Stephen James

www.newsreview.com — Sacramento News & Review Author Archive: List of 48 published stories by Stephen James.

www.newsreview.com — In her letter supporting the nomination of investigator Joe Reynoso for the Award of Ethical Courage, federal prosecutor Melinda Haag never used the word "hero," but her implication was clear. Haag described the hardships and trauma that Reynoso, who worked for the California Department of Corrections (CDC), had to endure during the years he helped her build and prosecute the federal government's case against prison guards Jose Garcia and Michael Powers of the Pelican Bay State Prison in Del Norte County. It was one of the most publicized, high-profile trials of the prison-scandal-ridden 1990s...

VC Reporter — When Camarillo native DJ Vodicka testified against his employers - the California Department of Corrections - about the presence of a Code of Silence among rogue corrections officers, things began to get ugly. For one thing, he learned that not all prison gangs are composed of inmates.

Our Sunday Visitor — Last month, biotechnology company Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) stunned the worldwide scientific community and the public when it announced it developed a method to make embryonic stem cells using a technique that did not harm embryos from which the cells were derived.

Sacramento Press Club — On May 7, 2007, the Sacramento Press Club welcomed State Controller John Chiang. The state's chief financial officer unveiled a new analysis of how much health care benefits for retired public employees are costing. Photos by Stephen James.

www.newsreview.com — When violence broke out between two angry young men, and immediately the canisters of Mace hissed on the floor, Shariffe Vaughn knew he was a world away from the safety of his Del Paso Heights home. He had spent only two days at the Preston Youth Correctional Facility in Ione, and already a fight had broken out. The 17-year-old former Grant High School student had become a ward of the state, and his new home was a cramped dormitory building that held about 80 other youths, two to a bunk. And then a chemical fog engulfed the dorm.

Our Sunday Visitor — Each year, roughly 500,000 Mexican residents migrate illegally to the United States. That has led to the unauthorized migrant population from Mexico to rise to 6.2 million, according to data from the U.S. Census bureau. In this issue, Our Sunday Visitor examines the economic, political and cultural factors that cause both low-income and middle-class Mexican residents to make the often perilous trek to the United States in search of opportunities that elude them back home.

www.newsreview.com — With financial support from a billionaire philanthropist, the marketing campaign was as meticulously planned as a major product launch. The multi-pronged appeal was well-designed to invoke both compassionate emotion and the reasoned logic of fiscal and civic responsibility. The advocates of the new petition said that buying into their idea could save state taxpayers a lump sum of up to $550 million and an additional $275 million each year in reductions to the seemingly ever-expanding state prison and parole system operating costs. The proposal claimed it also would allow county governments to save up to $40 million per year in criminal-justice administration costs.

www.newsreview.com — More than a decade ago, an SN&R investigation exposed how California was using its citizens' unclaimed property as a sort of secret stash to balance its budget. Now, 11 years after that exposé, the state controller's methods for handling unclaimed property again are being called into question. Today, California's Bureau of Unclaimed Property holds $5 billion worth of property-money left idle in bank accounts, inactive stocks, contents of abandoned safe-deposit boxes-belonging to 8 million individuals. The idea is for the state to hold the property for safekeeping until it can be returned to its owners.

Chico News and Review — What happens when a whistleblower talks against members of the fraternity of guards inside a prison? D.J. Vodicka found out. Now he fears for his life.

www.newsreview.com — When he arrived at the scene of the crime and surveyed the massive pile of dismembered limbs, he knew immediately that a chainsaw had been used to butcher the victims. There was no blood at the scene, only the telltale shredded bark and wood chips that littered the site. And despite the fact that it was also obvious that the vandals had carried out the tree slaughter quickly, veteran Sacramento County park ranger Steve Flannery berated himself.

Sacramento Press Club — Accurate information is the lifeblood of every journalist. But getting access to public information can often be tricky for everyone involved. To help ease the pain of gleaning public records, California Deputy Attorney General Ted Prim and Tom Newton, general counsel to the California Newspaper Publishers Association, shared their insights into successfully maneuvering the California Public Records Act. Photos by Stephen James.

www.newsreview.com — Steven Achen stood at the utilitarian gray Formica counter in the intake area of the Yolo County jail as a Davis police officer filled out the paperwork required to turn his prisoner over to the custody of the jail staff. As part of the standard booking process, Achen was asked questions about his health status. One of his answers was alarming, but not unheard of in that environment. Achen said he had attempted to commit suicide two weeks earlier. Melinda Peterson, a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) who worked at the jail, was summoned.

www.newsreview.com — It had been a long day for Andrea Torres. The Friday before Mother's Day typically is one of the busiest days of the year for hairstylists, and she had appointments scheduled from 6 a.m. until late into the night. One client followed another throughout the day, and, although exhausted, Torres paid special attention to the hair on the head of her last customer, the wife of her church pastor. Active in choir and other activities at the Labour of Love Church in North Highlands, Torres wanted to make sure the "First Lady"-a title of respect reserved for the pastor's wife-would be pleased with her new hairstyle.

www.newsreview.com — Six-year-old Alex White is sitting restlessly in the waiting area of the HealthSouth Surgery Center and stays close to his mom, Julie Morton. Wearing his favorite NASCAR Jeff Gordon bright-red faux-leather jacket, his nervous facial expression betrays the confident, daredevil aura projected by his clothes. The waiting room is comfortable and seems designed to calm-the soft classical music that is playing complements the framed pastel prints on the walls. A nearby coffee table is stacked with the usual selection of out-of-date magazines, and the September 2001 issue of Reader's Digest is on the top of the pile.

www.newsreview.com — At an undisclosed location - although the state compound at 1515 K Street would be a good guess - a secret team of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation employees feverishly is working to devise a new and improved way to execute prisoners that will comply with the United States Constitution. The suggested improvements won't be known until May 15. According to documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, that's the date when the department and the attorney general say they'll release a report detailing a revamped procedure "identifying corrective actions addressing deficiencies in the implementation of lethal injection executions."

www.newsreview.com — In the not-too-distant future, young and eager prison-guard recruits graduating from the state's training academy in Galt may get to hear stories from the old-timers about the golden years of the occupation. "Now, back when Gray Davis was governor," a story might begin, "things were different." The veteran guards would tell tales of the days when the brotherhood's respected leaders could casually stroll into the governor's office, take a seat and demand action on the issue of the day. While any generic story about the glory days tends to be romanticized or exaggerated, tales of the prison guards' close relationship with the former governor of the Golden State might prove challenging to embellish.

Sacramento Press Club — The Sacramento Press Club was joined by Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines. He talked about state spending, healthcare reform and the prison bond package. Photos by Tamara Keith and Stephen James.

www.newsreview.com — It's a capital-city tradition to characterize government employees as overpaid and under-worked. But that stereotype holds special irony for California Department of Corrections (CDC) employee Richard Krupp, who is astounded that the state has agreed to pay him $500,000 for work he didn't do. Krupp has been battling with his employer for several years, ever since he was retaliated against for exposing sick-leave and overtime-pay excesses at the CDC (see " The code of silence," SN&R Cover, May 13).

www.newsreview.com — Criminal-defense attorney Shari Rusk began what would end up being about a 15-hour workday with her usual morning eye-opener, a four-shot espresso at the Starbucks Coffee shop across the street from the federal courthouse building. She would spend much of that day in the federal offices housed there, but for now she had a few minutes to chat with a group of women who also were getting their morning caffeine fix. One of the women was Anne Pings, a federal prosecutor who also spends most of her 9-to-5 in the towering federal building on I Street.

www.newsreview.com — The United States Sentencing Commission last week grappled with federal drug laws that punish crack-cocaine offenders with sentences grossly disproportionate to the sentences imposed on powder-cocaine users. The "100-to-1 disparity" means that an offense involving five grams of crack triggers a sentence of five years, while it takes 100 grams of powder to get the same prison time. Statistics show that the law results in small-time crack dealers, who are mostly black and from inner cities, receiving draconian sentences, while powder users and high-level dealers, who are mostly white, get off with lesser sentences.

www.newsreview.com — Although he formally retired as a judge more than eight years ago, Charles McGrath still puts in 40 hours a week for about 10 months each year helping out with caseload overflow at the Ventura County main courthouse. He attributes his work-recreation imbalance to a sense of civic duty and a lack of recreational opportunities. "I'm not a golfer, and I'm not a sailor," he said. "I have horses, but you can only do so much riding before the horses get sick of you."

www.newsreview.com — Career criminal Bruce Samuelson promised San Joaquin County prosecutor Bernard Garber that he would provide testimony in the Morales case that would not only secure a conviction, but also guarantee a verdict of first-degree murder with special circumstances, ensuring that Michael Morales would be eligible for the death penalty. In exchange for this testimony, Samuelson demanded that felony charges pending against him be dismissed and that he be provided other benefits. SN&R obtained a copy of Samuelson's handwritten proposal: Mr. Garber: In exchange for my testimony in the Morales case, which will guarantee a murder 1 conviction w/special circumstances, I feel the following is a fair agreement, (1) Immediate placement on the Witness Protection Program (2) Release on O.R.

VC Reporter — Charles McGrath, the Ventura County judge who sentenced Michael Morales to death, now wants to see him live.