Don Thompson
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Articles by Don Thompson
By DON THOMPSON - Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — While LGBTQ candidates and their supporters celebrated several milestone victories around the nation in this year's midterm elections, California quietly reached its own: At least 10% of its state lawmakers identify publicly as LGBTQ, believed to be a first for any U.S. legislature.
By DON THOMPSON - Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's attorney general said Thursday that he will not seek criminal charges against Los Angeles police officers who fatally shot a man on Hollywood Boulevard last year, even though it turned out the gun he carried was fake. The shooting caused panic on the busy street, with tourists and bystanders ducking for cover.
RFK assassin Sirhan asks to go home to live 'in peace'
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The lawyer for Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, on Wednesday asked a judge to free him and played a recording of her client saying he is now dedicated to nonviolence and wants only to "return home to my brother and live the rest of our days in peace." Sirhan, 78, has spent 54 years in prison. In a 3 1/2-minute message played during a news conference held by his lawyer, he said he feels remorse every day for his actions.
Oil company settles criminal cases in California spill
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - An oil company on Thursday pleaded guilty in federal court to negligently discharging crude off the Southern California coast when its underwater pipeline ruptured last year, a spill that closed miles of shoreline and shuttered fisheries.
Reports: California homicides, violent crime rose in 2021
Californians across the state have been deluged with headlines about rising crime in recent months, from rampant car break-ins and drug use in San Francisco's troubled Tenderloin district to street racing and illegal takeovers across a new $588-million bridge in Los Angeles. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are among the Democrats facing challengers in November and are struggling to explain how their policies are keeping the state safe.
California targets local recall election 'hyperpartisanship'
DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Aug. 23, 2022Updated: Aug. 23, 2022 8:35 p.m. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic state lawmakers moved Tuesday to limit the “hyperpartisanship” they said has increasingly corrupted California's local recall elections, over the objection of Republicans who said it could boost costs and thwart voters' will. Currently, voters generally decide whether to recall a sitting official and choose that official's replacement at the same time and on the same ballot.
California targets local recall election 'hyperpartisanship'
By DON THOMPSON - Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Democratic state lawmakers moved Tuesday to limit the "hyperpartisanship" they said has increasingly corrupted California's local recall elections, over the objection of Republicans who said it could boost costs and thwart voters' will. Currently, voters generally decide whether to recall a sitting official and choose that official's replacement at the same time and on the same ballot. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.
California lawmakers OK lawsuits against 'cyber flashers'
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California residents who receive unsolicited sexually graphic material by text, email, app or other electronic means could sue the sender under a bill that state lawmakers sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday. The bill targets what's known as "cyber flashing," where victims receive such unwelcome surprises often from strangers.
2nd prison guard pleads guilty in California inmate's death
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California correctional officer Arturo Pacheco was upset while escorting a prison inmate, so he yanked the inmate's feet from under him, sending him crashing to the ground and ultimately killing him. A few months earlier, without provocation, he sprayed pepper spray at short range into the eyes of another inmate, later calling the incident "funny" in a text message, according to a plea agreement.
2nd Prison Guard Pleads Guilty in California Inmate's Death
By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California correctional officer Arturo Pacheco was upset while escorting a prison inmate, so he yanked the inmate's feet from under him, sending him crashing to the ground and ultimately killing him. A few months earlier, without provocation, he sprayed pepper spray at short range into the eyes of another inmate, later calling the incident “funny” in a text message, according to a plea agreement.
California blocks gun sales to those at risk of breaking law
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gun makers and dealers in California will be required to block firearms sales to anyone they have "reasonable cause to believe is at substantial risk" of using a gun illegally or of harming themselves or others, under a new law that Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he had signed. It's a subjective requirement that goes farther than current background checks or prohibitions on selling guns to people prohibited from owning them.
California leaders pledge new law to address gun ruling
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California legislators will consider a new law within days to keep dangerous people from carrying concealed weapons in public, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his top law enforcement official said Thursday after a U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidated the most populous state’s current law. The high court struck down a New York law requiring that people seeking a license to carry a gun in public demonstrate a particular need, such as a direct threat to their safety.
California leaders pledge new law to address gun ruling
By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California legislators will consider a new law within days to keep dangerous people from carrying concealed weapons in public, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his top law enforcement official said Thursday after a U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidated the most populous state’s current law.
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