Latest news with #InlandEmpire
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
California lawmaker won't be charged after citation for suspicion of impaired driving
A California state lawmaker who was cited by police on suspicion of driving under the influence did not have drugs or alcohol in her system and will not face any charges, the Sacramento district attorney said Friday. State Sen. Sebrina Cervantes was cited by Sacramento police earlier this month for impaired driving. She was involved in a vehicle crash and was taken by a private party to a hospital for minor injuries where officers observed 'objective signs of intoxication,' a police spokesperson said previously. The lawmaker also declined to perform sobriety tests, police said. 'The toxicology results were negative for any measurable amount of alcohol or drugs.' District Attorney Thien Ho's office said in a statement. 'We have reviewed all the submitted evidence, including police reports, witness statements, and laboratory results. Based on our ethical duty and the burden of proof in a criminal trial, the Sacramento County DA's Office declines to file any charges in this case.' Cervantes denied any wrongdoing and released lab results from the hospital showing she did not have alcohol or drugs in her system. Her office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. A Sacramento police spokesperson said officers follow 'established protocols' when issuing the citation and deferred questions about the district attorney's decision to the district attorney's office. Cervantes, a Democrat, was elected to the state Senate last year to represent part of the Inland Empire in southern California after years serving in the Assembly. She previously chaired the Latino Legislative Caucus. The citation follows other incidents in recent years in which Democratic state lawmakers in California have been suspected of driving drunk by local authorities. U.S. Rep. Dave Min, who was a state senator at the time, and then-Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo were arrested in separate incidents in 2023 for driving under the influence. Both apologized after their arrests.
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Transgender track athlete expected to compete in California championships despite national scrutiny
A transgender girl from the Inland Empire is at the center of a national conversation and has been subject to attacks from President Donald Trump. On Friday, she'll continue her pursuit of state championships as dozens are expected to gather to protest her presence in her sport. AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School, is scheduled to compete in the long, triple and high jumps Friday in the CIF State Track & Field Championships in Clovis. Friday's meet is a preliminary round – those who qualify will compete for state titles in their respective events on Saturday. Her events are scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School with the long and high jump preliminary rounds. The triple jump, in which Hernandez is the favorite to win the state title, begins at 6 p.m. Who is AB Hernandez? Hernandez's expected appearance at the CIF championships on Friday isn't her first. She competed in the girls' long and triple jump events at the state meet last year, albeit in a much less high-profile capacity. As a sophomore, she took third place in the triple jump at state, according to official results. The openly transgender teen hasn't spoken publicly in recent days but told Capital and Main reporter Cerise Castle that she can only focus on her own actions. MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA - MAY 24: Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley watches during the girls long jump at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High School on May 24, 2025 in Moorpark, California. / Getty Images Media availability will be made for athletes at the meet starting Friday, though it's not clear if Hernandez will speak. Hernandez placed first at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet in both the girls' long and triple jump events last week, earning her a spot in Friday's prelims. National (and presidential) backlash Hernandez's title pursuit has been met with intense scrutiny across the nation as debates over trans rights have ramped up during the second Trump administration. President Donald Trump himself bashed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state lawmakers earlier this week on Truth Social, saying it was a "totally ridiculous situation." "As a Male, he was a less than average competitor," Trump said. "As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS." Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California if Newsom allows Hernandez to compete at the state meet. The Jurupa Unified School District told CBS News that Hernandez's right to participate in girls' competition is currently protected by California's AB 1266, which bars gender discrimination at schools in the state, including in athletics. This week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a probe into California and the JUSD's enforcement of the law, arguing that it violates the rights of female athletes granted by Title IX. As of Friday, it's not clear if and how Trump would pull funding from California if Hernandez competes as expected in the afternoon. Planned disruptions? Groups that refer to themselves as advocates for girls' sports were still trying to prevent Hernandez from competing at the state meet as late as Thursday. Local Fresno politicians and leaders gathered Thursday, asking the CIF to step in. MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA - MAY 24: A woman wearing Save Girls Sport hat records a video of transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley (not pictured) during the girls long jump at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High School on May 24, 2025 in Moorpark, California. / Getty Images "These attacks on girls and women in women's sports by boys parading as females must end immediately," Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld said. "Allowing biological males to compete in high school girls' track and field championships." Meanwhile, a "Protect Girls Sports" protest was scheduled to start outside of Buchanan High School in Clovis, where the meet is taking place, at 1:30 p.m. It's not yet clear how many will attend or how they plan to demonstrate. "We are working with the Clovis Unified School District to ensure appropriate levels of security are staffed at our event," the CIF told CBS News earlier this week. The CIF response As groups and politicians criticize California for allowing Hernandez to participate in girls' competition, the CIF made a last-second rule change in an attempt to appease both sides of the debate. Hernandez is still allowed to compete with girls, however, there's now a possibility of a "co-state champion" in the jumping events if necessary. Cisgender competitors "who would have earned a specific placement on the podium" will still be rewarded based on where they would have placed had Hernandez not competed. The CIF State Track & Field Championships begin Friday afternoon.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health clinics that service immigrants are making house calls on patients too afraid to leave home
Across Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley, one community health center is extending its services to immigrant patients in their homes after realizing that people were skipping critical medical appointments because they've become too afraid to venture out. St. John's Community Health, one of the largest nonprofit community healthcare providers in Los Angeles County that caters to low-income and working-class residents, launched a home visitation program in March after learning that patients were missing routine and urgent care appointments because they feared being taken in by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. St. John's, which offers services through a network of clinics and mobile units across the region, estimates that at least 25,000 of its patients are undocumented, and about a third of them suffer from chronic conditions, including diabetes and hypertension, which require routine checkups. But these patients were missing tests to monitor their blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as appointments to pick up prescription refills. Earlier this year, the health center began surveying patients and found that hundreds were canceling appointments 'solely due to fear of being apprehended by ICE.' President Trump came into his second term promising the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, initially focusing his rhetoric on undocumented immigrants who had committed violent crimes. But shortly after he took office, his administration said they considered anyone in the country without authorization to be a criminal. In the months since, the new administration has used a variety of tactics to sow fear in immigrant communities. The Department of Homeland Security has launched an ad campaign urging people in the country without authorization to leave or risk being rounded up and deported. Immigration agents are showing up at Home Depots and inside courtrooms, in search of people in the U.S. without authorization. Increasingly, immigrants who are detained are being whisked away and deported to their home countries — or, in some cases, nations where they have no ties — without time for packing or family goodbyes. The Trump administration in January rescinded a policy that once shielded sensitive locations such as hospitals, churches and schools from immigration-related arrests. Read more: Kern County immigration raid offers glimpse into new reality for California farmworkers In response to the survey results, St. John's launched the Health Care Without Fear program in an effort to reach patients who are afraid to leave their homes. Jim Mangia, chief executive and president of St. John's, said in a statement that healthcare providers should implement policies to ensure all patients, regardless of immigration status, have access to care. 'Healthcare is a human right — we will not allow fear to stand in the way of that,' he said. Bukola Olusanya, a nurse practitioner and the regional medical director at St. John's, said one woman reported not having left her home in three months. She said she knows of other patients with chronic conditions who aren't leaving their house to exercise, which could exacerbate their illness. Even some immigrants in the U.S. legally are expressing reservations, given news stories about the government accusing people of crimes and deporting them without due process. Olusanya said waiting for people to come back in for medical care on their own felt like too great a risk, given how quickly their conditions could deteriorate. 'It could be a complication that's going to make them get a disability that's going to last a lifetime, and they become so much more dependent, or they have to use more resources," she said. "So why not prevent that?' Read more: More immigrants opt to self-deport rather than risk being marched out like criminals On a recent Thursday at St. John's Avalon Clinic in South L.A., Olusanya prepared to head to the home of a patient who lived about 30 minutes away. The Avalon Clinic serves a large population of homeless patients and has a street team that frequently uses a van filled with medical equipment. The van is proving useful for home visits. Olusanya spent about 30 minutes preparing for the 3 p.m. appointment, assembling equipment to draw blood, collect a urine sample and check the patient's vitals and glucose levels. She said she has conducted physical exams in bedrooms and living rooms, depending on the patient's housing situation and privacy. She recalled a similar drop in patient visits during Trump's first administration when he also vowed mass deportations. Back then, she said, the staff at St. John's held drills to prepare for potential federal raids, linking arms in a human chain to block the clinic entrance. But this time around, she said, the fear is more palpable. 'You feel it; it's very thick,' she said. While telehealth is an option for some patients, many need in-person care. St. John's sends a team of three or four staff members to make the house calls, she said, and are generally welcomed with a mix of relief and gratitude that makes it worthwhile. 'They're very happy like, 'Oh, my God, St. John's can do this. I'm so grateful,' ' she said. 'So it means a lot.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Southern California's Memorial Day weekend weather should stay mild, predictions say
Southern California's Memorial Day weekend should have some easy and breezy weather, according to Friday's forecast. KCAL News meteorologist Alex Biston said Friday morning that the cloud cover in the air throughout the area is likely to linger into Saturday and possibly beyond during morning hours, but should give the region a pleasant three-day weekend. "We are looking at cooler temperatures as we move into this long holiday weekend," she said. "We can see the clouds out there, and that's going to be the theme for the next few mornings." On Friday, temperatures are likely to stay the warmest over the next several days before a mid-week heat-up next week. In the Los Angeles and Orange County metro areas, the forecast showed highs in the high 70s, while they ramped up to the mid 80s in the Inland Empire and San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. While highs were expected to drop about 5-7 degrees for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, pleasant days were predicted, so it's still a good time to rev up the barbecue and enjoy the outdoors for the long weekend. Along the Ventura, L.A. and Orange county coasts, temperatures are likely to remain in the mid 60s across the weekend with some morning cloud cover. According to the National Weather Service, a heat-up is expected in the middle of next week. Temperatures could creep toward the 80s and mid 80s in L.A. and Orange counties, and possibly come closer to 90 in the I.E.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Southern California temperatures remain above normal with a cool-down settling in
The peak of the heat is over Thursday morning, as a stronger onshore flow has cooled things down with low clouds settling in along the coast. Temperatures will remain above normal on Thursday, but a cooling trend begins through Saturday. KCAL News initially issued a Next Weather Alert for inland heat, however after reviewing the latest forecast data, our meteorologists canceled the alert Thursday at 8 a.m., six to 10 hours ahead of schedule. The Next Weather Alert went into effect on Tuesday, warning communities in the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, and Orange County inland and valleys of above-average heat. With the cool ocean breeze returning earlier than anticipated, afternoon temperatures no longer support a Next Weather Alert. Morning low clouds and fog return to coastal areas and will expand inland the next couple of nights and mornings. According to the National Weather Service, a deep marine layer will be in place over the weekend "with night through morning low clouds and fog extending well in the valleys." Temperatures will remain above normal through Friday in most areas.
