Capture of the video shared in Twitter by prosecutor Rob Bonta where they announce the seizure of 40 pounds of fentanyl and other drugs.
California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, along with Merced County District Attorney Nicole Silveira, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, announced the seizure of 40 pounds of fentanyl and 104 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at $4.2 million, as well as the arrest of seven suspects, in two separate cases in Merced County.
“Across the country, we continue to address the impacts of the opioid crisis, and in recent years, we have seen a marked increase in fentanyl use and associated deaths,” Attorney General Bonta said.
The official added that this crisis is a multifaceted public health and safety issue, and addressing it requires a thoughtful and strategic approach.
“Whether it’s seizing illicit fentanyl through our ongoing enforcement efforts or bringing billions of dollars to California through our lawsuits and investigative efforts to hold the opioid industry accountable, the California Department of Justice is committed when it comes to protecting California families from the dangers of fentanyl,” he said.
Bonta said there is still much work to be done, but "we will not rest until we eliminate fentanyl from our streets and from California's communities."
The seizures in this case were the result of two separate CHP traffic stops that were turned over for further investigation to the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET), a task force led by the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation.
On April 25, a CHP Central Division K-9 officer stopped a vehicle in Merced County. During the contact, a canine was deployed and gave a positive alert for the odor of narcotics, and approximately 104 pounds of methamphetamine and 25 pounds of fentanyl were located inside the vehicle.
Meanwhile, on April 27, 2023, a CHP Central Division K-9 officer stopped a vehicle in Merced County. A CHP officer conducted a consent search of the vehicle and 15 pounds of fentanyl was located on the rear passenger floorboard.
As MAGNET investigators headed to take over the lead of the investigation, the driver fled on foot into the hills, where he was subsequently arrested.
The driver and two passengers were arrested and booked into the Merced County Jail on charges of possession of fentanyl for sale and transportation of fentanyl through non-contiguous counties.
Bonta recalled the seizure of more than four million fentanyl pills and nearly 900 pounds of fentanyl powder, as well as more than 200 arrests through the work of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation with allied task forces throughout California since April 2021.
Since April 2022, DOJ fentanyl seizures totaled 7,153,083 fentanyl pills seized, 1,094 pounds of fentanyl powder, and more than 200 arrests.
The San Mateo County Executive's Office has launched a call for applications to find its next youth cultural ambassadors, and applicants have until the end of this May to apply.
The program seeks to foster a love of the arts as a vehicle for self-expression and civic engagement among San Mateo County youth, as well as build community through arts and culture with the goal of greater youth engagement in the community, as well as highlight the role of arts and culture in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) and other public discourses.
To become a Cultural Ambassador, interested artists must be between the ages of 15-19, have a major in one or more artistic disciplines—e.g., literary, visual arts, theater, music, digital, etc.—, have experience in community events and projects or outreach, be able to serve as a Youth Cultural Ambassador for one year beginning in July 2023, and be a resident of San Mateo County.
Up to five Youth Cultural Ambassadors will be appointed, including one Youth Poetry Ambassador.
Those interested should visit the site https://tinyurl.com/smcyca-arts to complete an online application form. You will be asked to attach a description of your work, i.e. how you create art and why you do it, as well as 3-5 samples of your work.
The deadline to submit your application is May 31st.
A panel of judges will review the panel of applicants in June and Young Cultural Ambassadors will be appointed for a further term beginning on 1 July 2023 and ending on 30 June 2024.
One of the Youth Cultural Ambassadors will take on the role of San Mateo County Youth Poetry Ambassador. Each Ambassador will receive an honorarium of $500.
The responsibilities of the upcoming Young Cultural Ambassadors include developing and executing an arts/culture-related project that engages the community on any of the following topics: identity and belonging; mental health and healing; environment and sustainability; and education and learning.
Young people will be able to work in collaboration with a library, school or other organizations.
Additionally, they must participate in organizing an ambassador convocation event for middle and high school students during spring break 2024.
The Youth Poetry Ambassador, meanwhile, will give readings twice a year at Board of Supervisors meetings and assist with the promotion of the San Mateo County Poetry Out Loud competition.
Con una cuarta parte de los californianos de 65 años o más para 2030, el estado está buscando formas de satisfacer mejor las necesidades de salud mental para adultos mayores.
Imagen: Fancher Larson, defensora de pacientes de la organización sin ánimo de lucro San Francisco Mental Health Clients’ Rights Advocates, en una reciente mesa redonda comunitaria organizada por el Departamento de Envejecimiento de California. (Crédito: Selen Ozturk vía Ethnic Media Services)
Fancher Larson, residente de San Francisco, ha pasado gran parte de su carrera abogando por los derechos de las personas con problemas de salud mental. Una adulta mayor, recientemente le diagnosticaron Alzheimer y ahora le preocupa lo que le sucederá a su hijo adulto si no puede cuidarlo.
La historia de Larson se encuentra entre la variedad de desafíos de salud mental y conductual que enfrentan los adultos mayores en California y en todo el país a raíz de la pandemia de COVID-19.
«No estoy tan preocupado por mí mismo como por lo que le sucederá a mi hijo», dijo Larson, un defensor de pacientes de San Francisco Mental Health Clients’ Rights Advocates, una organización sin fines de lucro, cuyo hijo de 40 años tiene problemas de salud mental.
«Si termina en el sistema cuando ya no pueda cuidarlo, temo que se suicide. No quiero que lo envíen a un centro del condado ni lo seden con medicamentos», dijo Larson, quien habló durante una mesa redonda el 27 de abril sobre las necesidades de salud conductual de los adultos mayores del Área de la Bahía organizada por el Departamento de Envejecimiento de California ‒CDA, por sus siglas en inglés‒.
El evento, que se llevó a cabo en el Centro para personas mayores On Lok 30th Street en San Francisco, atrajo a pacientes, médicos, personal de CDA, trabajadores sociales y otros líderes comunitarios que compartieron sus experiencias a medida que más adultos mayores enfrentan desafíos físicos, mentales y financieros, incluso cuando las restricciones por la pandemia disminuyen.
La reunión es parte de los esfuerzos estatales para mejorar los servicios para los adultos mayores bajo el Plan Maestro para el Envejecimiento de California, un plan de 10 años destinado a mejorar el apoyo a nivel estatal y local en cinco áreas clave: vivienda, atención médica, equidad social, cuidadores y seguridad financiera.
El quince por ciento de los residentes de California tienen 65 años o más. Se espera que ese número aumente al 25 por ciento para 2030.
La directora de CDA, Susan DeMarois, dijo que el objetivo de la mesa redonda, la primera de cuatro, con tres más en Fresno, San Bernardino y Ukiah, es recopilar aportes de la comunidad que puedan dar forma a la política para satisfacer las necesidades de salud conductual de los adultos mayores, que han visto un aumento en los problemas de salud física y mental desde el comienzo de la pandemia.
Los expertos atribuyen la tendencia en parte al aumento del aislamiento social como resultado de las restricciones relacionadas con la pandemia y dicen que es clave abordar ese aislamiento haciendo que los recursos de salud mental estén más disponibles.
«La salud mental sigue siendo un tabú en muchas comunidades de color», señaló Michelle Fonseca, residente del vecindario Mission de la ciudad que está trabajando para convertirse en Trabajadora Social Clínica Licenciada.
«Con toda la desinformación sobre el COVID, muchos adultos mayores no querían vacunarse», continuó Fonseca. «En mi vecindario, fueron los miembros de la comunidad tocando las puertas, hablando español, chino, tagalo, lo que les dio a estas personas esa sensación de seguridad para ir a vacunarse».
«Es mucho más probable que las personas superen sus miedos si alguien como ellos está sentado al otro lado de la habitación o en la otra línea», dijo la doctora Marcy Adelman, cofundadora del centro de recursos para personas mayores LGBTQ+ Openhouse SF y miembro de California Comisión sobre el Envejecimiento.
Adelman, junto con el director médico de On Lok, el Dr. Ben Lui, recalcaron que el apoyo a la salud mental y conductual debe integrarse mejor en los servicios de atención primaria.
«Los servicios de salud del comportamiento efectivos son aquellos que están integrados en la atención primaria», explicó Lui. «Para las personas mayores con problemas de salud conductual, a menudo existe una inestabilidad asociada, y un buen modelo de prevención de salud pública debe abordar estos problemas en sentido ascendente, como las necesidades de vivienda, planificación financiera y transporte».
Jim DeRoche, un anciano que vive en San Francisco, dijo que la capacitación de los trabajadores de atención informada sobre el trauma fue clave para conectarse con adultos mayores como él. También describió su experiencia con la Línea de la Amistad por teléfono, operada por el Instituto sobre el Envejecimiento.
Las personas mayores que usaron la Línea de la Amistad «informaron una marcada disminución de la depresión, la ansiedad y la soledad durante seis meses», refirió Mia Grigg, vicepresidenta de Servicios de Atención Integrada del Instituto sobre el Envejecimiento. «Este cuidado emocional basado en la confianza es parte de la atención primaria».
Los participantes de la mesa redonda acordaron que la coordinación de los esfuerzos para integrar la salud conductual en los servicios de atención primaria debe comenzar a nivel estatal.
«Para muchos adultos mayores con enfermedades mentales que luego desarrollan demencia, ese nuevo diagnóstico significa que ya no son elegibles para los servicios de salud mental que usaban anteriormente», dijo Jennifer Stephens-Pierre, directora de la Agencia de Envejecimiento del Área del Condado de Alameda. «Sin una legislación para cambiar esto, caen en un espacio en el que quieren subestimar una enfermedad sobre la otra para seguir recibiendo la atención que necesitan».
Mark Salazar, director ejecutivo de la Asociación de Salud Mental de San Francisco, subrayó que su agencia ha visto «caídas significativas en las tasas de readmisión a los 30 días y a los seis meses» después de integrar al personal de pares con los servicios de salud conductual del Condado de Marin a través del Departamento de Salud Pública de San Francisco y el Hospital General de San Francisco.
Otros participantes compartieron sus propias experiencias de coordinación entre los programas de salud mental y conductual, implorando a los líderes de CDA que reflejen esto a nivel estatal.
«Hemos podido atender a las personas mayores de manera más efectiva a través de Openhouse SF cuando coordinamos todos los programas: extensión de salud mental y conductual con ayuda para personas mayores sin hogar o servicios de apoyo LGBTQ+», puntualizó Adelman.
Pero esa coordinación a nivel de ciudad no es suficiente, agregó.
«Pido a los líderes estatales que inviertan en organizaciones que creen la infraestructura física y legal… para ayudar a las personas mayores en sus propias comunidades».Para leer la nota original en inglés, de click here.
At least 50 koi fish have been stolen from the Friendship Garden pond in San Jose, the city's parks, recreation and community services department said Wednesday, asking for help in determining where they are.
El Departamento de Parques, Ocio y Servicios a Vecindarios, señaló en una publicación en redes sociales que el robo de la colorida carpa fue denunciado a la policía de San José.
«Lamentamos informar a nuestra comunidad que faltan aproximadamente 50 peces koi en el Jardín Japonés de la Amistad. Hemos denunciado el pescado robado al Departamento de Policía de San José», precisaron en su cuenta de Twitter.
«La ciudad está desconsolada por la desaparición de estas hermosas criaturas. Proporcionaremos actualizaciones a medida que las recibamos», publicaron.
Los koi se alojaron en el Jardín de la Amistad Japonesa, construido en 1965 como símbolo de la amistad eterna entre la ciudad de San José y su ciudad hermana de Okayama, Japón.
Cualquier persona que tenga información sobre los peces perdidos deben informarlo al número de policía que no es de emergencia al (408) 277-8900.
researchers of the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division Two 10-year-old boys were found working at a Louisville McDonald's, among many violations of federal labor laws committed by three McDonald's franchise operators in Kentucky.
Investigations seeking to stop child labor abuses in the Southeast region found that Bauer Food LLC, Archways Richwood LLC and Bell Restaurant Group I LLC — three separate franchisees operating a total of 62 McDonald's locations in Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio — had 305 minors working more than the legally permitted hours and performing tasks prohibited by law for young workers.
In response, the regulatory authority assessed civil monetary fines of $212,544 against employers.
“Too often, employers fail to follow child labor laws that protect young workers,” said Karen Garnett-Civils, district director of the Wage and Hour Division in Louisville, Kentucky.
"Under no circumstances should a 10-year-old child be working in a fast-food kitchen around hot grills, ovens and fryers," he stressed.
According to a statement released by the Department of Labor, the division found that Bauer Food LLC, a Louisville-based operator of 10 McDonald's locations, employed 24 minors under the age of 16 to work longer hours than legally permitted.
These children sometimes worked more hours per day or week than the law allows, whether or not school was in session.
Investigators also determined that two 10-year-old boys were employed but not paid, and sometimes worked as late as 2 a.m., below the minimum age for employment, preparing and distributing food orders, cleaning the store, working the window and operating a register.
The division also learned that one of the two children was allowed to operate a deep fryer, a task prohibited for workers under the age of 16. The division assessed $39,711 in civil monetary penalties to address the child labor violations.
In the case of Archways Richwood LLC, a Walton-based operator of 27 McDonald's locations, it allowed 242 minors between the ages of 14 and 15 to work beyond permitted hours. Most worked earlier or later than the law allows and more than three hours on school days. The division assessed the employer $143,566 in civil monetary penalties for its violations.
While at Bell Restaurant Group I LLC, a Louisville-based operator of four McDonald's locations and part of Brdancat Management Inc., a larger company that includes Jesse Bell I, Jesse Bell V and Bell Restaurant Group II, which operates 20 other locations in Maryland, Indiana and Kentucky, the employer was found to have allowed 39 workers, ages 14 and 15, to work outside and for longer hours than allowed by law.
Some of these children worked more than the daily and weekly limits during school days and weeks, and the employer allowed two of them to work during school hours.
To address the child labor violations, the division assessed the employer $29,267 in civil monetary penalties. Investigators also found that the employer systematically failed to pay workers overtime wages they were owed, and as a result, the division recovered $14,730 in back wages and liquidated damages for 58 workers.
Federal child labor regulations limit the types of jobs child employees can perform and the hours they can work.
Hour limits for 14- and 15-year-olds include that work must be performed outside of school hours, must not be more than 3 hours on a school day, including Fridays, and must not be more than 8 hours on a non-school day.
Also, no more than 18 hours during a school week and no more than 40 hours during a non-school week, no work before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m., except between June 1 and Labor Day, when evening hours are extended to 9:00 p.m.
"We are seeing an increase in federal child labor violations, including allowing minors to operate equipment or handle types of work that endanger them or employing them for longer hours or later in the day than federal law allows," Garnett-Civils said.
“An employer who hires young workers should be aware of the rules. An employer, parent or young worker who has questions can contact us so we can help them understand their obligations and rights under the law,” she added.
While most child labor violation cases involve minors working longer and later hours than the law allows, the division found 688 minors illegally employed in hazardous occupations in fiscal year 2022, the highest annual count since fiscal year 2011.
Among them was a 15-year-old boy, injured while using a deep fryer at a McDonald's in Morristown, Tennessee in June 2022.
“One child injured at work is one too many. Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, well-being or education,” Garnett-Civils concluded.
San Mateo police have arrested a man suspected of a shooting at a bar in the city in which one of the bullets grazed the leg of a male victim.
On April 14, at approximately 12:58 a.m., patrol officers with the San Mateo Police Department (SMPD) responded to the unit block of 37th Avenue for a report of a shooting.
Authorities immediately launched an investigation at the scene, and after interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance video, officers learned that a group of three unknown suspects were involved in an altercation with two men inside a bar.
One of the three suspects punched one of the other men in the face. The fight continued outside the bar and one of the suspects retrieved a firearm from a vehicle, who fired one round into the sky and then fired two or three more rounds into the ground, where one of the bullets grazed a 26-year-old male victim who had a minor graze on his ankle, police said.
The three suspects fled the scene in two vehicles prior to SMPD arrival.
Officers continued their investigation and quickly identified the shooter as Diego Perez-Pinzon.
So, during the early hours of this morning on May 3, SMPD arrested Perez-Pinzon without incident near his residence in Redwood City, CA.
Perez-Pinzon was booked into the San Mateo County Jail for assault with a firearm, negligent discharge of a firearm, criminal threats, exhibition of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a parolee and carrying a loaded firearm.
In response to these events, authorities recalled that "If you see something, say something."
«We are encouraging our community to use security cameras. They are especially helpful in identifying suspicious activity in neighborhoods when the cameras face the street. Our officers request surveillance regularly and you can help by notifying SMPD where cameras are located in your neighborhood at the site http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/Nest", they recalled.
Bay Area authorities will hold a gun buyback event on May 6.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, along with San Mateo County and the police departments of South San Francisco, San Bruno, Daly City, Colma, and Citizens for San Mateo County Gun Buyback, will be holding an anonymous gun buyback event this coming Saturday, May 6.
The event will be held in the parking lot of the North County Courthouse, located at 1050 Mission Road in South San Francisco, on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
“Our gun buyback event provides a safe and anonymous way for community members to turn in firearms they no longer need or want. By participating in this event, you are helping to keep our communities safer by reducing the number of guns in circulation,” said San Mateo County Sheriff, Christina Corpus.
“We encourage all residents to consider taking advantage of this opportunity to make a positive impact on our community,” he added.
For those planning to attend, please transport your firearms unloaded and in the trunk of your vehicle. All firearms will be accepted, no questions asked, in exchange for cash ranging from $50 to $200.
In addition to removing firearms from the community, gun buyback events also provide an opportunity to educate the public about safe firearm storage and other gun safety protocols, as well as distribute free gun locks.
“Gun violence remains an ever-present danger in our communities,” said Dave Pine, chairman of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. “By taking guns out of circulation, along with strong local safety policies, we can continue to reduce the prevalence and availability of guns.”
San Mateo County has hosted six buyback events; yielding a total of 2,359 firearms collected to date.
This event series, known as the San Mateo County Gun Buyback Program, is scheduled to include two events per year through 2023 and is funded by a partnership between the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, which approved a grant of up to $208,000 in Measure K, and $100,000 from the Sheriff’s Office, with more than $67,000 raised by Citizens for a San Mateo County Gun Buy Back, a local community group.
The new COVID-19 variant that was detected in January of this year has caused concern among experts in recent months, becoming a "variant of interest" for the World Health Organization -WHO-.
During the radio show Hecho en California, hosted by Marcos Gutiérrez, Anna Lee Mraz, CEO of Península 360 Press, warned about the new COVID-19 variant "Arcturus" or XBB1.16, which was first identified in India and has so far been detected in at least 29 countries.
One of the characteristics of this strain is that it may be more transmissible because it has an additional mutation in the spike protein. The program mentioned that conjunctivitis is one of the characteristic symptoms of this new variant, in addition to other symptoms already known to the population such as cough, fever, fatigue, sore throat, difficulty breathing, among others.
Lee Mraz also pointed out that at the press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services, where experts met to discuss the new variant, it was recommended that both adults and children get vaccinated against COVID-19 to be protected against the new variants of the disease, which would reduce the risk of contracting Arcturus.
"The vaccine itself can reduce the possibility of it causing us more harm," said host Marcos Gutiérrez, while Lee Mraz recommended that people receive booster shots and follow hygiene measures to avoid transmission of the disease.
Dina Boluarte's government is a "civil-military dictatorship"
Camilo Pérez Bustillo, executive director of the National Guild of Lawyers of the San Francisco Bay Area, announced the presentation—which took place on May 2 at the Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore and Gallery—of the report and photographic exhibition on human rights violations in Peru.
The exhibition #PerúResiste was organized jointly by Global Exchange and Social Focus, in collaboration with Península 360 Press, Rompeviento TV, Periodistas Unidos and the Center for Latin American Socio-Legal Studies —CESJUL—.
He also pointed out that the illegitimate government of Dina Boluarte has established, according to what the inhabitants of Peru say, "a civil-military dictatorship." He also pointed out that the repression carried out by this dictatorship has left "more than 70 dead, hundreds of people arrested, many wounded and 5 places where there has been concentrated repression against indigenous peoples."
Bustillo also denounced that "this repression is being supported, financed and armed by the United States, there is more than 40 million in military aid to the government of Dina Boluarte and the government welcomed this illegitimate government," which has caused the number of Peruvian migrants to increase because they are fleeing.
"The interim government headed by Dina Boluarte is a government that has applied a policy of state terror that has culminated in crimes against humanity. We are talking about the most serious level - according to international law - of massive human rights crimes, extrajudicial killings, massacres," he explained.
Finally, Manuel Ortiz, director of Península 360 Press and co-organizer of the exhibition #PerúResiste said that "there is a lot we can do here," as he pointed out that in Peru people hope that people from abroad will also raise their voices regarding the situation the country is experiencing.
"It seems that the media phenomenon in Peru has died down, but the problem continues. Now it is time to denounce not only this imposed government but also the United States as the promoter of this illegitimate government and as the promoter of a militarization that is advancing throughout Latin America," he concluded.
The California Reparations Task Force released documents Monday indicating it plans to recommend that the state apologize for racism and slavery and consider "down payments" of varying amounts for eligible African-American residents.
The documents, which total more than 500 pages, do not contain a general price tag for reparations, but they do include ways the state could calculate how much money African Americans in California have lost from 1850, when the state was established, until today because of certain government practices.
Loss estimates would vary depending on the type of racial harm and how long a person has lived in California. Loss estimates range from $2,300 per person per year of residence for over-policing of African American communities, to a total of $77,000 per person for losses and devaluations of African American-owned businesses over the years.
The state-appointed task force has a July 1 deadline to make repair recommendations to the Legislature and governor. Gavin NewsomTask force leaders have said they expect the Legislature to come up with actual reparations amounts.
The task force also recommends a variety of policy changes to counter discrimination.
“It’s critical that we compensate, but we don’t just compensate. We also need to evaluate the policy that continues to hold us back,” said Monica Montgomery Steppe, a San Diego City Council member who sits on the task force. She spoke at a “listening session” in San Diego on Saturday.
Who would receive reparations?
The task force documents discuss two types of reparations: those arising from particular instances of discrimination or harm that require an individual to file a claim, and those involving the distribution of money or benefits to all eligible Black Californians for racial harm experienced by the entire community.
A recent example of an individual claim was Bruce's Beach, an oceanfront property and resort that the city of Manhattan Beach seized from a black family nearly 100 years ago. Recently, in part because of the task force, government leaders returned the deed to the land to descendants of the Bruce family, who resold it to Los Angeles County for $20 million.
It is one of the few times that a local government has restored property owned by a black family.
Eligibility for reparations remains controversial. The task force in March 2022 voted to limit potential compensation to descendants of free and enslaved African Americans who were in the United States in the 19th century. The group narrowly rejected a proposal to include all African Americans, including recent immigrants, regardless of lineage.
Everyone in the eligible class should be compensated, the task force report says, even if they can't prove they suffered a specific harm.
“The State of California created laws and policies that discriminate against and subjugate free and enslaved African Americans and their descendants,” the report says. “In doing so, these discriminatory policies made no distinctions among these individuals; the compensatory remedy must do the same.”
The final report, like the task force’s previous interim report, lays out the history of systemic racism and ongoing injustices in California.
Costs of racial harm
The latest batch of documents also urges that eligible individuals be compensated in cash, sooner rather than later. The records instruct the Legislature to begin with “initial payments” rather than waiting for full loss calculations.
The final report suggests dollar figures for certain categories of racial harm:
-Due to mass incarceration and over-policing of Black communities, estimates a per-person loss of $115,260, or $2,352 for each year they lived in California from 1971 to 2020, corresponding to the National War on Drugs;
-For housing discrimination, it offers two methods of calculating losses. One method based on gaps between the “housing wealth” of whites and blacks would peg losses at $145,847 per person. The other method, based on governments’ history of “redlining,” including discriminatory lending and zoning, would estimate losses to black residents at $148,099 per person, or $3,366 for each year they lived in California from 1933 to 1977; and
-For health care injustices and discrimination, it estimates $13,619 per person for each year lived in California, or $966,921 in total for someone who lives to around 71 years old: the average life expectancy of African American residents in California in 2021.
The reparations program would be overseen by a new state agency that would determine eligibility and distribute funding, the report says. The agency would also be responsible for helping people document and provide evidence of specific injustices.
Eligible Black residents shouldn’t expect cash payments anytime soon. The state Legislature and Newsom will decide whether reparations are paid, and it’s unclear what they will do with the task force’s recommendations.
“This is the time when we really need the voice of the public,” said Khansa T. Jones-Muhammad, also known as Friday Jones, a member of the Los Angeles reparations advisory commission. “This is the time to get your churches together. This is the time to get your school boards together.”
Jones made the comments during a listening session in San Diego.
Non-monetary repairs
Some members of the task force have been dismayed by the amount of attention paid to the dollar figures being discussed. The final report provides dozens of policy recommendations aimed at preventing further discrimination and harm against black residents.
“The biggest struggle is the implementation of all of these recommendations,” Montgomery Steppe said. “After the task force issues its final report, those recommendations need strong support in the California Legislature and government. It will take all hands on deck to ensure that we push for a policy change from our state legislature.”
The task force is scheduled to meet again at 9 a.m. Saturday in Lisser Hall at Northeastern University, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., in Oakland. The meeting will be streamed live on https://oag.ca.gov/ab3121.
This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz announced Wednesday the selection of Kristina A. Bell as the new Redwood City Police Chief, who will begin her new role on June 5.
The city said in a statement that with his extensive experience in public safety, Bell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Redwood City Police Department, having lived in the city all his life, he also has a deep understanding of the community and the many partners and agencies that collaborate to support public safety.
"Bell has an excellent reputation for being an authentic and open leader, and has demonstrated honesty and integrity throughout her career," the authorities said.
“I am thrilled to welcome Kristina as Redwood City’s new Police Chief. Her significant experience and strong track record of relationship building, as well as her commitment to improving public safety, will be invaluable assets to our city,” said Stevenson Diaz.
“I look forward to working closely with her as she takes the department to new heights. I am confident she will have a positive impact on the department and our community for years to come,” he added.
Since 2020, Bell has served as Chief of Police Services for the City of San Carlos and as Captain of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
Bell has also held various positions within corrections, operations and support services within the County Sheriff's Office, rising through the ranks from Correctional Officer to Sheriff's Captain.
“My primary goal as Redwood City Police Chief is to work collaboratively with the City Council, staff and community to provide continued safety for those who work, live or visit our wonderful city,” Bell said. “I will continue to value and practice transparency and listen to all voices. Together, we can build on the great foundation that has already been established in Redwood City.”
The incoming police chief has worked extensively with youth and diverse communities in Redwood City and North Fair Oaks and is fluent in Spanish.
Kristina Bell began her employment at age sixteen working for the Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education with a minor in Psychology from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Education degree from Southwest Baptist University.
After a year and a half as a site coordinator for after-school programs in Redwood City, she began her law enforcement career with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, steadily rising through the ranks.
Trustee Stevenson thanked community members for their support in the hiring process. “I took their feedback very seriously and sought to find a police chief who not only had the skills, temperament and experience to effectively lead the department, but also a demonstrated commitment to community engagement.”
“Our new police chief will build on our strong relationships with community members and partners and help us continue to evolve the services we provide,” said Stevenson Diaz.
Bell has completed a rigorous state-mandated background check and will assume her role as Redwood City Police Chief on June 5, 2023 following the retirement of Chief Dan Mulholland.
