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BY EMILY MIBACH Daily Post Managing Editor
A former San Mateo County Woman of the Year won’t be sent to prison, but instead be sentenced to probation when she is sentenced in a few weeks. Clarise Ann Blanchard, 77, of Foster City, was set to be sentenced yesterday after she took a plea deal. Blachard was accused of stealing $700,000 from non-
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dation. However, Dunleavy said that based on the probation department’s sentencing recommendation, he plans off until Aug. 13 because the prosecu- to sentence Blanchard to probation due tor Kathy Wong’s brief recommending to the fact that she’s acknowledged the Blanchard’s sentencing was filed late, crimes that’s been committed and knew it was wrong. Wagstaffe said. Dunleavy also said former StarVista This led to Judge Kevin Dunleavy to put off Blanchard’s sentencing until he CEO Sara Larios Mitchell recommendcould read the prosecutor’s recommen[See JAIL, page 30]
For stealing from nonprofit profit StarVista from 2009 until her retirement in 2022 and identity theft, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. StarVista, which was one of the county’s leading mental health contractors, closed in August. But Blanchard’s sentencing was put
State rejects mail-in ballots
AOC IN LEAD: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was favored by 22% of Democrats in New Hampshire, a key early primary state, a new poll finds. Pete Buttigieg was second at 21%. Kamala Harris got 5% and Gavin Newsom, who was previously the front runner, had only 8% support. WAR SUPPORT FALTERS: Several Republicans broke ranks and joined Democrats in passing a resolution in the House to limit the president's war powers regarding Iran. However, the measure was promptly blocked by Senate Republicans. FORCED LABOR: President Trump has announced sweeping double-digit tariffs on 85 nations for failing to enforce bans on forced labor. ISRAEL PACT: The Trump administration declared that the newly signed Saudi nuclear energy arrangement requires the kingdom to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel. BORDER DISORDER: U.S. missile strikes reportedly targeted a passenger [See THE UPDATE, page 4]
BALLOTS getting sorted in Los Angeles County. AP photo.
Nearly 150,000 California voters had their mail-in ballots rejected for the state’s June primary, a spike from recent elections even as the state attempts to make voting easier with the goal of boosting participation and counting every ballot. California has become notorious for its ponderously slow vote counts that can drag on for weeks and sometimes longer, largely the result of multiple changes over the years that were intended to increase turnout but have done little to achieve that. Among the changes: Every voter receives a mail-in ballot that can arrive at an election office seven days late and still be counted, provided the envelope is postmarked by Election Day. Yet even with that generous week-long window, the primary driver of the higher rejection numbers is late-arriving ballots, [See BALLOTS, page 30]
Town to weigh property transfer tax voted to add the new tax on a ballot. If approved by a majority of voters, they Portola Valley residents will decide will be taxed $10 per $1,000 of a propin November to approve a new real es- erty’s sales price. The average home sale cost in Portotate property transfer tax to bail out the la Valley is $4.29 million. With the new town’s suffering finances. Council on Wednesday unanimously tax, the potential buyer or seller would BY STEPHANIE LAM Daily Post Correspondent
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have to pay around $42,900 if the tax passes. The tax says it is up to the seller and potential buyer to determine how the tax is paid. Council members said they are in favor of the tax, which would raise $2 mil[See TAX, page 30]
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