September 27, 2018
VOL. 31, No. 85
CA DMV Wait Times Unacceptable SENTENCED TO 3 TO 10 Gov. Brown Orders Review YEARS IN STATE PRISON
BILL COSBY
By Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
Gov. Jerry Brown recently ordered a performance audit of the state Department of Motor Vehicles in response to the public outcry over hours-long wait times and repeated computer crashes that delayed serving customers. State Finance Director Keely Martin Bosler, who was appointed by Brown, notified the agency that her office will conduct the financial review amid concerns about the DMV’s performance. “As we have discussed, long wait times at the Department of Motor
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By Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
Bill Cosby was sentenced on Tuesday to three to 10 years in state prison for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand. Judge Steven T. O’Neill rendered the decision Tuesday, the second day of the sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., saying, “I’m not permitted to treat him any differently based on who he is or who he was.” O’Neill also ruled that Cosby is a “sexually violent predator” and fined him $25,000. The sentence means that Cosby, once known as “America’s Dad,” will spend at least three years behind bars and then will become eligible for supervised release, although that’s not guaranteed. According to journalist Bobby Allyn, who was in the courtroom, the judge will not grant bail. The comedian was escorted out of the
courtroom in handcuffs and was placed in a car, where he was headed off to state prison. Cosby, 81, was convicted in April on three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault. While they had the potential to carry a 30-year sentence — 10 years per count — O’Neill said Monday, and the district attorney and defense attorney agreed, that the counts would be merged into just one. State guidelines recommend between one and four years for a single count. (The DA requested the maximum sentence, while Cosby’s legal team argued for leniency, given his age and frailty, including his blindness.) The disgraced Cosby Show star arrived at court on Tuesday morning with a smile on his face as he walked in alongside his legal team and handlers. His wife since 1964,
Camille Cosby, opted again not to attend. He chose not to make a statement when the judge asked if he had anything to say. Following the verdict, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said at a news conference on Tuesday that “it’s been a long journey to get here and today justice was served.” “For decades, the defendant has been able to hide his true self and hide his crimes using his fame and fortune,” Steele said. “He used his acting skills and his endearing personality to win over his victims and keep them silent. Finally, Bill Cosby has been unmasked, and we’ve seen the real man as he’s headed off to prison.” Steele praised Andrea Constand, saying, “We are all better off because she’s in our lives.”
$16 BILLION NEW DEBT ROLL BACK FUEL TAX, THREE NEW STATES? CALIFORNIA VOTERS WEIGH 12 PROPOSITIONS ON NOVEMBER’S BALLOT By Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
The 12 propositions that have earned a spot on California’s November ballot will ask voters to consider a host of changes including new limits on rent and a plan that might allow the Golden State to split itself into three. The measures were certified for the Nov. 6 ballot on Thursday. While the list is shorter than the 17 propositions on the fall ballot in 2016, it still presents Californians with some complicated choices. Four ballot measures will ask voters to authorize the sale of new government bonds, which must be paid back over time with interest.
The largest proposal is an $8.8-billion bond for water supply and storage efforts including water recycling, storm water capture, restoring fish habitats and repairing the spillways of the Oroville Dam that were damaged in 2017. A second ballot measure seeks approval for a $1.5 billion-bond to finance construction projects at 13 children’s hospitals across the state. Most of the money would go to nonprofit hospitals that serve children from low-income families and with special needs. Two other measures seek money for housing: a $4-billion bond for housing
SEE INGLEWOOD CITY COUNCIL LIVE ON WWW.INGLEWOODTODAY.COM
aimed at low-income residents and veterans and a $2-billion bond to finance new housing for the state’s homeless. Few topics are being as hotly debated in California in 2018 as the high cost of housing and the lack of affordable options for millions of residents. Two propositions seek changes for some of the state’s residents. A major battle is expected over the ballot measure to give cities and counties expanded power to impose rent control rules, repealing a long-standing state law that has limited new rent control efforts.
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