San Benito County Local Crime & Justice News Articles and Digest

Business, Economy & Jobs Elections & Politics Crime & Justice Government

Sacramento Councilman Under Federal Indictment Resigns from Office

01/04/2024
Sean Loloee, a first-term Sacramento councilmember, has resigned from office—a move that came weeks after he was federally indicted on charges related to his business Viva Supermarkets.

From SanBenitocom...

Business, Economy & Jobs Health Crime & Justice

Judge’s Decision on Hazel Hawkins Bankruptcy Case Due in Weeks

01/03/2024
Image for display with article titled Judge’s Decision on Hazel Hawkins Bankruptcy Case Due in Weeks

A judgment by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Northern California District on Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital’s Chapter Nine eligibility will determine if the “financial emergency” cited as the reason for the bankruptcy filing is viable.

From CalMatters...

COVID-19 Elections & Politics Crime & Justice Government

A Step Forward for Free Speech in Kern County?

12/28/2023
Kern County agrees to better protect free speech in a deal with the state Justice Department—inspired by the county’s’ 2020 squashing of COVID contracts to organizations that advocated defunding police.

From CalMatters...

Art & Culture Public Safety History Crime & Justice Government

American Graffiti is Back: Cruising Now Legal Again in California, But So Are Speed Cameras

12/27/2023
Under new state laws, five cities will test cameras to catch speeding drivers and cruising bans will be lifted statewide. The first is supposed to improve road safety, but critics of the second say it will endanger the public.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Public Safety Crime & Justice Government

California Consumers Will Have Easier Time Getting Compensation for False Advertising Under New 2024 Law

12/27/2023
A new law, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, will create a fund designed to fully compensate victims of false advertising or unfair competition.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Health Crime & Justice Government

Bosses Now Prohibited From Asking Most Employees About Pot Use

12/26/2023
Under two new laws, employers in California can’t ask workers about their use of cannabis outside the workplace and can’t use hair or urine tests. Employees in construction are excluded, as are applicants for federal jobs with background checks.

From Los Angeles Times...

Public Safety Crime & Justice Government

California Law Enforcement Heads to Idaho for Retirement

12/21/2023
Some firefighters and police officers who worked long enough in California to earn pensions are heading to more conservative destinations like Idaho in retirement. Some of these people even run for political office in these places.

From CalMatters...

Crisis & Personal Support Crime & Justice Government

He Says He Was Abused in ICE Detention Even Though He is a Legal Resident of California. Now He’s Suing for $1 Million

12/21/2023
The 33-year old Mexican-born man—who from toddler age has been a permanent legal resident of California—has reported abuse, unsanitary conditions and threats of force-feeding before his release from immigration detention in April.

From CapPublicRadio...

Business, Economy & Jobs Crime & Justice

Google to Pay $700 Million in Antitrust Lawsuit

12/19/2023
Google has agreed to pay $700 million and will make changes to its app store it has resisted for years in order to resolve a lawsuit over whether its app store is an illegal monopoly.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Families & Children Health Crime & Justice Government

California Company Used Child Labor for Dangerous Poultry Processing Work

12/13/2023
The Exclusive Poultry Inc. agreed to pay $3.8 million in wages, damages and penalties in part for hiring children for dangerous work. The case is one of hundreds federal labor officials investigated last year.

From Sacramento Bee...

Public Safety Crime & Justice State of California

Assembly Group on Retail Theft to Hold First Hearing

12/12/2023
A new select committee in the California Assembly dedicated to retail theft will hold its first hearing on Dec. 19. This allows the committee to get to work before the next legislative session on an issue that’s drawn much press for California in recent years.

From Benito Link...

Health Crime & Justice

Reviewing How Hazel Hawkins Landed in Bankruptcy Court

12/12/2023
The hearing began Dec. 4, spurred by opposition to the Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital bankruptcy filing from the California Nurses Association and National Union of Healthcare Workers. Judge Stephen L. Johnson will determine the hospital’s eligibility to receive bankruptcy protection.

From Benito Link...

Crime & Justice County of San Benito

FBI Looking into Alleged Embezzlement at Library

12/11/2023
San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor told BenitoLink the county auditor’s office discovered “hundreds of thousands” of dollars in misappropriated funds used to purchase merchandise under fraudulent accounts from the San Benito County Free Library.

From Los Angeles Times...

Elections & Politics Crime & Justice Government

Hunter Biden Indicted in LA on Tax Charges

12/07/2023
Hunter Biden, a Malibu resident, is facing nine tax-related charges between the years of 2016 and 2019. It is the second criminal indictment for the son of President Biden, aside from a pending firearms case.

From CalMatters...

Families & Children Crime & Justice Government

Moms Who Suffer Domestic Abuse Can Lose Their Kids. But Does This Policy Make Any Sense?

12/06/2023
California’s “failure to protect” law allows child welfare agencies to take kids from households scarred by domestic violence. Advocates say the separation can worsen a family’s trauma.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Elections & Politics Crime & Justice Government

Newsom, DeSantis Finally Square Off in Wild Fox News Debate

12/01/2023
Image for display with article titled Trump, Crime, In-Laws, and ‘Human Feces’: Newsom & DeSantis Finally Square Off in Wild Fox News Debate

With nothing but their reputations at stake, feuding California & Florida governors put on a show, albeit a sideshow.

From The Mercury News...

Public Safety Health Crime & Justice

Stolen Blue Shield of California Data Could Hit Dark Web

12/01/2023
Hackers stole data this week from Blue Shield of California. Historically, this type of data has sometimes wound up for sale on what’s known as the dark web, the part of the internet not typically included in search engine results.

From Voice of San Diego...

Health Crime & Justice

San Diego County Might Wait on Implementing Conservatorship Rules

11/30/2023
A member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors has asked that the county wait until 2025 to implement pending state policy around conservatorships. The policy, which goes into effect Jan. 1, makes people suffering from severe addiction eligible to receive conservatorships.

From SFGate...

Crime & Justice

Cops Nab Two for Stealing $9.5 Million in Big Box Merchandise

11/24/2023
Two people in the Los Angeles area have been arrested for stealing $9.5 million worth of electronics, shoes and other items. This comes on the heels of a successful raid where the CHP recovered $9 million more of stolen merchandise.

From Los Angeles Times...

Crime & Justice

Inmate Calls to be Free in Los Angeles County Starting Dec. 1

11/21/2023
Families of people in jail or prison sometimes pay exorbitant amounts to accept phone calls from their incarcerated loved ones. Starting Dec. 1, these calls will be free in Los Angeles County.

San Benito County Local News: Crime & Justice