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Monday, 1 August 2022

Man threatened officer with large rock before fatal shooting, police say

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (KRON) -- The Santa Rosa Police Department identified the man who was killed in a police shooting in Geyserville on July 29. David Pelaez Chavez, a 36-year-old Lower Lake resident, was shot and killed by a Sonoma County Sheriff's Office deputy.

Police also identified the deputies involved in the shooting -- Michael Dietrick, a five-year veteran of SCSO, and Anthony Powers, who has been with the sheriff's office for five months. Dietrick worked for the Clearlake Police Department for three years and 11 months before joining SCSO and Powers spent three years and four months with the San Francisco Police Department before SCSO.

SRPD described what happened leading up to the shooting in a press release sent out on Monday. It added context to the details SCSO provided after the incident.

SRPD said that Chavez's sedan was reported as suspicious on the 10000 block of Highway 128 in Geyserville around 7:30 a.m. Deputies found the car, but Chavez was not at the scene.

At 8:20 a.m., a citizen in Healdsburg reported to SCSO that an unknown person used a rock to try to break a window at his home on the 5200 block of Tre Monte Lane. He later told detectives that he saw Chavez walk to the exterior door of a bedroom and a use a rock to smash the windowpane.

The homeowner told Chavez to leave and fired two warning shots with a firearm, police said. Chavez then came across an employee of the homeowner and physically forced the employee away from their truck.

According to police, Chavez drove away, dragging the employee 20 feet. He drove through gates and fences before crashing in a ditch near the 5600 block of Tre Monte Lane. The employee was not seriously injured.

Carrying more rocks, Chavez went up to another nearby residence. The armed homeowner told Chavez to leave and Chavez then told the homeowner to shoot him, SRPD said.

After leaving that house, police said Chavez stole a "Gator-style utility vehicle" on the 5600 block of Thomas Road. He eventually crashed the vehicle on a rural road and ran more than a mile away without shoes.

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Deputies pursued Chavez and caught up to him in the creek bed of Franz Creek, about a mile east of where he crashed the utility vehicle. SRPD said he was armed with a large rock, a claw hammer, and a tool comprised of a pickax-style blade and a three-pronged fork.

One deputy tried to talk to Chavez and was threatened with a large rock, according to police. The deputy, who was standing in the water, went to find cover.

The second deputy asked Chavez to drop his weapons, but Chavez refused and yelled "nonsensical statements," per police. Chavez dropped the rock, picked up another "and made a movement that indicated he was threatening to hurl the rock at the deputy," SRPD said. The deputy fired three shots at Chavez. It is unknown how many times he was struck.

The deputies attempted to provide medical aid, but Chavez was pronounced dead 26 minutes after the shooting. An investigation is ongoing, and Dietrick and Powers were placed on paid administrative leave.

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Oakland Police Chief on youth football game shooting

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- On Monday the Oakland Police Chief had some harsh words to those who opened fire at an Oakland Tech youth football game and announced a plan for upcoming events there.

“This is a children's peewee football game. Just little kids learning how to be active and play together and adults choose to bring guns into that environment,” said Chief Armstrong. Chief Armstrong said he is in touch with the Dynamite team coach about adding security.

“This makes no sense that you need a police officer to be at a field just so kids can practice and play football, but that's what we have to do to protect our kids so that they know that we're not going to allow these people, these individuals that bring guns to this environment to get away with this to stop these young people from participating in these activities,” said Chief Armstrong.

Chief Armstrong explained this is the second time the department will bring officers on the grounds for games and practices. A year ago a shooting at a practice killed one person.

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“We still have young people that are still going through counseling services and now we gotta go back and provide more support and services for young people,” said Chief Armstrong.

Three people were shot Sunday including a six-year-old girl according to the police chief. “This morning we were out there seeking video canvassing the area, going door to door,” said Chief Armstrong.

There is a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case.

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CA could paint clearer picture of English learner achievement if new bill passes

(EDSOURCE) — California could soon get a deeper understanding of how students at different stages of learning English are doing in school.

A bill currently in the Legislature, Assembly Bill 1868, would require the California Department of Education to report standardized test scores in English language arts, math and science for subgroups of English learners, including long-term English learners, those at risk of becoming long-term English learners, and students who have learned enough English to be reclassified as proficient.

Currently, the department collects and reports test scores for English learners as a whole, but not for specific subgroups.

Long-term English learners are defined as students who have been enrolled in U.S. schools for six years or more and have not advanced on the English proficiency test in two or more years. Students defined as at risk of becoming long-term English learners are those who have been enrolled in U.S. schools for four or five years and are scoring at intermediate or below on the English proficiency test.

More than 2 million students in California public schools speak a language other than English at home. Half of them are now proficient in English. Of those still learning English, 1 in 3 are long-term English learners and 1 in 5 are at risk of becoming long-term English learners.

Proponents of the bill say that separating the data on subgroups of English learners would give the state and local school districts a better picture of how each group is doing, which would help them provide more targeted support.

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California Accountability Data Masks English Learner Progress, Report Says

"I represent a district where the majority of the residents are Latino, and a lot of the children are children of immigrants from Mexico or Central America," said Assemblymember Luz Rivas, D-Los Angeles, who introduced the bill. "I've talked with teachers and principals and other educators, and they really want the data and tools. They're dedicated to making sure that these students are successful."

The nonprofit organization Californians Together, which researches and advocates for students who speak a language other than English at home, published a report last year on long-term English learners that called on the state to report more data on academic achievement for subgroups of students.

Manuel Buenrostro, associate director of policy for Californians Together and co-author of the report, said that if the bill passes, he hopes that having this data will encourage more districts to include goals and outcomes for long-term English learners in their local control accountability plans, or LCAPS, which detail how districts plan to spend funding to help high-needs students.

"We consistently find that the needs of English learners are not being addressed as much as we would like them to be in the LCAPS, much less the subgroups such as long-term English learners," Buenrostro said. California Still Lags In Helping Long-Term English Learners

For example, Californians Together would like to see districts do more monitoring of students in third through fifth grade and provide stronger support for students who are flagged as at risk to help them learn English faster, so they don't become long-term English learners.

In addition to disaggregating test scores by subgroups of English learners, the bill would also require the department to report how many students are both English learners and have a disability.

"This is huge because 36% of our long-term English learners are dually identified as students with disabilities," said Buenrostro. "We know from the survey we did in our report 'Renewing our Promise' that districts were struggling with how to better serve these dually identified students."

Maria Martinez-Poulin, deputy superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, said it would be particularly helpful to separate the scores of those students who have already achieved proficiency in English from others still learning the language.

"I've been in education for 32 years and the current accountability system combines reclassified fluent English-proficient students and English learners into a single indicator. It makes it difficult to distinguish the English learners from the long-term English learners and the reclassified fluent English-proficient students," Martinez-Poulin said. "We want something that will ensure that our multilingual students get the support they deserve."

Jennifer Baker, legislative advocate for the California Association for Bilingual Education, agrees.

"We think that it's important to make sure we're effectively serving all students and not leaving any students behind," Baker said. "So many of our long-term English learners have really been left behind for a long time. We want to make sure that anyone who touches these students in any way has the tools to make sure to help the students succeed."

No arguments in opposition to the bill have been filed. It passed the Assembly and is set to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday.

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Leaders decry racism, gun violence as El Paso prepares to mark Walmart mass shooting anniversary

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – El Paso is preparing to mark the third anniversary of a tragedy prompted by its immigrant heritage with events to promote healing and denounce gun violence and racism.

The City Council on Tuesday will observe a moment of silence followed by the reading of the names of victims of the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting at a Walmart that left 23 people dead and 23 wounded. A representative of the Mexican consulate will attend the 8:30 a.m. ceremony. The shooting claimed the lives of nine Mexican citizens, some of whom were naturalized Americans as well. A mariachi band will play music in honor of the victims.

Other events will take place throughout the day Tuesday and Wednesday.

“The El Paso massacre occurred in 2019 as a result of weak gun laws as well as the spread of hateful, white supremacist and xenophobic rhetoric towards immigrants of color and minorities,” said the Border Network for Human Rights, which will hold a memorial at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Ponder Park, 7500 Burges Drive. The act will include a procession with crosses.

The shooter allegedly drove 10 hours from North Texas to the border after posting an online manifesto denouncing the “Hispanic invasion” of Texas. He allegedly walked into the Walmart near Cielo Vista Mall and began shooting with an AK-47; he later gave himself up to police.

Both BNHR as well as U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, are calling for stricter gun control laws.

“I will do what I have done three straight years: talk to the families and be with the families and also be out in the community because it’s a terrible day,” Escobar said on Friday. “I know we will experience (again) much emotion and pain and it’s important to be together as much as possible.”

Escobar has spent much of the week promoting gun legislation in the House that will include a ban on "assault weapons," which she says still doesn’t have sufficient support in the Senate.

She also chastised Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Trump for coming to El Paso in the days following the massacre and making promises she says they did not fulfill.

“One family was made major promises of financial support. She lost her husband and never heard back from Trump. Unfortunately, many of our families are living with the financial consequences of that shooting,” she said.

Escobar accused Abbott – who has called out previous allegations she’s made against him as "inaccurate" – of making Texas less safe for minorities since the El Paso shooting, not safer, by supporting open-carry gun laws in the state.

Getting back to the healing, Live Active El Paso will be hosting a “healing session” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at San Jacinto Plaza, 114 W. Mills Ave.

On Wednesday, the El Paso Museum of History will hold an exhibit called Resiliency that includes items left by community members at a makeshift memorial behind the Walmart in the days after the mass shooting.

Luminarias will be placed at Ponder Park from 7 to 9 p.m. with El Paso Pro-Musica providing a musical tribute. Various public artworks and buildings will be lighted up that evening. And the El Paso Chamber will sponsor a “flashing ceremony” starting at 8:30 p.m. in which the city’s iconic star on the Franklin Mountains will turn on and off 23 times for each victim

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CNN's Zakaria calls Alito's speech mocking foreign leaders 'disgusting,' 'scandalous'

(The Hill) -- CNN host Fareed Zakaria on Sunday slammed Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for what he called a "disgusting" and "scandalous" speech last week criticizing foreign leaders who disagreed with his ruling on Roe V. Wade.

Zakaria told Jim Acosta on CNN that Supreme Court justices are supposed to, at the very least, conduct themselves in a way that is above politics, given they are unelected members with life tenure who can decide crucial decisions shaping the lives of millions of Americans.

"The reason they have that legitimacy is, to put it very simply, that they behave themselves, that they behave in accordance with the kind of dignity and majesty of the court," said Zakaria, who hosts CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."

"What Alito did, behaving like a cheap commentator, and not a particularly good one at that, was frankly disgusting. I mean I thought it was the most undignified performance by a Supreme Court justice that I have seen in my lifetime," he said. "I don't think any of his predecessors would have done it. I think it's scandalous."

Zakaria added that he did not expect formal punishment, but added: "If John Roberts wants to fulfill his role as chief justice, I think he should call Justice Alito in and try to explain to him why it damages not just Alito — who looks like an idiot — but it damages the court."

During a speech at Notre Dame Law School's Religious Liberty Summit in Rome, Alito mocked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince Harry. He also mentioned Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron.

All four leaders had sharply criticized the Supreme Court for overturning the nearly 50-year constitutional right to abortion, which Alito seemed to find amusing.

“I’ve had a few second thoughts over the last few weeks since I had the honor this term of writing I think the only Supreme Court decision in the history of that institution that has been lambasted by a whole string of foreign leaders who felt perfectly fine commenting on American law,” Alito said during his speech.

The Supreme Court's reversal of Roe V. Wade has paved the way for many GOP-led states to ban or severely restrict abortion access across the country, despite around two-thirds of Americans supporting the right to an abortion in some cases.

Trust in the Supreme Court has never been lower, according to polling earlier this month, which found just a quarter of Americans hold confidence in the high court.

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Navajo Code Talker Samuel Sandoval dies; only three remain from group

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — One of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers has died.

Samuel Sandoval's wife, Malula, says he died late Friday at a hospital in Shiprock, New Mexico. He was 98.

Hundreds of Navajos were recruited from the vast Navajo Nation to serve as Code Talkers during World War II. Sandoval's death leaves three still alive today.

The code that was based on the then-unwritten Navajo language confounded Japanese military cryptologists and helped the U.S. win the war.

The Code Talkers are celebrated annually on Aug. 14, the date the Japanese surrendered.

Malula Sandoval said her husband had been looking forward to the celebration.

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11 races to watch in Tuesday’s primaries

(The Hill) - Five states hold closely watched primaries on Tuesday, several of which are seen as the latest tests of former President Trump’s hold over the GOP.

Voters in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington will decide Senate, House and gubernatorial nominees, along with a key secretary of state’s race and a ballot measure on abortion.

The races feature everything from a proxy battle between Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence to an incumbent-on-incumbent primary to lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump fighting for their political lives.

Here are 11 races we’ll be watching:

Arizona gubernatorial GOP primary

One of the most high-profile contests Tuesday is the Republican primary in the Arizona governor race.

Former local news anchor Kari Lake, who has pushed dubious claims about the 2020 election, and developer Karrin Taylor Robson, considered more of an establishment Republican, are considered the front-runners in the race.

The primary has turned into a proxy war between Trump and Pence — with Trump backing Lake while Pence has endorsed Robson — becoming the latest test of how powerful the former president’s endorsement is.

An OH Predictive Insights poll released in July found 40 percent of likely Republican primary voters backed Lake, while 35 percent supported Robson when former Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), who dropped his own gubernatorial bid to endorse Robson, was removed.

Arizona Senate GOP primary

Another Arizona race putting Trump’s endorsement to the test is the Senate GOP primary to take on Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

The former astronaut won his seat in a 2020 special election against Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) by just over 2 percentage points, one of a handful of critical Senate races that helped flip the upper chamber blue that year.

Trump has backed venture capitalist Blake Masters, who has ties to tech billionaire Peter Thiel. Masters has received the backing of other major Republicans and conservatives like Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and he previously served on Trump’s 2016 presidential transition team.

Others in the race include businessman Jim Lamon, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, former state Rep. Justin Olson and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mick McGuire.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Brnovich for not doing enough to investigate the former president’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election. The former president called him a “disappointment” when issuing his endorsement of Masters in June.

An OH Predictive Insights poll released on Friday surveying Arizona residents qualified as likely GOP primary voters showed Masters in the lead with 25 percent, followed by Lamon at 18 percent and Brnovich at 14 percent.

Missouri Senate GOP Primary

The Missouri Senate GOP primary has attracted a crowded field of candidates as Republicans vie for retiring Sen. Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) seat.

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens initially held the lead, but he has been embroiled in scandal and fighting allegations by his ex-wife that he abused her and their child. He denies the allegations.

Adding to the controversy, Greitens released an ad in June in which he pressed viewers to go “RINO hunting,” in a nod to the acronym “Republicans in name only” and featured firearms.

Republicans fear a Greitens victory could put an otherwise safe Republican seat in jeopardy and big names, including Blunt, have lined up against him.

A recent survey from Emerson College Polling and The Hill found the effort may be working. State Attorney General Eric Schmitt had pulled into the lead in the poll, with the support of 33 percent of very likely Republican primary voters, while Greitens had fallen to third at 16 percent.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), who earned the endorsement of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), had 21 percent support.

Other candidates include Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), attorney Mark McCloskey and state Sen. Dave Schatz. Trump has not issued an endorsement in the race.

Kansas’s ballot measure on abortion

Residents in the Sunflower State will be the first since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the opportunity to vote on an abortion-related ballot measure when they weigh in on a state constitutional amendment regarding abortion access.

The ballot measure seeks to overturn a 2019 state Supreme Court decision that said abortion rights were protected under the state constitution. It would give the state legislature greater control over access to the medical procedure.

The Supreme Court’s Roe ruling kicked decisions on abortion access to the states and has created a patchwork of laws that ban or will soon ban access to the procedure.

Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial primary

The Republican primary in Michigan’s gubernatorial race initially attracted a crowded field of candidates, but it later narrowed down to five after several contenders were booted off the ballot for submitting fraudulent petition signatures.

One of the candidates remaining, conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, got a boost Friday when she was endorsed by Trump.

Other candidates in the race include real estate broker Ryan Kelley, who was charged in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot; retired Pastor Ralph Rebandt; businessman Kevin Rinke; and chiropractor Garrett Soldano.

A Detroit News/WDIV (Channel 4) poll, which was conducted by Glengariff Group and released last month, showed 19 percent of likely GOP primary voters polled supporting Dixon, followed next by Rinke at 15 percent, Kelley at 13 percent and Soldano at 12 percent. Rebandt received 2 percent. However, the polling falls within the margin of error of 4.4 percentage points, effectively tying Dixon and Rinke.

Michigan’s GOP primary in the 3rd Congressional District

Freshman Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) is fighting for his political life on Tuesday as he tries to ward off a challenge from former Housing and Urban Development official John Gibbs in the state's Republican primary for the 3rd Congressional District.

Gibbs received an endorsement from Trump as a part of the former president’s revenge tour against the Republicans who have criticized him or voted in favor of impeaching him following the Capitol riot.

Meijer was one of 10 House Republicans to buck his party and vote in favor of impeaching Trump.

Democrats have gotten involved in the primary in an effort to boost Gibbs, who has used part of his campaign platform to baselessly allege “widespread irregularities and statistical anomalies in the 2020 election,” in hopes of facing what they consider the weaker candidate in November.

Cook Political Report rates Meijer’s seat as a “toss-up.”

Michigan’s Democratic primary in the 11th Congressional District

Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) is facing off against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in one of this cycle’s incumbent-on-incumbent primaries.

Levin opted to run in the redrawn 11th Congressional District after the decennial redistricting process changed the makeup of his current seat.

Levin, once a synagogue president and co-founder of the Detroit Jews for Justice, has gotten the backing of the pro-Israel group J Street Action Fund, which has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the race, while the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC is spending big money to boost Stevens.

Levin has touted his personal work on climate change, jobs and workers’ wages, and his family includes several recognizable political names, including his father, former Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), and uncle, the late Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).

Levin last year unveiled legislation along with his colleagues that would “accelerate progress towards a two-state solution and discourage steps that push one out of reach,” according to a press release from his office.

Haley has touted her time as the former chief of staff for the U.S. Auto Rescue Task Force during the Obama administration and showcased her support on legislation related to paid family leave and raising the federal minimum wage.

Washington’s secretary of state race

Washington’s secretary of state race has attracted a number of candidates as Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D), whose appointment by Gov. Jay Inslee (D) last year marked the first time in decades that a Democrat served in the role, fights to keep his seat.

Hobbs was tapped to fill former Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s (R) position after she left her spot to serve on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency under the Biden administration.

Among those vying for the spot of state’s top elections official are Tamborine Borrelli, a former supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) turned Republican; state Sen. Keith Wagoner (R); former state Sen. Mark Miloscia (R), once a Democrat; and Pierce County auditor Julie Anderson, listed as nonpartisan, among others.

Washington uses what’s known as a jungle primary, in which the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.

Washington’s 3rd Congressional District primary

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) is fighting to retain her seat after she drew Trump’s ire as one of 10 House Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching the former president.

Herrera Beutler made headlines following the Capitol riot when she described the contents of a conversation told to her by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that involved him and Trump.

She said the president had told McCarthy, according to the House GOP leader, “I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are” on the day of the riot.

Trump last year endorsed Army Special Forces veteran Joe Kent as a part of his revenge tour to take swipes at the Republicans who sought to impeach him or his critics. Other candidates seeking the seat include podcaster and author Heidi St. John (R), small business owner Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) and state Rep. Vicki Kraft (R).

Washington’s 4th Congressional District primary

The former president has also waded into Washington’s 4th Congressional District race, backing former police chief Loren Culp (R) to take on incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.).

Newhouse also voted in favor of impeaching the former president following the violent Capitol riot, saying in a statement days after the riot that it was a “vote to condone President Trump's inaction” and added that “our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.”

The campaign platform for Culp, who was the 2020 Republican gubernatorial nominee, has included bread-and-butter Republican issues like his anti-abortion stance, limited government and border security.

One Democrat and five other Republicans have also thrown their hats into the ring, including former NASCAR driver Jerrod Sessler (R), businessman Doug White (D), Army veteran Benancio Garcia III (R), Jacek Kobiesa (R) and businessman Corey Gibson (R).

Washington’s 8th Congressional District primary

Rep. Kim Schrier’s (D-Wash.) seat is considered one of the most vulnerable for House Democrats this November and she faces several others candidates eager to advance to the general election.

Army veteran Jesse Jensen (R) is trying to stage a comeback after losing a bid in 2020 for the seat against the Democratic incumbent in addition to several others such as attorney Matt Larkin (R) and King County Council Member Reagan Dunn (R).

Schrier, who flipped her district blue in 2018, has won her last two elections by close margins, including by less than 5 percentage points in 2018 and more than 3 percentage points in 2020.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has used the issue of inflation to target Schrier and other vulnerable Democrats earlier this year, one of several headwinds for Democrats ahead of the November midterms.

Cook Political Report rates the House seat as a “toss-up.”

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