When John Gallagher was elected to fill the seat of retiring Judge Michael Barton, it was assumed he would begin his duties on Jan. 1. Instead he will begin his duties this morning at Department 2 of the misdemeanor courtroom at the Santa Cruz County Superior courthouse. Gallagher has already received the Governor’s nod, and will be sworn in by presiding judge Jeff Almquist this morning. By this afternoon, he will already be doing his part to reduce the load on the county court system. Nevertheless, his formal swearing-in ceremony will have to wait until December.
Articles by Danny Wool
Buying Bras in Capitola
It seems like only yesterday that “Burn the bra” was all the rage on Bay Area campuses. My, how times have changed. On Saturday in Capitola, the chant was “Buy the bra,” at Soroptimist International’s fifth annual “Bras For A Cause” auction.
Taser Settles With Watsonville Man
Steven Butler was drunk on that fateful night in October 2006. He was also off his psychiatric medication. He refused to get off a bus, and a policeman who was called to the scene used a Taser X-26 electronic taser to prod him, but that only exacerbated the situation. Butler suffered a cardiac arrest, and it took 18 minutes to revive him. By then, he had suffered irreversible brain damage, including decreased mobility and motor skills and a loss of short-term memory. As a result of his injuries, Butler sued Taser.
County Has Till November to Meet Rail Money Terms
Santa Cruz County seems very excited by the prospect of purchasing the 32-mile Union Pacific rail line from Davenport to Watsonville, and is willing to use state funding to buy it. “Not so fast,” says the California Transportation Commission. There are still preconditions that have to be met, and the county has until November to meet them. One of these preconditions actually seems quite obvious. The Commission wants the County to make a greater commitment to actually running trains on the rail line. This means that the County has until Nov. 3 to sign a contract with Sierra Northern Railway to run its touristy dinner train and other passenger lines.
Police Still Searching for Comerica Bank Robber
The SCPD is still searching for a man who held up a Westside branch of Comerica Bank on Wednesday.
Homeless Camp Finds New Home
The homeless camp located outside the County Courthouse has moved locations. It is now situated outside Santa Cruz City Hall. Protesters say they plan to roll out their sleeping bags there every night until the city addresses the problems they face and lifts its ban on sleeping in the streets. Spokesman Christopher Doyon did not comment on the fact that the new location is now city property, not county property, so the local police are fully authorized to deal with the protesters. Since the protest began five and half weeks ago, 24 people have been cited and nine have been arrested, though only one has appeared in court so far.
Teen Arrested for Graffiti… Lots of It
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department announced that it has arrested Alfonso “Pancho” Ramirez, 19, for 160 acts of vandalism involving graffiti, causing $11,700 in damages. The arrest was part of a countywide crackdown on graffiti vandals, who are said to cause as much as $1 million dollars of damage per year in the county.
Sidewalks Almost As Bad As Roads
Everyone knows that there’s a problem with road maintenance.
Santa Cruz County Jail Joins Immigration Initiative
On Tuesday the Santa Cruz County Jail joined the controversial Secure Communities initiative sponsored by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Youth Stabbed Near Watsonville School
Watsonville police are investigating the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy in Watsonville on Tuesday night.
