#Orange County (Calif)

[beardedmrbean]

WESTMINSTER, Calif. — A California woman was charged with murder on Tuesday in the drowning death of her disabled 9-year-old daughter, four days after her arrest, prosecutors said.

According to Orange County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Kimberly Edds, Khadiyjah Aliyyah Pendergraph, 32, of Westminster, was charged after police found her daughter’s body decomposing in the bathtub at their home, The Orange County Register reported.

The child was wheelchair-bound and unable to speak, Edds said.

The girl’s father, who is divorced from Pendergraph, called police earlier Friday to request a welfare check after receiving “concerning messages from his ex-wife regarding their daughter,” KTLA-TV reported.

The man had come to the Westminster residence where his ex-wife lived to pick up his daughter, but the apartment was locked and no one answered the door, according to the television station.

Westminster police Sgt. Edward Esqueda said that officers responding to the scene forced their way inside and found the girl alone with “obvious signs of trauma,” KABC-TV reported.

Officers said that Pendergraph allegedly left the child in the bathtub for several days. Officers said she claimed to attempt suicide “on more than one occasion” after her daughter’s death, according to the television station.

Woman accused of killing 9-year-old daughter

Pendergraph was identified as a person of interest after police entered the residence, the Los Angeles Times reported. She was located and arrested in a grocery store parking lot in Aliso Viejo by Westminster police detectives, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

“While families across America sat down to Thanksgiving dinner with their loved ones, this little disabled girl’s lifeless body was left to rot in a bathtub after being drowned by her own mother,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “Words simply do not exist to express the utter heartbreak knowing this little girl could not even scream for help as her mother pushed her underwater and cut her life so tragically and unnecessarily short.”

If convicted of the charges, Pendergraph faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.

#nunyas news

[metalheadsforblacklivesmatter]

When are we going to recognize that criminalizing houselessness is just a way to fill prison populations to keep the industrial prison complex (legalized slave labor) full, especially with Black people.

(I been seeing people use the term houseless instead of homeless, and idk if that's a more respectful term for these people or not? If anyone understands the change in linguistics, please reblog this and let me know.)

Like, legit. It seems cheaper to just build like hotels or something to give houseless populations a place to stay. (Houselessness makes it more difficult for people to find a job because they lack the resources needed to keep up with an employer's standards of sanitation including showers and laundry).

And before you bring up homeless shelters. Homeless shelters are inhumane, allow for the rapid spread of disease, often put people in leadership positions that abuse the houseless populations, normalize power over adults that is morally corrupt, and largely discriminate against queer people and BIPOC.

-fae

[california-slow-take]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than 70 California law enforcement agencies are violating state law by sharing automated license plate reader (ALPR) data with out-of-state agencies, putting out-of-state abortion seekers at risk, according to a trio of civil rights groups.

...

“Idaho, for example, has enacted a law that makes helping a pregnant minor get an abortion in another state punishable by two to five years in prison,” according to an EFF statement. “The agencies that received the demand letters have shared ALPR data with law enforcement agencies across the country, including agencies in states with abortion restrictions including Alabama, Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.”

In addition to the Folsom Police Department, law enforcement agencies on the list include ones in Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Merced, Orange, Placer, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Solano, Ventura and Yolo counties.

#california #abortion rights #reproductive rights #police accountability #sfgate

[gwydionmisha]

#California #Medieval Times #Strike #News

[popculturebrain]

Hulu Drops Justin Roiland From ‘Solar Opposites’ and ‘Koala Man’ After Domestic Violence Charges

Both “Solar Opposites” and “Koala Man” will continue without Roiland’s involvement. Roiland was charged in Orange County, Calif., with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit.

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[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

#HELL YES CAMILLE #camille vasquez

[vintageviewmaster]

Caption: “BLACK GOLD” AT SIGNAL HILL LONG BEACH

Booklet Description: 3. BLACK GOLD AT SIGNAL HILL Forests of oil well derricks like this one at Signal Hill near Long Beach dot Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Fresno, Orange and Santa Barbara counties. This field has produced 8% of California's oil. Along the shores at Long Beach, from piers built far out into the waves or from wells drilled at an angle seaward, tideland oil wells are pumping 15 million barrels of oil per year from under the ocean.

Brand: View-Master Packet Title: California Reel Title: California U.S.A. Reel Subtitle: III Reel Number: CALIF-3 Reel Edition: N/A Image Number: 3 Date: 1955

#view-master #viewmaster #california #a 170

[tsmom1219]

E-bike incentives are a costly way to cut carbon emissions, but they also promote health, equity and cleaner air

A man pulls his kids behind an electric bicycle near the pier in Huntington Beach, Calif. Paul Bersebach/Orange County Register via Getty Images by Christopher R. Cherry, University of Tennessee; John MacArthur, Portland State University, and Luke Jones, Valdosta State University E-bikes have captured widespread attention across the U.S., and for good reason. They are the most energy-efficient…

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[beardedmrbean]

DANA POINT, Calif. — A driver was arrested after running into a bicyclist and then fatally stabbing him on a Southern California roadway, authorities said.

Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, of Long Beach was taken into custody Wednesday on suspicion of murder for the attack Wednesday in Dana Point.

He remained jailed without bail on Thursday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Michael John Mammone, 58, was in a bike lane on the Pacific Coast Highway at around 3 p.m. when he was struck from behind by a Lexus sedan in an intersection, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The collision “launched him into the intersection,” sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Woodroof told NBC Los Angeles. “At that point, the suspect drove around the victim, exited his vehicle, went back to the victim and continued to assault the victim.”

The driver stabbed Mammone, who was pronounced dead at a hospital, a sheriff’s department statement said Thursday.

Bystanders held Smith for sheriff’s deputies. He was arrested and a knife was seized, authorities said.

Smith didn’t have any known connection to Mammone and investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the killing, authorities said.

Mammone was an emergency room doctor at Providence Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach.

His death is a “stunning tragedy,” the hospital said in a statement Thursday.

“The entire Mission Hospital family is grieving over the loss of an incredible physician and friend,” the statement read.

#nunyas news

[firkinron]

Taste of Beauty Adds a Plant-Forward Flair

Hidden Gem: Taste of Beauty Adds a Planet-Forward Flair to Plant-Based Fine Dining in Orange County  New Menu Offers a Global Culinary Journey to Entice A More Climate-Conscious Diet PRESS RELEASE – Taste of Beauty —- Fountain Valley, Calif. – Taste of Beauty, a plant-based fine dining culinary gem in Orange County, CA debuts a new menu of artfully-prepared dishes elevating vegan cuisine.…

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#Taste of Beauty

[bllsbailey]

Calif: Food Chains Lay Off Workers, Begin To Raise Prices Before Minimum Wage Hike In April

In anticipation of a new $20 minimum wage law that will have a significant negative impact on food brands’ bottom lines when it goes into effect in April, a slew of fast-food restaurants in California are now beginning to fire employees and raise prices.

According to The Wall Street Journal, fast food restaurants, particularly pizza chains, and even higher-end food establishments have started to reduce staff in an effort to prepare for potential financial consequences.

Pizza Hut driver Michael Ojeda, 29, of Ontario, California, told the press that he was notified in December by Pizza Hut franchisee Southern California Pizza that his last day of employment would be at the end of February.

“Pizza Hut was my career for nearly a decade, and with little to no notice, it was taken away,” Ojeda said.

A handful of California-based Pizza Hut locations also announced last year that they were ending their delivery services in order to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

Southern California Pizza Co. said in December that it was laying off about 841 drivers statewide. Pizza Hut outlets in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Ventura counties will be impacted most by the changes, sources say.

“Where select California franchisees have elected to make changes to their staffing approach, access to delivery service will continue to be available via Pizza Hut’s mobile app, website, and phone ordering, and the customer ordering experience will remain consistent,” a Pizza Hut spokesperson told the press.

According to a Journal article, Menlo Park, California-based Round Table Pizza said that it will be firing at least 73 delivery drivers this year as well. Excalibur Pizza LLC similarly stated that the majority of the workers being let go from its business are also delivery drivers.

“The franchisee is transferring their delivery services to a third party. While it is unfortunate, we look at this as a transfer of jobs,” the statement said. “As you know, many California restaurant operators are following the same approach due to rising operating costs. We anticipate third-party delivery providers in turn will see a boost in their businesses, which will require additional staff on their end.”

Fat Brands Inc., another large company that owns restaurants like Johnny Rockets, Hot Dog On A Stick, Fatburger, and Round Table Pizza, stated that the change may result in much higher delivery costs and higher prices for customers in general.

Brian Hom, who owns two Vitality Bowls restaurants in San Jose, California, said that he staffs his establishments with just two people rather than the customary four. Customers will now have to wait longer for service due to a staffing shortfall, and prices will rise to offset the higher labor expenses.

“I’m definitely not going to hire anymore,” he told reporters. 

Employees of fast food franchises with 60 or more locations around the U.S. are affected by the Newsom-approved wage law.

Additionally, contrary to what critics claim, many fast food business employees are not just teenagers who are working their first jobs. Many of them are hard-working mothers and fathers who have mouths to feed, so being fired from a job due to a statewide minimum wage hike is not ideal in any circumstance.

“Restaurants are struggling to stay above water, and Democrats just threw them an anvil,” said California Assembly Republican official James Gallagher. “We warned Democrats this new mandate would cost jobs. They ignored us, and here we are with the highest unemployment rate in the country, poised to get even worse.”

Chains that bake and prepare bread in-house to sell as a stand-alone menu item are excluded from the new regulation.  

“California is home to more than 500,000 fast-food workers who, for decades, have been fighting for higher wages and better working conditions. Today, we take one step closer to fairer wages, safer and healthier working conditions, and better training by giving hardworking fast-food workers a stronger voice and seat at the table,” Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) said.

However, Newsom failed to explain that a good portion of these employees would be cut from the work force and that prices would begin to climb higher and higher, putting many companies out of business.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

[weightloss15days]

Shohei Ohtani says he's sad and shocked over Mizuhara's gambling and theft allegations

Baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani revealed on Monday that he was unaware until recently of the alleged involvement of his now-dismissed interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in gambling and theft activities.

In his initial public address regarding the controversy shadowing the start of MLB's 2024 season, the Japanese-born Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, expressed his dismay and shock upon learning about the accusations. The Dodgers terminated Mizuhara's employment last week after Ohtani's representatives disclosed that they had uncovered extensive theft targeting Ohtani, prompting them to escalate the matter to the authorities.

During a press briefing broadcasted live on the MLB Network from the team's interview room, Ohtani clarified that he has never engaged in sports betting. He further asserted, "Ippei has been embezzling funds from my account and spreading falsehoods." Ohtani revealed that Mizuhara was facing financial troubles but misrepresented the situation to Ohtani's representatives and the public, suggesting that Ohtani was settling debts on behalf of a friend.

Expressing his emotions, Ohtani stated, "To sum up my current state, I am utterly stunned. It's challenging to articulate my feelings at this juncture." He mentioned that his legal advisors recommended involving the authorities in the theft and fraud investigation, emphasizing his full cooperation with ongoing inquiries.

Ohtani conveyed his intention to allow his legal team to handle the matter while he focuses on his game, remarking, "I am eager to concentrate on the season, and I appreciate the opportunity to address this issue."

Ohtani declined to entertain questions from the media following his statement, which lasted approximately 10 minutes.

Later in the day, the Dodgers hosted an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Angels. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed support for Ohtani's decision to address the issue publicly, stating, "I think it's the right thing to do. I'm pleased he's speaking out, providing insight into what he knows and sharing his thoughts on the situation."

Ohtani, a two-time American League MVP, signed a lucrative $700 million contract with the Dodgers during the off-season.

Investigations into the matter are ongoing. Mizuhara admitted to ESPN investigative reporter Tisha Thompson that he incurred substantial gambling debts, allegedly with an illegal gambling ring overseen by Mathew Bowyer in Orange County, Calif. Neither Mizuhara nor Bowyer has been charged with any offense.

The Los Angeles field office of the IRS's criminal investigation division confirmed its involvement in the investigation concerning Mathew Bowyer and Ippei Mizuhara.

Meanwhile, MLB stated that it is investigating the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara. Major League Baseball imposes severe penalties on individuals involved in betting on baseball, a violation regulated under Rule 21 on misconduct.

Key questions remain unanswered regarding Mizuhara's conflicting statements about the coverage of his gambling losses. Thompson reported that Mizuhara initially claimed that Ohtani had agreed to settle his gambling debts and even facilitated wire transfers, but subsequently retracted his statements, prompting Ohtani's legal team to assert that their client was a victim of extensive theft.

Ippei Mizuhara, aged 39, hails from Japan and reportedly met Ohtani during the latter's tenure with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. Mizuhara served as a translator for the team and later accompanied Ohtani to the MLB as his interpreter. Their close relationship has been evident throughout Ohtani's career, including Mizuhara's participation in the 2021 All-Star Game's home run derby as Ohtani's catcher.

When the Dodgers unveiled Ohtani as their newest acquisition three months ago, Mizuhara stood alongside him onstage. Play-by-play announcer Joe Davis introduced him as "Shohei's interpreter — primarily Shohei's best friend, close companion — Ippei Mizuhara."

#top news #viral #news

[gabrieldespinoza]

Former Orange County Tax Preparer From Victorville Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

SANTA ANA, Calif. (VVNG.com) — A former Orange County tax preparer was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for leading multi-year tax fraud conspiracies across three countries, which claimed more than $10 million from the IRS and dozens of state tax authorities in fraudulent tax refunds and led these authorities to lose more than $1.2 million. Stephen Jake McGonigle, 67, of…

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#crime #safety #victorville

[cavenewstimes]

16 SWAT officers hospitalized after blast at training facility in Southern California

Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year]   IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — An explosion during an indoor training exercise Wednesday sent 16 members of Southern California’s Orange County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team to the hospital, with one person requiring surgery for a leg injury, the department said. Two others had superficial wounds while the remaining 13 had dizziness…

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[trendingnewsmania]

SoCal Firms Accused|of Selling Fetal Tissue

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CN) — In a civil complaint that's already sparked political fireworks, the Orange County district attorney says two medical products companies and the family that owns them made huge, illegal profits by selling fetal tissue to researchers from samples donated by Planned Parenthood.

Entering the politically charged area of embryonic stem cells and abortion, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas seeks civil penalties of $3 million or more from, DV Biologics and DaVinci Biosciences, and their owner-operators Andres Isaias, Estefano Isaias Sr. and Estefano Isaias Jr.

Planned Parenthood is not a party to the lawsuit, nor is it accused of wrongdoing.

Rackauckas said at a news conference that Planned Parenthood did nothing wrong and did not receive any money from the defendants. Donations of stem cells and tissues from aborted fetuses are legal, but "the sale of fetal tissue and cells for 'valuable consideration' is illegal under both California and federal law," Rackauckas says in the Oct. 11 complaint in Orange County Court.

He says the companies, which operate out of the same address in Yorba Linda and are jointly owned and managed by the Isaias family, "obtained aborted fetus donations from Planned Parenthood and turned those donations into a profit-driven business."

They sold vials of fetal tissue for as much as $700 — a 2,700 percent markup from the $26 it cost to produce, Rackauckas says.

"Defendants' conduct was knowing and intentional and in complete disregard of the law," the complaint states. "Indeed, rather than attempt to limit their income on sales to allowable amounts, defendants ignored their legal obligations entirely and affirmatively set forth, at the direction of the Isaias defendants, a business objective and plan to profit on their sales efforts."

An attorney for the defendants, Michael Tein, said in a statement that Rackauckas's office has the numbers all wrong — that they "do not reflect the full costs of developing each bio-sample."

Tein, with Lewis Tein in Coconut Grove, Fla., said his clients never turned a profit.

"This is a civil lawsuit over cost-accounting issues," Tein said. "We look forward to explaining the full story to the court."

The district attorney's lawsuit began from an anonymous, confidential complaint from a member of the public, according to Kelly Ernby, the deputy district attorney in charge of the case. She said the case is about enforcing the law, not politics.

"This case is not about whether it should be lawful to sell fetal parts or whether fetal tissue research is ethical or legal," Rackauckas said in a statement.

While there is a "right to conduct stem cell research" in the California Constitution, the defendants were "treating human parts as commodities instead of giving it the respect the law intended," Rackauckas said. "This lawsuit is aimed at taking the profit out of selling body parts."

Anti-abortion groups quickly trumpeted the lawsuit to bolster their accusations against the nationwide women's healthcare provider.

"This suit vindicates the brave whistleblowers of the Center for Medical Progress and every pro-life American who demanded the nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood, and their partners in the harvest and sale of baby body parts be held accountable," Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement.

The Center for Medical Progress is the Irvine-based organization that secretly filmed Planned Parenthood representatives two years ago, allegedly discussing the sale of fetal parts. The videos the group released were heavily edited. A federal appellate panel heard arguments Tuesday about preventing the group from releasing additional secret videos.

The center's founder, David Daleiden, posted a statement on the company blog last week also calling for Planned Parenthood to be "held accountable."

DaVinci Biosciences began in 2008 as a biotechnology research laboratory. In 2009, its founders launched DV Biologics as "a revenue-driven unit" to sell "products derived from the cells and tissues they were already collecting," according to the lawsuit.

They realized that using small samples, such as fetal tissue donated by Planned Parenthood, they could grow many more cells and sell them to other researchers for almost any price, according to the complaint.

Using one fetus donation, plus "just a few hours of time, and very little cost … DV scientists created hundreds of vials of fetal stem cells, which they packaged separately for sale on a per vial basis," the complaint states.

As the company grew, it added marketing and sales staff and sold products across the globe, to Australia and China, Germany and Spain.

From 2012 through 2015, DV Biologics made many hundreds of sales, bringing in more than $1.5 million in revenue, according to the complaint, and turning a profit in every year but the first. At one point, DV had a combined inventory of "pre-natal" and "post-natal" cell products worth $4.4 million, the complaint states, citing company documents.

Prices were set high to allow profits while leaving room for negotiations and discounting. The lawsuit lists costs and prices for several of the company's top-selling products, such as one derived from fetal heart cells. Vials cost less than $26 to produce and sold for $350 to $700, depending on discount.

The California Health and Safety Code section that prohibits selling fetal tissue for more than cost "is a very specific statute right on point" in this case, Ernby said.

That constitutes unfair competition, the district attorney says. He seeks a court order preventing further violations and fines of up to $2,500 apiece for 503 illegal sales made since 2012.

The two companies also apparently have run afoul of California's income tax agency, the Franchise Tax Board. Rackauckas says the board forfeited DaVinci's "powers, rights and privileges" in 2014 and DV's last year. He seeks civil penalties of $2,500 for every day the companies operated in California since the forfeitures.

Andres Isaias is president of both companies. He is the brother of Estefano Isaias Jr. All three are founders and managers of the companies, according to the complaint.

#News #Trending