A new Supreme Court justice has been confirmed in Calif. A historic moment in the state as the appeals court judge from San Diego, who is the daughter of Mexican immigrants was confirmed.
Justice Patricia Guerrero was approved unanimously. She will be the first Latina to serve on the high court. Her appointment after Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar resigned last year. Guerrero is a native of the Imperial Valley and has been a prosecutor, law firm partner, Superior Court judge and most recently served on the 4th District Court of Appeal. She will be sworn in by the Governor, then take her seat. About her historic appointment, Guerrero said, “this is a story of the American Dream” and believing that with hard work, perseverance and opportunities, anything is possible.
State Senator and Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire has pushed legislation through to divest all state money from Russia and any Russian-state entities due to the attack on Ukraine. It passed the first Senate Committee it hit yesterday with bipartisan support. It means that any public pensions in California – including the two largest in the country, STRS and PERS, divest from Russian and Belarusian assets and companies. The bill was unanimously passed in the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee. McGuire says the state stands with Ukraine and that “we’ll do everything in our power to usher in debilitating economic consequences on Russia for this horrific and bloody war.”
Ukiah police have responded to an apartment building after a medical aid call turned into a suspicious death call. Police say they got a call yesterday around 1:30 in the afternoon for a medical call and that paramedics thought it seemed to be suspicious in nature. They have not released any names, of the victim or possible suspects. Paramedics reportedly performed CPR to no avail. The incident in the 200 block of East Gobbi Street had the area cordoned off for a time.
State Senator Bill Dodd has announced he’s advanced his bill to help the traffic snarl-ups on Highway 37 be protected by potential flooding. The area has reportedly been predicted to eventually end up in water, so Dodd’s bill would create a toll to pay for infrastructure improvements to this section of highway. Money from the federal infrastructure bill recently passed could also go to fix the area. Dodd says the area is predicted to be under water within 20 years. And that mixed with congestion and seasonal flooding, would make it worse. The area is a 21 mile stretch of Hwy 37 from Interstate 80 to Highway 101. The bill passed with bipartisan support.
A fire burned in Hopland after a piece of equipment sparked grass. CAL FIRE and Hopland Fire on the scene. The Chief of Hopland Fire told Mendo Fever it burned very well and quickly grew to two acres. There was a chopper overhead so they could watch the spread. Fire officials say it burned like it was July. And the county’s vegetation is probably a month or two ahead of schedule as far as fire seasons go. And the news site also reported the National Weather Service said the “extreme drought” has created a higher risk of fast-spreading wildfires.
There may soon be only 5 Trustees on the Ukiah Unified School Board instead of 7. The District is working with the California Voting Rights Act, considering maps to redraw the district after the recent US Census. The elections will be Trustee instead of At Large. They will hold the second of four meetings planned on the matter tomorrow at 5:00 pm. and cover Trustee-Area elections and possible new maps at all of the hearings with public input. As part of the conversations, they are considering moving from 7 members to 5. All of the Trustees have reportedly run unopposed in most elections over the last decade.
A resident of Willits hopped a plane to Ukraine, bringing much needed supplies. The Willits News reports David Caspino went to the war zone two weeks ago, and with him, he brought several large boxes filled with humanitarian aid which the newspaper reports included diapers, wipes, formula and 500 bottles of medication. Caspino was part of the Little Angels Project organization, serving as a combat medic, but says when his time with the organization ended, he still wanted to help, so he extended his stay until this week.
The sentencing has finally happened for a man from Upper Lake convicted in the bludgeoning death of his former partner, and mother of his children. In 2017, Willy Tujays Timmons took a rock to Vanessa Niko, killing her. Yesterday he was sentenced to 16 years to life in state prison. It comes after some delays. He was convicted back in November, for second degree murder, torture, inflicting injury resulting in a traumatic condition and aggravated mayhem, and special allegations of use of a deadly weapon and personally inflicting bodily injury. Niko was a mother to six children, three of them, fathered by Timmons. The two were estranged at the time of her death.
There’s a process in place for how Lake County will fill the recently vacated Administrative Officer position. Carol Huchingson announced her retirement last week. Her last day will be April 29th. The Board of Supervisors has approved advertising for the position. The HR department had asked the Supervisors for permission to begin open recruitment by this Friday, and allowing for the position to stay open until the job is filled. The idea to recruit for 2-3 weeks, then interview the first round of applicants around the time Huchingson leaves office. The HR dept. also wants the flexibility to hire an employment firm, if need be. In the meantime, they will look for an interim replacement, if possible so they can train with Huchingson while she’s still on the job.
A woman from Clearlake Oaks accused of arson and found to be incompetent to stand trial is finally going to a State Hospital. Tori Brannon was supposed to move to the hospital earlier this year, after the matter was continued from last summer. She was reportedly seen in an area where a fire was actively burning in Clearlake Oaks a day after she was seen yelling at neighbors saying she didn’t need to say she was sorry for the fire. She also had previously threatened to burn the area. She was arrested nearby and seen trying to get rid of gasoline, pouring it out on the ground, then trying to soak it up with a blanket, with a lighter in hand. She was held on $500,000 bail and was thought to have caused over $600,000 in damage.
Mendocino College Lake Center had its first event since the pandemic started. Last Thursday the Lake Center had almost 200 kids from Kelseyville High, Clear Lake, and Upper Lake High Schools. It was set up to help students look for new educational and career opportunities with Mendocino College. Organizers thanked administrators at Mendocino College Lake Center for making the event a reality, along with many other local organizations. The students toured the college campus and had some snacks together. They’re having their North County Center College Day next Thursday, March 31st.
