Latest news with #ThienHo
CBS News
14 minutes ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Sacramento County supervisors agree to reverse budget cuts to district attorney's office
Sacramento County DA says budget cuts to department would mean no misdemeanor prosecutions Sacramento County DA says budget cuts to department would mean no misdemeanor prosecutions Sacramento County DA says budget cuts to department would mean no misdemeanor prosecutions SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors agreed Wednesday night to restore proposed budget cuts to the district attorney's office. The move comes after District Attorney Thien Ho testified inside the chambers that the cuts would lead him to halt prosecutions of all misdemeanor cases. He turned the board chambers into more of a courtroom, arguing his case against cuts. "The word 'recommendation' means that I approve of it, that I consent to it, and I'm going to say right now I've never consented, approved, or recommended any of these cuts," Ho said. "If we cut by $1.7 million, I won't have the vacancies to fill the misdemeanor cases." Ho said his department was already working with limited resources. "Because we are hanging together by duct tape and superglue," Ho said. Ho made the case that cuts of $1.7 million would force him to cut seven attorney positions from his staff. Low-level crimes like vandalism and burglary would be left with no staffing to prosecute. "I can't cut enough photocopies to meet $1.7 million," Ho said. The packed chambers watched as Ho made the case that these recommendations were not his, but forced on him by the board. A point that Supervisor Phil Serna refuted, leading to an exchange between the two inside the chamber. "This recommendation of the cuts is coming from the CO's office and I've also been very clear about what that would be reflected in," Ho said. "I disagree wholeheartedly," Serna said. "He doesn't have the authority to make the recommendations. He just doesn't. It's not a fact, so we can agree to disagree, but it's not a fact." "Well, we'll disagree, respectfully, mister chair," Ho said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
California lawmaker won't face charges after no evidence found to support DUI
The Brief The Sacramento County DA's Office said they found no evidence of Sen. Sabrina Cervantes being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. She was involved in a car crash earlier this month and cited for impaired driving. Officials say toxicology results were negative for alcohol or drugs. A California lawmaker who was cited by police on suspicion of driving under the influence did not have drugs or alcohol in her system, the Sacramento district attorney said Friday. What we know State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes will not face any charges after she was cited by Sacramento police earlier this month for impaired driving. She was involved in a car 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. PREVIOUS COVERAGE:California state senator from Riverside cited for DUI near State Capitol "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." What they're saying 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. Dig deeper The citation follows other incidents in recent years in which 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. The Source Information for this story came from District Attorney Thien Ho's office and the Associated Press.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
California Lawmakers, Community Leaders and Law Enforcement Reflect on 100 Days of Prop 36
( — State and local elected officials, law enforcement and community leaders came together to celebrate the first 100 days of Prop 36 and discuss their continued efforts to bring the Golden State back into a golden era with fewer crimes and better drug addiction treatment. The proposition, which was overwhelmingly approved by California voters, allows for felony charges and increased sentences for possessing certain drugs and theft under $950, if the defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions. '[It's been] 100 days since the people gave us more tools to combat retail effect and 100 days to help us bring mass treatment instead of mass incarceration to those that are suffering in the throes of addiction,' Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho said. The Sacramento County DA said they're prosecuting 12 people who knowingly sold fentanyl on murder charges. But their quest for better public safety is far from over. Those who spoke said several other important variables are still needed to carry out the law in the way it was intended, and they believe those missing elements can be addressed in two new pieces of legislation. 'One piece of legislation considering Prop 36 is in connection with the drug court-drug treatment aspect, and what it says is, look at every drug treatment court in California needs to employ best practices,' California State Senator Tom Umberg (D)- Santa Ana, tells Fox40. 'We want to do the best and most effective job we can.' The second bill would provide additional funding to sustain successful treatment programs. Without it, they said, people will continue to die. 'We're championing a budget request for $250 million as an investment because, in terms of long-term public safety, there is probably nothing more important, nothing more effective than drug treatment,' Sen. Umberg (D)-Santa Ana, continues. Fox40 asked the Sacramento County District Attorney if he believes putting $250 million towards this effort was the best use of funds rather than using that funding to stop the ultimate issue of drugs continuing to enter our communities in the first place. 'We have educational programs that we're getting to use on the prevention and intervention side, but we also need accountability to go after the peddlers of death, the peddlers of poison, and hold them accountable,' DA Ho told Fox40. 'But then we need treatment to get people off the drugs and off the streets, it's really a multi-front attack when it comes to public safety.' No one knows this issue better than Tom Wolf, Director of West Coast Initiatives at the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions. Wolf was formerly homeless and in recovery from heroin and fentanyl addiction. He now supports prop 36. 'It's more cruel to leave someone on the street alone with their fentanyl or meth addiction than to hold them accountable and give them a pathway to turn their lives around,' Wolf said. Those who spoke concluded that our elected officials owe it to all Californians to pass these next two pieces of legislation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
