News

Sixty Defendants Charged in Nationwide Takedown of Methamphetamine Network

SAN DIEGO – An indictment was unsealed today in federal court charging 60 members of a San Diego-based international methamphetamine distribution network tied to the Sinaloa Cartel with drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms offenses.

During the last month, hundreds of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents and officers have arrested dozens of defendants and searched multiple locations throughout San Diego County and in five states. As of today, 44 of the 60 defendants are either in federal or state custody, and the search continues for 16 defendants. In addition to these arrests, law enforcement has seized more than 220 pounds of methamphetamine and other illegal drugs; 90 firearms; and more than $250,000 in cash. Law enforcement officials are also seeking the forfeit of residences, high-end vehicles, and bulk cash belonging to these defendants.

California Adds Five States to Travel Restrictions List as a Result of Wave of New Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation

SAN FRANCISCO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced that California will restrict state-funded travel to Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia as a result of new anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently enacted in each state. The states are a part of a recent, dangerous wave of discriminatory new bills signed into law in states across the country that directly work to ban transgender youth from playing sports, block access to life-saving care, or otherwise limit the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Many states pushing these new discriminatory laws are already on California’s travel restrictions list. The new restrictions on state-funded travel to the states announced today are prescribed by law in California pursuant to Assembly Bill 1887 (AB 1887), which was enacted in 2016.

Madera Sheriff Deputies Make Felony Copper Wire Theft Arrest

MADERA - Early Saturday morning the Madera County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an unknown male subject at the PG&E Equipment yard located in the 30000 block of Avenue 12. Deputy Joseph Wood and Corporal Adam McEwen responded to the location and observed a male subject entering a gold-colored minivan parked outside of the fence.

A suspect, later identified as 32-year-old Ernesto Navarrete of Fresno, was found at the scene inside the minivan. Upon further investigation, deputies discovered a hole cut in the fence. Deputies recovered numerous coils of copper wire, a pair of wire cutters, and bolt cutters at the scene. Additional copper wire was located inside the van with Navarrete, along with two large pry bars. A methamphetamine pipe was also located inside the vehicle.

Seniors and Others at Risk from Extreme Heat Can Find Relief at Cooling Centers

SAN FRANCISCO - Cooling Centers continue to provide a safe, air-conditioned location for all residents to cool down during extreme heat. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has the long-provided financial support to fund the operation of the existing county- and city-run cooling centers throughout the service area where summer temperatures typically reach triple digits, primarily in the Central Valley.

This year, PG&E introduces new partnerships with the City of West Sacramento and Kingsburg as well as El Dorado, Shasta, and San Joaquin counties to help fund the operation of their existing cooling centers.

Prison Officials Investigating the Death of an Incarcerated Person as a Homicide

DELANO – Officials at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the June 11 death of inmate Artemio Gomez, 40, as a homicide.

At approximately 8:15 a.m., KVSP correctional officers immediately responded when inmates Marcos Lomeli and Alberto Mejia began attacking Gomez with weapons. Lomeli and Mejia disregarded orders to stop their actions, as officers quickly intervened using chemical agents to quell the attack and subsequently recovered two inmate-manufactured weapons. Gomez suffered multiple stab wounds and was taken to the institution’s Treatment and Triage Area for medical attention where he was pronounced deceased at 8:45 p.m.

California Court Rejects the State's Prolonged Detention of People with Psychiatric and Intellectual Disabilities in County Jails

SAN FRANCISCO – The California Court of Appeal has ruled that the state’s prolonged detention of people who have been declared incompetent to stand trial due to psychiatric or intellectual disability violates their right to due process. This has profound implications for the thousands of people who languish in county jails every year because they cannot stand trial or pursue their defense without adequate treatment for their disabilities.

“The court recognized that California cannot continue to warehouse people in jail for months at a time while it denies them both their right to a trial and the mental health treatment they need to become competent to have a trial,” said Michael Risher, counsel for the ACLU Foundation of Northern California. “These are people who have not been convicted of any crime and cannot even demand a trial because of their condition. The ruling affirms that they must have access to prompt treatment, and it highlights the need for the Legislature to address the root causes of this crisis once and for all.”

Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Is Awarded Low-Income Housing Tax Credits by CA Tax Credit Allocation Committee

OAKHURST - The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians announced today that the Tribe has been awarded federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) to construct 17 single-family tribal homes in Oakhurst, California. The Tribe applied for the award to finance the development of a tribal housing community to meet the needs of tribal families.

The 17-unit development will include thirteen 3-bedroom homes, four 4-bedroom homes, and a tribal community playground. “The Tribe competed and won the award for these tax credits after going through an appeal process,” said Tribal Chairwoman Claudia Gonzales. “The tax credits will be used to finance this exciting new tribal housing community project to provide support to tribal families.”