Other news
• Press-Enterprise reports that two Riverside County supervisors say the county’s judicial system is in “crisis.” “A chronic shortage of judges and the dismissal of more than 1,300 criminal cases in recent months poses a crisis for Riverside County, two supervisors said. The Oversight Board voted unanimously on Tuesday, January 24, to approve Senator Richard Ross’ (D-Riverside) bill, add judges, and launch an investigation into the executive branch that oversees the county’s day-to-day operations. We have commissioned you to provide county criminal justice challenges and solutions. The plan, based on suggestions from supervisors Kevin Jeffries and Karen Spiegel, told colleagues that Riverside County’s criminal justice system “is facing a crisis like we haven’t seen it in over a decade.” wrote in the memo. State governments, not counties, are responsible for adding judges, but “we haven’t gotten our fair share of resources in many areas,” Spiegel said Tuesday.”
• Other county news: RivCo sheriff has painted himself as a defender of the US constitution who won’t answer anyone but voters. His two political science experts, writing for The Conversation, say that Chad Bianco and those who think like him are wrong.: “We hold security to the Association of Constitutional Sheriffs and Peacekeepers, a political organization founded in 2009 by former Sheriff of Graham County, Arizona, Richard Mack, to be the ultimate guardians of the Constitution. Following the official’s view: …The association Mack founded after the election of former President Barack Obama calls itself a network. (Self-proclaimed) “Constitutional Sheriff” It encourages sheriffs to refuse to enforce laws they believe to be unconstitutional and to resist federal excesses. However, its key idea goes back to Posse Comitatus. It was a 1970s white supremacist, anti-Semitic, right-wing movement that, as part of its conspiratorial ideology, believed that county sheriffs held the highest governmental authority in the United States. This view is not historically accurate and is not in the US Constitution. Nonetheless, Mack and his organization have been actively recruiting and training sheriffs for over a decade to give their office more power than the president and pass laws they believe are unconstitutional. I have tried to believe that I can refuse. …Many sheriffs continue to say they can decide which laws to enforce even if voters disagree. ”
• The big federally-imposed deadline for states to settle their Colorado River quotas is tomorrow. A Calmatters partner said:: “As The New York Times reported over the weekend, no one is volunteering for the cuts the federal government is currently demanding, but there are plenty of pointing fingers. States blame users Nevada says it’s enough California mega-user Imperial Irrigation District says upcoming water shortages won’t be a problem Imperial Vice President JB Humvee : ‘We have a sound legal foundation… …that’s kind of the responsibility of the[Arizona’s]side to plan for these risk factors.That’s the big catch. CalMatters Water Reporter As Alastair Bland pointed out earlier this month, Imperial’s waters suck up more water from the Colorado River than Nevada and Arizona combined. I’m saying. … The Associated Press has obtained parts of the email exchanges that make up (part of) the failed negotiations. We’re at a dead end and I truly believe we’re all headed for a very dark place.”
• Meanwhile, at the local level, the Los Angeles Times reports.: “Elected leaders of the Coachella Valley waters recently announced plans to reduce the amount of Colorado River water the district uses to replenish its aquifer. The strategy, at least for the foreseeable future, will reduce the inflow to the canyon’s drinking water sources for three years, while protecting large users such as golf courses from forced reductions. “We want to cause as little disruption as possible for every entity, every user,” said Cástulo Estrada, Vice President of the Board of Water Districts. “This is voluntary.” And, for now, we believe we can do that from replenishment without affecting anyone. We proposed to reduce our water usage, which is about a 9% reduction.Some of the water savings come from farmers and others who agree to use less water in exchange for payment. But water district managers cut water supplies to La Quinta’s groundwater replenishment facility, where Colorado River water flows into ponds and seeps into the soil to recharge aquifers. We expect to secure most of the savings by doing so.”
• Unless something unexpected happens in the next three and a half months, May 11th will be a historic day as far as the pandemic is concerned. CNBC says“The Biden administration plans to end the COVID public health emergency this spring, which will mark a major turning point in the US response to the pandemic. The White House said in a statement on Monday that both the public health and national emergency originally declared by the Trump administration in 2020 would end on May 11. The statement from the Office of Management and Budget was in response to two pieces of legislation House Republicans have introduced in an effort to end both emergency declarations. We now have more flexibility when faced with surges in patient numbers. Medicaid enrollment also surged during the public health emergency. This is because Congress basically banned states from unenrolling people from programs. ”
• Desert X today announced the participating artists for 2023.art news coverageFor the fourth time, Desert X, a biennial-style exhibition that showcases public art at various locations in California’s Coachella Valley, has named 11 artists who have commissioned new installations. The 2023 exhibition will run from March 4th to May 7th and is hosted by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Co-Curator Diana Campbell. Major artists exhibiting work at Desert X include Torkwase Dyson, Tschabalala Self, Mario García Torres, and Héctor Zamora. Three of the participating artists are based in Southern California: Lauren Vonn, Matt Johnson, and Gerald Clark (Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians).”
• And finally… Cindy Williams of American Graffiti, Laverne and Shirley fame died yesterday at the age of 75. Here’s her Los Angeles Times obituary I had the pleasure of I spoke with Williams, who had a house in Desert Hot Springs, about a year ago, just before she started a new tour of her One Woman show in Palm Springs.I asked her if she considered it a blessing or a curse to be so closely tied to the role of Shirley Feeney.It’s a blessing. It’s a complete blessing. I didn’t play Hannibal Lecter. I was in a show to please people. that was our intention. to make people laugh.it is an absolute blessing” We wish her friends and family the best of luck and love.
Support Independents!
Thank you for reading Indy Digest. If the Independent’s work is valuable and you can afford it, please consider becoming an Independent Supporter by clicking the button below. Help us continue to create quality local journalism and keep it free for everyone!
