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Nancy Pelosi just went after Gavin Newsom. She shouldn’t have | Page B1
Weather: 91o/56o | Volume IV | Issue XIX
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REAL ESTATE | Page C2
Thursday, May 12 - 18, 2022
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B POLITICS
CLERGY CORNER: Two Trees and a Boat
Gavin Newsom is on the ballot this June.
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CALIFORNIA STATE
Prosecutor will refile murder charge against woman who delivered stillbirth
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ECONOMICS | Page D1
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Hemet Police Department Comes Down On Violators
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Central Valley district attorney is defying the attorney general with his plan to pursue a new murder charge against a woman who used methamphetamine and delivered a stillbirth. A Central Valley district attorney has vowed to refile a murder charge against a woman whose case drew national attention for its possible implications for abortion rights, but the woman’s advocates believe the charges will never actually materialize. Adora Perez was freed in March after nearly four years in prison on a guilty plea to manslaughter after she delivered a stillbirth while testing positive for methamphetamine. On Monday, Kings County District Attorney Keith Fagundes dropped the remaining charges against her. Abortion rights proponents – including Attorney General Rob Bonta – celebrated the decision. But Tuesday morning, Fagundes told CalMatters in a text message that he intends to refile charges against Perez – standard language for a prosecutor after dismissing charges without prejudice, meaning the charges can be refiled again later. “The matter was dismissed without prejudice as we intend to refile,” Fagundes said. “Ms. Perez was put on notice today to maintain any exculpatory evidence she believes exists.” Fagundes believes he has a right to file the murder charges under existing California law. Perez’s attorneys and Bonta disagree, contending that current law forbids such prosecutions. But Fagundes has said in debates this year during his third run for office that a proposed law, AB 2223, would be the mechanism to prevent prosecutions of this kind. “If a mother can’t be prosecut-
Yedra Arredondo as Red Riding Hood heads to her grandmother’s house in the Noli Indian School drama class production of “Little Red Riding Hood” on April 21. | Photos courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians
Protestors gather to rally against Assembly Bill 2223 at the state Capitol in Sacramento on April 19, 2022. | Photo by Rahul Lal for CalMatters.
ed for the death of her fetus, then why pass AB 2223?” Fagundes said in an April 8 debate, according to the Valley Voice. AB 2223, by Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks , would abolish the requirement that coroners investigate stillbirths. Proponents of the law say this would lead more people to seek prenatal care without fear of prosecution. Under current law, all fetal deaths at or after 20 weeks, with the exception of abortions, are treated as “unattended deaths” in California, requiring a coroner to investigate. In 48 of 58 California counties, the sheriff is also the coroner, which means that law enforcement becomes involved and the person who is pregnant could face potential prosecution. Perez’s story drew national attention for her rare plea in 2018 to manslaughter of a fetus – a charge that doesn’t exist in California law. Abortion rights advocates believe her case has broad implications for abortion access in California, potentially opening the door to criminal prosecutions of people seeking to terminate pregnancies. A draft U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion recently published by Politico suggests justices are poised to strike down Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling
that guaranteed the federal constitutional right to an abortion. Fagundes’ statement that he plans to refile charges flies in the face of a directive from Bonta in January. The attorney general advised prosecutors, defense attorneys and police not to participate in criminal cases against mothers who miscarry or deliver a stillbirth. “The loss of a pregnancy at any stage is a physically and emotionally traumatic experience that should not be exacerbated by the threat of being charged with murder,” Bonta said at the time. Bonta’s office said Tuesday that they will contest future charges if they’re filed. “As we’ve previously made clear in our legal alert , California law does not criminalize people for the loss of a pregnancy,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement. “The DA moved to dismiss the charge and the court dismissed. “Should further action be necessary in the Perez case, we’re prepared to continue to weigh in where appropriate.” Perez’s attorney, Mary McNamara, said on Tuesday that she doesn’t believe Fagundes will
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CALIFORNIA STATE
How bad is water use in California? March is the worst so far, up 19% RACHEL BECKER | CONTRIBUTED
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gnoring urgent pleas from water officials, Californians used substantially more water after a record-dry three months gripped the state. Californians emerged from the driest January, February and March on record with the biggest jump in water use since the drought began: a nearly 19% increase in March compared to two years earlier. Despite the urgent pleas of water officials, California’s water use in March is the highest since 2015, standing in stark contrast to February, when residents and businesses used virtually the same amount of water in cities and towns as two years ago. The massive increase shrank conservation gains since last
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Map of California and the use of Water by city. | Image Source: Dept. of Water Resources.
Drama Unfolds at Noli Indian School SOBOBA BAND OF LUISEÑO INDIANS | CONTRIBUTED
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hen Lorin Alvarez began teaching at Noli Indian School on the Soboba Reservation about five years ago, she did not realize she would have the opportunity to combine her two passions in the classroom. But this school year she has been able to add a drama class to the roster of offerings for middle and high school students. A lifelong San Jacinto Valley resident, Alvarez graduated from Hemet High School in 2009. She attended UC, Irvine for its drama program with the intention of making musical theater her fulltime job. “About two years into college, I took an Arts in Education course, for a general education credit,” she said. “I fell in love with the marriage of arts and education, and it really opened my eyes to the possibility of teaching and bringing my theater training into the classroom. I also liked the idea of stability and job security which can be hard to come by in the performance world but can be found in teaching.” However, she started out as the middle school history teacher at Noli and then took on one section of AVID, a program that provides scaffolded support that educators and students need to encourage college and career readiness and success. Since the 2020-2021 school year, Alvarez has been the AVID program coordinator. During the first semester of the current school year, she formed an after-school drama club. Because students have so many different obligations at that time, such as sports, the club was able to be developed into a seventh period elective class. For high school students, it meets their performing arts graduation requirement and for middle schoolers, they can choose to take
Maricela Sosa as The Wolf pulls out a knife and fork to enjoy her meal during a scene from “Little Red Riding Hood” by Noli Indian School drama class students.
Drama or Culture. “I hope to share several aspects of my college experience with my students,” Alvarez said. “I want them to be well-rounded artists and understand the history of theater, the technical side and the performance side.” Once it was an official drama class, students started working on their production of “Little Red Riding Hood, A Fractured Tale.” Members from each grade level got involved, and working together, they painted and created all the sets, made some of the props and costumes and came together for the April 21 performances. The first was for the Soboba Tribal Preschool students, followed by one for teachers, parents and other invited guests. “We were doing this on a small scale, but all the students got to learn what all it takes to put on a show,” Alvarez said. The cast of characters were Phyllis Morillo as Narrator A, Melissa Sosa as Narrator B, Yedra Arredondo as Red Riding Hood, Maricela Sosa as the Wolf, Alena Duenas as
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Kai-Emi Arredondo as “Grammy” chats with the big, bad wolf, played by Maricela Sosa during a recent production.
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