siblings were Chula Vista residents.
Jason’s organs were donated by his foster parents against the wishes of his biological family.
The foster parents said the boy would have wanted to help others by donating his organs, but his biological family objected because they thought he might recover one day.
Neither Coronado nor his his passenger said what they were doing in Chula Vista at the time of the accident, said Deputy District Attorney Cally Bright.
Source
Sunday, March 28, 2010
DUI Arrests Higher Than Last Year
SAN DIEGO -- A multi-agency effort to crack down on drunken drivers in San Diego County netted 887 arrests this winter holiday season compared to 496 arrests during the same period a year earlier, according to a preliminary report released this morning.
The so-called 2009 Winter Holiday DUI Mobilization preliminary report includes traffic statistics previously released by the California Highway Patrol, along with information from 13 other law enforcement agencies in the county.
The reported arrests were made between 12:01 a.m. Dec. 18 and 12:01 a.m. Sunday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
There were also five alcohol-related traffic deaths in the county during the reporting period, compared to eight in the prior winter holiday season, authorities said.
Three of this winter holiday season's five deaths occurred between New Year's Eve night and New Year's Day
The victims included Angela Hernandez Perez, a woman who stepped out into traffic Thursday evening on Third Avenue in Chula Vista; Elaina Lynn Luquis Ortiz, a pregnant woman sitting in a car rear-ended by an alleged drunken driver Friday morning on the 805 freeway in San Diego; and Ortiz's unborn infant.
Source
The so-called 2009 Winter Holiday DUI Mobilization preliminary report includes traffic statistics previously released by the California Highway Patrol, along with information from 13 other law enforcement agencies in the county.
The reported arrests were made between 12:01 a.m. Dec. 18 and 12:01 a.m. Sunday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
There were also five alcohol-related traffic deaths in the county during the reporting period, compared to eight in the prior winter holiday season, authorities said.
Three of this winter holiday season's five deaths occurred between New Year's Eve night and New Year's Day
The victims included Angela Hernandez Perez, a woman who stepped out into traffic Thursday evening on Third Avenue in Chula Vista; Elaina Lynn Luquis Ortiz, a pregnant woman sitting in a car rear-ended by an alleged drunken driver Friday morning on the 805 freeway in San Diego; and Ortiz's unborn infant.
Source
Monday, March 15, 2010
DUI arrests rise during holiday period
Nearly 500 people were arrested for driving under the influence in San Diego County during a 10-day period ending the day after Christmas, according to a law enforcement coalition.
AVOID reported that 496 DUI arrests were made from Dec. 16 through Dec. 26, compared to 323 during the same period last year.
The California Highway Patrol, one of the coalition partners, was especially busy during the first 60 hours of the holiday weekend, beginning at 6:01 p.m. Christmas Eve, the agency reported in a separate statement.
The CHP made 60 DUI arrests in San Diego County this year, compared to the 57 last year. There were three traffic deaths during that time, compared to none during the same period last year, the CHP reported.
The fatalities include a pedestrian struck by an SUV early Saturday morning on Interstate 5 near Palm Avenue; Victor Hernandez Acosta Jr., of Chula Vista, who lost control of his car early Friday on southbound Interstate 15 near the 805 interchange and struck a tree; and a pedestrian who was struck in Escondido near the beginning of holiday weekend and died Saturday, CHP Officer Jesse Udovich said.
In Los Angeles County, the CHP made 236 DUI arrests from 6:01 p.m. Christmas Eve to 6 a.m. Sunday - compared to 158 the same time last year, it said, but no fatalities were reported. In Orange County, the CHP made 22 DUI arrests from 6:01 p.m. Christmas Eve to 6 a.m. Sunday - the same as last year, but no fatalities were reported.
Statewide 16 people died in traffic accidents, the same as last year, according to the CHP. However, drunken driving arrests have skyrocketed around California, from 824 in 2008 to 970 in 2009.
AVOID members reminded motorists that the year-end holiday period is among the year's deadliest and encouraged them to report drunk drivers.
"If you see a car swerving all over the road, driving dangerously without headlights at night or signaling one way and turning the other, make that call to 911,'' Glendora Police Chief Chuck Montoya said in the AVOID statement.
Law enforcement officials were expected to more anti-DUI efforts in nearly every city in San Diego County around the New Year's holiday.
The AVOID campaign was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Source
AVOID reported that 496 DUI arrests were made from Dec. 16 through Dec. 26, compared to 323 during the same period last year.
The California Highway Patrol, one of the coalition partners, was especially busy during the first 60 hours of the holiday weekend, beginning at 6:01 p.m. Christmas Eve, the agency reported in a separate statement.
The CHP made 60 DUI arrests in San Diego County this year, compared to the 57 last year. There were three traffic deaths during that time, compared to none during the same period last year, the CHP reported.
The fatalities include a pedestrian struck by an SUV early Saturday morning on Interstate 5 near Palm Avenue; Victor Hernandez Acosta Jr., of Chula Vista, who lost control of his car early Friday on southbound Interstate 15 near the 805 interchange and struck a tree; and a pedestrian who was struck in Escondido near the beginning of holiday weekend and died Saturday, CHP Officer Jesse Udovich said.
In Los Angeles County, the CHP made 236 DUI arrests from 6:01 p.m. Christmas Eve to 6 a.m. Sunday - compared to 158 the same time last year, it said, but no fatalities were reported. In Orange County, the CHP made 22 DUI arrests from 6:01 p.m. Christmas Eve to 6 a.m. Sunday - the same as last year, but no fatalities were reported.
Statewide 16 people died in traffic accidents, the same as last year, according to the CHP. However, drunken driving arrests have skyrocketed around California, from 824 in 2008 to 970 in 2009.
AVOID members reminded motorists that the year-end holiday period is among the year's deadliest and encouraged them to report drunk drivers.
"If you see a car swerving all over the road, driving dangerously without headlights at night or signaling one way and turning the other, make that call to 911,'' Glendora Police Chief Chuck Montoya said in the AVOID statement.
Law enforcement officials were expected to more anti-DUI efforts in nearly every city in San Diego County around the New Year's holiday.
The AVOID campaign was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Source
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Hundreds arrested for drunk driving during the holiday weekend
More than 1,400 people were arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles County during a weeklong crackdown that ran through the holiday weekend, authorities said.
Between Dec. 18 and 26, there were 1,424 reported DUI arrests, according to the California Avoid program, a statewide law enforcement coalition of more than 40 counties. There were 1,416 arrests made during the same period last year.
“With all the Christmas parties and holiday office parties going on, a lot of people are out drinking and driving” said Wendy Soos, the local coordinator for Avoid. “It’s amazing how the stats go up around Christmas."
The crackdown will continue through the New Year’s holiday weekend, Soos said. In 2008, more than 400 arrests were made on New Year’s Eve and New Year's Day.
The California Highway Patrol, one of the coalition's partners, made more than 200 arrests for driving under the influence on Los Angeles County freeways this holiday weekend. Overall, the CHP made 236 DUI arrests in L.A. County this year.
In Orange County, the CHP made 22 DUI arrests. In San Diego County, the Highway Patrol made 38 DUI arrests.
Statewide, 16 people died in traffic accidents, the same as last year, according to the CHP.
Now, law enforcement is gearing up for another crackdown with New Year’s weekend ahead. Said Soos: “We just step up the DUI enforcement in order to save lives.”
Source
Between Dec. 18 and 26, there were 1,424 reported DUI arrests, according to the California Avoid program, a statewide law enforcement coalition of more than 40 counties. There were 1,416 arrests made during the same period last year.
“With all the Christmas parties and holiday office parties going on, a lot of people are out drinking and driving” said Wendy Soos, the local coordinator for Avoid. “It’s amazing how the stats go up around Christmas."
The crackdown will continue through the New Year’s holiday weekend, Soos said. In 2008, more than 400 arrests were made on New Year’s Eve and New Year's Day.
The California Highway Patrol, one of the coalition's partners, made more than 200 arrests for driving under the influence on Los Angeles County freeways this holiday weekend. Overall, the CHP made 236 DUI arrests in L.A. County this year.
In Orange County, the CHP made 22 DUI arrests. In San Diego County, the Highway Patrol made 38 DUI arrests.
Statewide, 16 people died in traffic accidents, the same as last year, according to the CHP.
Now, law enforcement is gearing up for another crackdown with New Year’s weekend ahead. Said Soos: “We just step up the DUI enforcement in order to save lives.”
Source
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