Latest news with #L.A.SuperiorCourt
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Menendez Brothers' Clemency Fate Could Be Decided In June, Gavin Newsom Says; Siblings' Family Accuse LA DA Of 'Outrageous & Abusive Behavior'
California's governor revealed tonight the fate of the Menendez brothers will take a pivotal turn in the next 90 days towards possible freedom. 'On June 13, both Lyle and Eric Menendez independently will have their final hearing,' Gavin Newsom said late Tuesday in a shorten version of his recently launched podcast in response the March 10 announcement by LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman pulling his office's support for a resentencing of the siblings. More from Deadline 10 Brand New Emmy-Eligible Shows Coming This Spring 'With Love, Meghan' Struggles To Match 'Harry & Meghan' Numbers As It Scrapes Into Netflix's Ratings Chart Stephen King's 'Cujo' Still Has Bite; Netflix Sets Movie Deal For Classic Thriller Novel Coming just over two weeks after Hochman rejected new trials for the brothers, who were sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for the brutal 1989 shotgun murder of their parents, Monday's declaration by the D.A. that the Menendezs 'do not meet the standards for rehabilitation' heated up the game of political hot potato this case has become in the Golden State the last six months. Tonight, two weeks after Newsom ordered a parole board risk assessment of the Menendez cases, the lame duck governor picked up what Hochman put down, literally and figuratively, and ran with it. 'A report then will be submitted to me on the 13th of June for consideration,' Newsom said on his podcast of the now 50-ish brothers are a risk to society. 'We will submit that report to the judge for the resentencing, and that will weigh into our independent analysis of whether or not to move forward with the clemency application to support a commutation of this case.' As it stands, even with Hochman's anti-resentencing decision, a much delayed hearing is still on the court calendar for March 20-21 in front of L.A. Superior Court Michael Jesic. How much weight that hearing will carry even if it occurs at this point is debatable. If Judge Jesic was to rule in favor of resentencing, it would go to the parole board who would then issue a report to the governor. Most of that process is already in motion with Newsom's risk assessment order of February 26 and now the June 13 date he laid down late Tuesday. To that, while denying ever watching a full episode of Ryan Murphy and Netflix's hit Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story series, Newsom deftly offered both a slight compliment and a swipe at Hochman Tuesday 'So, this was a very significant announcement from the DA this week, but it doesn't fundamentally change the facts as it relates to the independent investigation in my office, the Board of Parole hearings, or fundamentally change or alter the process that's underway with the resentencing,' the two-term Democrat said of the former Republican who many believe is eyeing the Governor's mansion in Sacramento. Hochman, it should be stressed, told Deadline in a December sit-down that 'I absolutely tell you I am not running for that job.' In the blood feuds and celebrity connections that often make up LA politics, Hochman's successor George Gascón suddenly jumped on the Menendez bandwagon in the dying days of his unsuccessful reelection campaign last fall. The ex-two-term San Francisco DA said he was backing a resentencing of the brothers. Media savvy Gascón also put his support behind a clemency petition sent to Newsom in late 2024. Not long after Hochman's big win over Gascón, Newsom asserted that he would put any clemency movies on hold until the new D.A. got a chance to get his head around the case. While making no secret of his disdain for Gascón, Hochman has also made no secret both on February 21 and on March 10 of a desire for Newsom to take the high-profile Menendez burden off his shoulders. Over and over last month, the new-ish DA spoke of the 'absolutely unilateral full power, Constitutional power' the Governor possesses to commute the brothers' individual sentences. With the Menendez ball almost solidly in Newsom's court now, Hochman found himself accused by a member of the siblings' family of treating them with 'dismissive, aggressive, and shaming behavior' during face-to-face meetings. 'Instead of responding with compassion, acknowledgment, or support, DA Hochman proceeded to verbally and emotionally re-traumatize the family by shaming us for allegedly not listening to his public press briefings,' Menendez cousin Tamara Goodell said in a March 6 letter of Hochman and his alleged 'outrageous and abusive behavior' at early January meetings with members of the family who want the brothers' freed. 'His hostile, dismissive, and patronizing tone created an intimidating and bullying atmosphere, leaving us, the victims, more distressed and feeling humiliated,' Goodell went on to say in the missive to the U.S. Attorney's office claiming the DA violated her rights under Marsy's Law, the state's bill of rights for victims by his conduct. Goodell says she thinks it might be better if Hochman is removed from the Menendez matter and the likes of California Attorney General Rob Bonta take over. 'The original submissions to the US Attorney's Office and the LADA's office were submitted on March 8th, 2025 at 2:16 p.m.,' Goodell also said to Deadline today. 'As of 5:20pm on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, there has been no response via phone or email,' she added. As the victims' family, I hoped to see D.A. Hochman act with impartiality, instead my family and I have been met with hostility and unprofessional behavior at every turn. We don't understand why, but we do hope that that the Inspector General and US Attorney's Office are paying attention and ensure the DA starts behaving in a manner that is befitting of his position.' Deadline reached out tp the LA County District Attorney's office on Tuesday about Goodell's concerns. There was been no response. If they do reply, this post will be updated. 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Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
LAUSD Accused of Mishandling $77 Million in Arts Education Funds
Los Angeles Unified School District faces a lawsuit alleging misuse of $76.7 million in taxpayer funds that voters approved to expand arts and music education. The L.A. Superior Court filing targets both the district and Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, claiming LAUSD failed to hire new teachers as required by Proposition 28 since its 2022 LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner, who authored Prop. 28, filed the suit Monday alongside eight students represented by their parents. "We're suing to make sure that the district follows through with the law, hires more teachers and provides more arts instruction to kids in public schools, every school," says suit, backed by the district's major labor unions including United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), Service Employees International Union Local 99, and Teamsters Local 572, argues that without new teacher hires, arts education remains stagnant. One plaintiff, a 15-year-old at Franklin High School, reports never taking an arts class at either Franklin or her previous LAUSD school. Parent Vicky Martinez, who has three children in LAUSD schools, notes: "There are no additional arts or theater or music teachers. My youngest, who's in middle school, doesn't have any arts whatsoever."More than two years ago, artists and educators across California rallied to address long-standing gaps in arts education through Prop. 28. The measure passed with overwhelming support – 70% of L.A. County voters backed it, along with prominent artists like Dr. Dre and The law mandates California allocate general fund money to expand arts education, generating $938 million statewide last year. LAUSD received $76.7 million, with 80% designated for hiring new art March, before filing the suit, Beutner and his associates sent a letter to the governor and state leaders claiming the district violated the law. "It's clear that Californians overwhelmingly want more arts and music in public schools," the letter states. "It has come to our attention, some school districts in California are willfully violating the law by using the new funds provided by Prop. 28 to replace existing spending for arts education at schools."The district maintains compliance with state guidelines. In a statement Monday, LAUSD officials said they hadn't received notice of the lawsuit but "continue to follow implementation guidance as provided by the state of California to ensure that we are fully complying with the requirements of Prop. 28."LAUSD cites increased arts funding from $114 million in 2022-23 to over $206 million in 2023-24, with schools averaging an $82,000 boost to their arts budgets. They report arts staffing grew from 273 to 520 full-time employees. In a June 2024 memo to the Board of Education, Superintendent Carvalho stated that "the district prioritized the use of Prop. 28 funds to cover existing staff as well as hire new staff."Beutner challenges these figures: "Long Beach receives about $10 million a year from Prop. 28. They've hired 150 additional arts teachers. By that same standard, L.A. Unified should have hired more than 1,000. It hasn't happened." UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz criticizes the situation: "I am frustrated and exasperated by this kind of shell game that we're playing with voters' money, and we're also playing with students, our babies, in this district, that deserve to have arts education on a daily basis in their schools."The plaintiffs claim funding from Prop. 28 is being misallocated. The funds are meant to hire additional staff, not cover existing salaries. School districts must use the money to increase, not replace, existing arts and music funding. Despite repeated requests over the past year, the district has not released key budget documents that would clarify how it allocated these funds.
