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L.A. County steps up efforts to recruit more mental health workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a plan to recruit mental health workers for street teams by offering more incentives.The workers will be a part of response teams designed to help the homeless throughout the region. The county has allocated funding toward the program, but the problem is finding people to fill the job.Existing incentives include signing bonuses, student loan forgiveness and flexible schedules, but that proved not to be enough.On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion directing the Department of Mental Health to develop a plan to add more incentives, including an increase in bonuses and sabbatical programs.“We find ourselves in a situation where we have the infrastructure and funds in place, but we’re having a hard time filling those positions,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said during the meeting.The department and partner agency Sycamores are actively looking to hire licensed mental health providers, marriage and family therapists, soc...

Cap'n Crunch to celebrate 60th 'birthday' with Palm Springs pool party

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

A legendary breakfast cereal mascot is getting ready to celebrate hit 60th birthday with a 21+ pool party in Southern California.Cap'n Crunch, the white-haired mustachioed seafaring explorer of the eponymous cereal brand, will be celebrating 60 trips around the sun in sunny Palm Beach on April 15, the first weekend of the Coachella music festival.Lone Palm Pool at Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs will transform into "Cap'n's Cove" for the big birthday bash. Fans 21 and older can celebrate the sexagenerian sailor from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Crunch cereal-inspired brunch items, drinks and festival wear. The birthday party will also feature some celebrity appearances by musician and host Reneé Rapp, as well as DJ PEE .WEE (aka Anderson .Paak) spinning an all-vinyl set. Cap’n Crunch is inviting fans to the Palm Springs desert for his epic 60th birthday bash dubbed “Cap’n’s Cove!"The Grammy winning musician, artist and producer will be performing from a stage modeled after the Cap'n's...

Disney, American Airlines partner with Make-a-Wish for 'Best Flight Ever'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

Disney and American Airlines is partnering with a popular travel influencer to give children with critical illnesses and their families a trip they'll never forget.Next Wednesday, Make-A-Wish will be flying 27 families from New York to Orlando, Florida for several days of fun at Walt Disney World Resort.While the main event will be at Disney World, the flight itself will also offer a one-of-a-kind experience. The families will board a charter flight and will be treated to several in-flight experiences, provided by American Airlines, including interactive games, special snacks and "surprise moments." The flight will be hosted by Brian Kelly, a travel influencer known as "The Points Guy."Also on the docket is a performance and sing-along with Michael James Scott, who stars as Genie in the Broadway production of "Aladdin."The day will begin with a pre-fight celebration at John F. Kennedy International Airport which will include a special breakfast and a sending off by Make-A-Wish suppo...

Thomas Cervantes Killed in Two-Car Crash on Temescal Canyon Road [Temescal Valley, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

2 Injured in Fatal Car Collision near Weirick RoadTEMESCAL VALLEY, CA (April 6, 2023) – Thursday afternoon, Thomas Cervantes lost his life in a two-car crash on Temescal Canyon Road.The accident took place on February 24th, at around 3:45 p.m., along Temescal Canyon Road at Foster Road, just south of Weirick Road.Authorities responded after they received a collision involving two vehicles that happened under unknown circumstances.Police pronounced 32-year-old Thomas Cervantes, of Riverside, dead at the scene. Meanwhile, paramedics took two unidentified people to the hospital with minor to major injuries.At this time, officials have no other information about the fatal collision near Weirick Road but an active investigation is underway.The team at Sweet James sends their warm and sincerest sympathies out to the friends and family of Thomas Cervantes. May the memories of your loved one and the love of your family give you strength in the days ahead.It is important to have strong...

Jury can’t decide if Pittsburg man killed exploited Oakley teen, but acquit him of first degree murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

OAKLAND — Nearly seven years after a 17-year-old girl was gunned down behind a recreation center along International Boulevard, her accused killer finally had his day in court.But at the end of a trial that spanned nearly two months, jurors were unable to reach a complete verdict for 28-year-old Pittsburg resident Darion Brown. They did acquit Brown of first degree murder, but couldn’t decide on second degree murder or manslaughter, according to court records.The partial result led to a mistrial in Brown’s case, which could now either be tried again, set for plea bargaining, or be dismissed outright. Brown is charged with murdering 17-year-old Alexis Leann Ervin, an Oakley girl who was shot a half dozen times a little before 7 a.m. on June 8, 2016, behind the Rainbow Recreation Center, 5800 International Blvd in Oakland.During Brown’s trial, which started in February, his attorney argued there were several other people present during the shooting, any one of ...

Police: Suspect shot hostages, killing one, after wounding officer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

By Rich Pedroncelli and Stephania Dazio | Associated PressROSEVILLE — A man was arrested after he shot and killed one person and wounded two others, including a highway patrol officer, at a park Thursday in Northern California, authorities said.Multiple police agencies began to descend on Roseville, a city northeast of Sacramento, in the early afternoon.California Highway Patrol officers were serving a warrant to the suspect when he began shooting at them, Roseville Police Capt. Kelby Newton said. One CHP officer was struck by gunfire, he said.When police arrived, officers confronted the suspect, who was still carrying a gun and was seen running from officers at a city park, Newton said. The suspect took two hostages, then surrendered to officers on the scene.Both hostages were shot and one of them died, officials said. The condition of the surviving hostage wasn’t immediately known.The wounded officer was hospitalized in stable condition.The names of the victims were not disc...

Letters: Lockdowns’ role | Reshaping charges | Reparations deserved | Reject dividers | Racist tropes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Lockdowns drovebusiness closingsRe: “Empty storefronts go far beyond downtowns” (Page A1, April 1).In your recent article about empty storefronts in the Bay Area, you failed to mention that the Bay Area had some of the hardest lockdowns in the nation. The Bay Area was also at the top in the country for business closures during these COVID lockdowns. This is not a coincidence.The Bay Area health officials that implemented some of the most severe lockdowns in the nation are partially responsible for these business failures and no one seems willing to acknowledge this.Scott ManleySunnyvaleBill could reshapecharges of rapeRe: “Bill aims to bolster hate-crime charges” (Page B1, April 2).Assemblymember Evan Low introduced a bill to make it clear that one of the forms of bias that turns a crime into a hate crime is when the perpetrator perceives the victim to be “weak, worthless or...

Three get life sentences for killing rapper XXXTentacion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

Associated PressFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Three men were given life sentences on Thursday for the 2018 killing of star rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot outside a South Florida motorcycle shop while being robbed of $50,000.Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were each convicted last month of first-degree murder and armed robbery by a jury following eight days of deliberations.Prosecutors had not sought the death penalty, so life in prison was the only sentence that Broward County Circuit Judge Michael Usan could impose for the first-degree murder convictions.During the month-long trial, prosecutors linked Boatwright, Williams and Newsome to the June 18, 2018, shooting outside Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale through extensive surveillance video taken inside and outside the store, plus cellphone videos the men took showing themselves flashing fistfuls of $100 bills hours after the slaying.Prosecutors also had the testimony of a fourth man,...

Why is Alameda offering a $75,000 signing bonus for new cops?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

The city of Alameda’s police department is offering what may be the biggest signing bonus in the country in an effort to attract new officers.But the $75,000 bonus, which dwarfs the amount offered by other Bay Area cities, is about more than just putting money in an officer’s pockets, says Alameda’s new police chief. It’s also their best shot at instituting the type of progressive, reform-minded policing that he hopes to achieve.“Community policing is about building relationships,” Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi said in an interview. “It’s hard to do that when you’re covering three or four neighborhoods because of a staffing shortage.”The $75,000 cash bonus is meant to help fill a number of long-standing vacancies within the police department. According to Joshi, the department is currently operating at a 30 % staffing deficit, a level that he called “dangerous.”Officers are now working mandatory overtime because of the shortfall. The city currently...

Letters: Rain gauge | Unfair scrutiny | No excuses | Anger, despair | Reality of shootings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:25 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Paper should ditchairport rain gaugeWhy does The Mercury News continue to use the San Jose airport rain gauge to report the amount of rain daily?Today (March 31) the paper showed our total rain for the season as 14.78 inches. San Jose State University’s Meteorology Department’s rain gauge showed 22.92 inches for the total season, which is more in line with neighboring cities’ results.One wonders if it’s possible to change to SJSU’s rain gauge.Dorothy CarlsonSanta ClaraScrutiny of adviseris uncalled forRe: “Mayor’s adviser draws scrutiny” (Page B1, April 6).The recent discussion regarding the role of Kirk Vartan in Santa Clara public affairs is truly a tempest in an espresso cup.I have known Vartan for 20 years as a political opponent, and I regard him as a dedicated, ethical council watcher. Having reviewed a mountain of texts over the past three years between Councilmembers Antho...