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Tri-County Sentry
Friday APRIL 25, 2014
State News Jackson Puts Statewide Drug Take-Back AG Harris Announces Arrests in Multi-State Drug Trafficking Bust Legislation on Hold
SACRAMENTO -State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) announced that, due to a lack of support from some of her legislative colleagues in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, she is shelving a bill this year to create the nation’s first statewide drug take-back program for prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Jackson plans to introduce a bill tackling this same topic next year. In the meantime, Jackson is amending Senate Bill 1014 to move a bill forward that will reinstate model guidelines, developed by CalRecycle, for local governments want-
ing to create their own drug take-back programs, so that efforts can continue at the local level. “I am disappointed that we were unable to move forward with a statewide plan this year, but I am
committed to this issue and to helping to solve the immense public health and environmental challenges created by unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs. I always expected change of this magnitude to be a multi-year effort. I look forward to taking the next several months to determine how to best move forward with legislation next year that will create a statewide drug take-back program,” Jackson said. Jackson added, “Most of all, I look forward to the day when the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry steps up to take responsibility and joins us as a partner in tackling legislation that JACKSON, See page 12A
Assemblymember Jeff Gorell an Melendez. “Providing whistleblower protections to legislative staff is a first step in the fight to eradicate corruption and begin the process of restoring the public’s trust.”
“We can encourage a greater level of accountability and transparency by giving legislative staff members the confidence to report this type of criminal behavior in the future,” stated Assemblyman Gorell, a former Ventura County prosecutor. “Staff members have the greatest visibility over activities in and around the Capitol, and they are likely to have the most immediate knowledge of unethical or criminal behavior. We must create an environment where employees feel more comfortable reporting bad behavior.” While most state workers in California are currently GORELL, See page 12A
Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson
Assemblymembers Melendez and Gorell Announce Whistleblower Protection Bill
Sacramento, CA – Citing the recent suspension of three California State Senators facing separate felony criminal charges including perjury, voter fraud, bribery, corruption, and gun trafficking, Assemblymembers Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) and Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) today announced legislation to provide whistleblower protections for legislative staff members who report illegal and unethical behavior of their superiors. “Corruption must never be tolerated. The legislature should be doing everything in its power to ensure this government is one of honor and integrity,” said Assemblywom-
FRESNO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the arrest of eleven individuals associated with a Central Valleybased narcotics trafficking organization and the seizure of over $200,000 in cash and drugs including over 50 lbs. of methamphetamine and nearly 1,000 marijuana plants. "Transnational drug traffickers aren't troubled by the details of law enforcement jurisdictions or government borders, and neither should our enforcement efforts,” Attorney General Harris said. “My California Department of Justice Task Force worked closely with local, state and federal law enforcement officials throughout the Central Valley to dismantle the Magana organization. Our success shows the pressing need for more
collaboration and funding to fight transnational drug trafficking in California.” Defendants Jose Magana, Manuel Munoz and Juan Parra were arrested on March 4, 2014, defendant John DeWayne Young was arrested on November 10, 2013 and defendant Ana Valero was arrested
on March 11, 2014, all in Tulare County. Defendants Erwin Alva, Rosemary Alvarez, Ernesto Carrillo and Christopher Pellegrin were arrested on March 4, 2014 in Riverside County. They are charged with thirteen felony counts including possession, transportation and sale of a controlled substance, prohibited possession of ammunition, and conspiracy. All are currently being held in Tulare County Jail and are being prosecuted by the Tulare County District Attorney. Alva, Alvarez, Carrillo, Munoz, Pellegrin and Valero are being held on $500,000 bail, Magana and Parra are being held without bail and Young is being held on $3 million bail. Defendants Gerardo Campos-Cuin and Angel Pedraza-Cervantes were HARRIS, See page 12A
State Controller John Chiang credit card spending and mismanaged state grant funds. The Controller also reviewed redevelopment asset transfers and ordered $22.7 million in redevelopment assets to be returned to the successor agency. "These audits found
that the city's prior leaders displayed little regard for fundamental accounting and fiscal management practices necessary to promote transparency and protect taxpayer dollars," said Chiang. "Very few controls or checks and balances existed to guard against corruption, abuse, and fiscal mismanagement. The few rules that did exist were not followed, and questionable spending was rampant." The Controller initiated the internal control audit late last year at the request of the City's new management, and provided draft copies of the report to the City in February. The City's response to each finding is included in the published report.
In a major step forward for Ellis Act reform, Senator Leno’s bill to stop unfair Ellis Act evictions in San Francisco passed the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. SB 1439 closes a loophole in the Ellis Act that allows speculators to buy rentcontrolled buildings and immediately begin the process of evicting longterm renters. The bill is co-sponsored by San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee and Tenants Together, and is supported by numerous local businesses, labor groups, elected officials, senior organizations, and tenant advocates. Tenants from San Francisco rallied on the steps of the Capitol before the hearing and packed the hearing room. Numerous community organizations including Chinatown Community Development Corporation, Community Tenant Association, Mission Economic Development Corporation, Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, Bill Sorro Housing Program, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice were present to support the bill at the hearing. “California’s Ellis Act was specifically designed to allow legitimate landlords a way out of the
rental business, but in San Francisco this state law is being abused by speculators who never intend to be landlords,” said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. “As a result, longtime tenants, many of them seniors, disabled people and lowincome families, are being uprooted from their homes and communities. The five-year holding period in my bill would prevent these devastating evictions from forever changing the face of our diverse city.” SB 1429 authorizes San Francisco to prohibit new property owners from invoking the Ellis Act to evict tenants for five years after the acquisition of a property. The bill also prohibits property owners that exit the rental housing business through the Ellis Act from later using the Act on new properties they acquire. A new report from Tenants Together, California’s statewide organization for renters’ rights, reveals that most Ellis Act evictions in San Francisco have been initiated by investors, not landlords. Tenants Together’s report, The Speculator Loophole: Ellis Act Evictions in San Francisco, released last week, is available online at www.tenantstogether.org/ellisreport.
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris
Controller Chiang Releases Cudahy Audits
SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang released several audits of the City of Cudahy examining the city's internal controls and fiscal management practices, as well as its compliance with state laws governing the use of transportation and redevelopment funds. The Controller found the City's administration during the period between July 2010 and June 2012 had virtually no internal controls to prevent the misuse of taxpayer dollars. His investigations identified questionable leave pay, violations of the City's contract code, uncontrolled
Ellis Act Reform Bill Clears Senate Housing Committee