Unusual News
Man Rots in Prison Two Years after Judge Says He’s Innocent
Daniel Larsen has had two years in prison to think about the meaning of habeas corpus, while waiting to find out if a ruling by the federal courts—that he is innocent of crimes he was convicted of years ago—would lead to his freedom.
He’s going to have to wait a bit longer. read more
Two-Word Error Might Cost Water District $548 Million
When the Santa Clara Water District wrote a ballot initiative for November’s election, asking voters to approve a $548 million property tax measure to fund trails, creek restoration and dam maintenance, who knew that two words could scuttle the whole effort?
Actually, the Santa Clara County registrar knew, the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association knew and the water district should have known. read more
Drug-Prescribing Doctor Who Couldn’t Recognize Dog X-ray Suspended
Dr. Rolando Lodevico Atiga probably knew that “the knee bone's connected to the thigh bone.” But he apparently couldn’t tell the bones in an x-ray belonged to a dog, not a human, and it cost him his medical license for awhile. read more
DMV Hits Reverse, Takes Blame for Computer Outage
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was quick to diagnose the latest computer problem when its system came to a crashing halt on Tuesday.
“The State is currently experiencing communications issues between AT&T & Verizon that is impacting both DMV online & field office services,” the department posted on its website, which was still accessible but not very functional. read more
Arsonist Convicted of Murdering 5 Who Died of Heart Attacks
Rickie Lee Fowler, a 30-year-old career criminal, was convicted this week of setting the 2003 Old Fire that destroyed 1,000 homes and burned 91,000 acres in San Bernardino County. But the main price he will pay, which could be the death penalty, will be for the five people who died of heart attacks related to the arson. read more
S.F. Crime Misclassifications Screw up State and Federal Reports
Federal and state crime reports that rely on numbers from the San Francisco Police Department are almost certainly erroneous because of racial misclassifications that stretch back years.
Many Latino arrestees have been classified as “white” and Asian arrestees have been classified as “other,” according to The Bay Citizen, which uncovered the mistakes. read more
Big Payday for Ex-Charter School Executive Forced Out in Cheating Scandal
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) staff didn’t want to shut down Crescendo charter schools in 2011 after learning there had been widespread cheating on state exams that accounted for remarkable student improvements at its six campuses.
read more
GOP Flips on Redistricting Proposition It Pushed for Ballot
After spending more than $1.6 million leading the charge to overturn the state’s Senate redistricting plan by putting Proposition 40 on November’s ballot, the California Republican Party reversed its position and endorsed the changes at its convention Sunday in Burbank. read more
Grand Jury Inspires San Francisco to Hunt Down Its Unaccounted for Art
One of the great secrets about arts-rich San Francisco is that in addition to its fine museums and programs for the arts it has one of the finest city-owned art collections in the country, worth an estimated $90 million.
According to a recently-released San Francisco Civil Grand Jury report called “Where There’s Smoke . . .”, the reason many people aren’t aware of this art cache is because the city’s Arts Commission that manages it is a mess. read more
Ousted Bell Police Chief Sues for Severance Pay
Randy Adams made more money as chief of the 46-member Bell police force than the top cops in the city and county of Los Angeles. But when eight top officials in Bell were arrested in 2010 and charged with felonies in a case described by one prosecutor as “corruption on steroids,” he wasn’t one of them.
The city refused to pay Adams severance when he left and he has now sued them for that compensation. read more
L.A. County Voters to Decide If Porn Actors Must Wear Condoms
Voters in Los Angeles County will decide in November whether adult film actors should be required to wear condoms.
The initiative, approved for the ballot by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, was spearheaded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which collected 371,000 signatures supporting the plan. The city of Los Angeles passed a similar ordinance in January. read more
Novel Prosecution of Ex-Lynwood Officials Redefines Public Corruption
The prosecution did not hide allegations that Lynwood city officials misused credit cards, inappropriately traveled out of the country, and received sexual favors at strip clubs—all on the city dime.
But when two former city councilmembers were found guilty Tuesday, the crime they were found guilty of—illegally ratcheting up their salaries by making well-paid token appearances at city commissions—might have raised eyebrows in other corruption-riddled municipalities like Bell and Vernon. read more
S.F. Public Library Uses Plastic Privacy Shields for Viewing Porn
The San Francisco Public Library—caught in a raging debate that invokes arguments over civil liberties, academic freedom and common decency—has put plastic shields on 18 computers, allowing customers, should they choose, to view pornography without flashing their fellow patrons. read more
Terrorized Drivers in L.A. Need 60-Day Carmageddon II Warning
Last year, Los Angeles spent months preparing drivers for “Carmageddon,” an inescapable epic traffic jam that was expected to lock up the city during a 53-hour closure of the well-traveled 405 Freeway.
The July disaster didn’t happen. People stayed home. But wary of complacency after last year’s false alarm, the city is ramping up its early warning system again because the same freeway is going to get whacked in late September. read more
Bickering City Council Can’t Agree on Politeness Policy
How rude!
Meniffee City Council members thought they had finally found something they could agree on: a proposed politeness policy called the “Social Contract” that would at least mitigate the squabbling ever present since incorporation in 2008 as Riverside County’s 26th city.
read more
Oakland Police and Fire Communications System Is Failing
More than a year after the city of Oakland junked its old, outdated police and fire communications system, it still can’t get the new one to work. read more