A state legislator wants to toughen an existing law to help you protect your privacy on the web. It’s Assembly Bill 1979. Assembly member Chris Ward says if passed, it would offer restitution for a social media trend called doxing. That’s when someone takes your private information, like passwords, medical records, even your address and phone number and publishes them in order to harass or extort. Ward says according to the Anti-defamation League, of those who experienced severe online harassment like doxing, 65% were hate based.
New reports show half of the country’s Doctors are struggling with burnout, and it’s especially tough in California. The number of uninsured people remains high, while the number of doctors is shrinking. Dr. Gail Gazelle is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She says doctors make incredible sacrifices. She said they don’t see their families enough while they do see about 20 patients a day. She also said doctors file an incredible amount of paperwork. She says it leads to burnout, depression, and even suicide. Research from the University of California, San Francisco, shows if just three percent more people become nurses and doctors, it could solve most of California’s long-term doctor shortages.
The count has been finalized for the March 5th Presidential Primary in Lake County. That’s according to a release from the Lake County Registrar of Voters. They reported on Tuesday that they’d finished the 28 day canvass and will finalize and certify election results and present them to the Board of Supervisors on April 9th. Results show Brad Rasmussen came out on top and won the District 4 Supervisory Board Seat. In the District 1 race, the results are the opposite of what they were on election night, with Helen Owen taking the lead. She and John Hess will meet again in November. Judge Shanda Harry was the clear winner for the Lake County Superior Court Department 4 judicial seat. Voters said no to the Kelseyville Unified School District’s Measure Q, the measure failed by only 10 votes. Voter turnout was just under 43% in the county, according to the elections office. To see the full list of final results, you can click here.
A Willits man has been convicted of multiple felony child sex charges. According to the DA’s office, Rufino Vasquez of Willits was found guilty last week in Mendocino County Superior Court. He faced several charges including forcible rape of a child and offering to distribute harmful matter to a minor. All of the charges stem from incidents that reportedly happened between January and September of 2023. Vasquez will be back in court for sentencing on April 25th.
If you’ve been avoiding jury duty, you may want to reconsider. Mendocino County Superior Court Jury Commissioner Kim Turner is working on ways to keep potential jurors from ducking their civic duties. She says lately the high number of people who have disregarded their jury summons has left her with no choice but to set up a compliance program. It will include the court reaching out to potential jurors and trying to get them to reschedule their service. If that doesn’t work, potential jurors could be called in front of a judge to explain why they’re not responding to notices to serve. You could face up to a $1500 fine for failure to comply. In Mendocino County the court can only call you to serve on a jury once a year.
An elderly man was reportedly assaulted in Ukiah. The Ukiah PD responded to a report of an assault on Easter Sunday. When they arrived, they found an elderly male suffering from injuries to his head and face. Witnesses gave officers a description for a suspect they say attacked the man as he casually walked down the street. UPD searched the area and found Curtis Bettencourt nearby, fitting the description from witnesses. Bettencourt has a history of drug use and violent behavior according to UPD. He had to be tazed when he became combative toward officers, but he was eventually arrested. Bettencourt was taken to Mendocino County Jail on charges of assault resulting in great bodily injury, resisting arrest, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
