[poochee]

Excerpts from:

State OKs anesthesia expert at execution
By Claire Cooper -- Bee Legal Affairs Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, February 16, 2006

Staying to stay on track for an execution next week, state lawyers agreed Wednesday to place an anesthesia expert in the death chamber to verify that the condemned man, Michael Angelo Morales, has been rendered unconscious before he receives the potentially painful drugs that will kill him.

The lawyers' decision appears to satisfy conditions set by a federal judge for permitting the execution to proceed as scheduled at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel of San Jose said earlier that he would rule by the end of the day today whether to stay Morales' execution and conduct a full investigation of the way California has been carrying out lethal-injection executions since 1996.

The judge noted evidence from the state's execution logs that could indicate violations of the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment because inmates may have been conscious when they received excruciatingly painful drugs.

Fogel said the state could proceed with Morales' execution if it agreed to use only barbiturates to kill him, or if it agreed to allow a trained anesthesiologist into the death chamber to observe and examine the inmate during the execution.

In a one-paragraph filing Wednesday, lawyers from the attorney general's office said the state "will comply with the second alternative." They told Fogel they had "obtained the services of two highly qualified, board certified anesthesiologists to monitor (Morales) throughout the execution" - one primary and the other a backup to be available as needed.

The names and credentials of the experts were filed with Fogel under seal.

The California Medical Association issued a prepared statement Wednesday saying it considered physician participation in an execution - including "monitoring vital signs" or "attending or observing an execution as a physician" - to be improper.

"Capital punishment is not a medical task," said the doctors' organization, directly addressing the options set forth by Fogel.

Whether Morales' lawyers will sign off on the state's plan remained to be seen. Attempts to reach them after Fogel ruled were unsuccessful.

They have a deadline of noon today to file objections with the judge and could appeal his decision if they don't like it.

He has a clemency petition pending before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who could act on it any time.

Rest of article at: www.sacbee.com

[poochee]

Angelides proposes plan to reduce fuel use
By Laura Mecoy -- Bee Los Angeles Bureau
Published 1:24 pm PST Thursday, February 16, 2006

SANTA MONICA - Vowing to be "pro-business and pro-environment," Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Phil Angelides unveiled a five-point "Clean California" plan Thursday that seeks to reduce the state's gasoline and diesel usage by 25 percent over 10 years by changing the types of cars Californians drive and the way their communities grow.

If elected governor, the state treasurer vowed to introduce legislation to mandate all new vehicles sold in the state be flexible fuel cars, capable of running on any mix of gasoline and bio-fuels, like ethanol.

He said he would also require major oil companies to supply bio-fuels at filling stations to match the number of flexible fuel vehicles on the road.
Angelides said he would require state and local governments to purchase vehicles that use alternative fuels, or to buy efficient vehicles, like hybrids, when replacing or expanding their fleet.

"This will be a real plan, and not just rhetoric," he said. "(It is) not just a plan that sets targets but has real implementation behind it."

Rest of article at: www.sacbee.com

[poochee]

Judge OKs doctors to monitor execution
Ruling keeps Morales on track for a lethal injection Tuesday.
Fri Feb 17 02:15:00 PST 2006

By Claire Cooper -- Bee Legal Affairs Writer

A federal judge Thursday accepted California's revised plans for executing Michael Angelo Morales, putting the execution back on track for 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

After demanding a series of documents throughout the day, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel of San Jose said he was satisfied that the state had taken "appropriate steps to ensure that (Morales) will not be subjected to a risk of unnecessary pain when he is executed."

Fogel ruled earlier that the execution might have to be postponed to find out whether the state's lethal injection protocol would put Morales at risk of "excruciating pain," in violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Faced with the likelihood of a court-ordered postponement, the state's lawyers agreed to have the execution monitored by either of two anesthesiologists.

Morales was sentenced to death for the 1981 rape and murder of 17-year-old Terri Winchell of Lodi.

"We're relieved," said Winchell's mother, Barbara Christian, who has grown ill over hearing Morales' name in the news. "He should pay for what he's done."

The past few days have drained members of the Winchell family who have already waited a quarter of a century to see the death sentence carried out.

Responding to objections that had been filed by Morales' lawyers, however, Fogel stipulated that one of the anesthesiologists must be present in the death chamber, and not merely observe from outside, to be sure Morales remains fully unconscious after receiving the first of three chemicals, a powerful dose of a barbiturate.

The second and third chemicals would cause a conscious person to experience suffocation and then a heart attack.

Morales' lawyers could not be reached after Fogel's decision was released on the court's Web site Thursday evening.

Excerpts: Read rest at www.sacbee.com

[angelize56]

It's as bad in California as in Florida poochee! First the Denny's shootings and now this! And what a HERO the woman police officer is who placwed herself in front of one of the victims so they wouldn't get shot again!!!! HERO!!!!

Northern California Shooting Spree Kills 1

Monday, March 27, 2006 12:04 a.m. ET

ELK GROVE, Calif. (AP) -- A man with a 12-gauge shotgun went on a shooting spree along a busy downtown street, killing one person and wounding four others before a deputy shot him, officials said Sunday.

Authorities said Aaron Norman Dunn, 28, randomly shot at people, hitting three, as he walked down the street Saturday night. Two other people were injured by glass when bullets hit their car windshields.

The first victim was shot in the head as he sat in his car with his wife and two children in front of a restaurant, Davis said. He was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. (I can only imagine his wife and children's shock and grief! )

As two sheriff's deputies confronted the shooter, one shielded an injured victim with her body to protect him from being shot again, Davis said. Then one of the deputies shot Dunn when the suspect did not give up his weapon.

"It's a true test of one's fortitude to put oneself in that position and make that sacrifice," Davis said.

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/s...toryId=1179627

[poochee]

Elk Grove is a suburb of Sacramento.

3 died in separate shooting incidents over the weekend in Sac.

Homicides stretched from Arden Fair area to Florin Mall region.


I live about 5 minutes from the Arden Fair area. It is a business area.

[angelize56]

I guess your state should adopt the DUCK as it's state animal!

[poochee]

Originally Posted by angelize56

I guess your state should adopt the DUCK as it's state animal!

Right

Sacramento is a pretty city. Lots of beautiful trees. I meet people who have moved here from the Bay and LA areas and think they have arrived in heaven. (They think they have moved to the boonies, and in reality this is a large city). I tell them don't be fooled by the beauty. We have crime here!! Honestly, I can't believe how naive people can be!!

[iltos]

Originally Posted by poochee

Right

Sacramento is a pretty city. Lots of beautiful trees. I meet people who have moved here from the Bay and LA areas and think they have arrived in heaven. (They think they have moved to the boonies, and in reality this is a large city). I tell them don't be fooled by the beauty. We have crime here!! Honestly, I can't believe how naive people can be!!

i'll be there (again) this weekend for the Odyssey of the Mind state tournament...it is a pretty town..for the most part, it's avoided looking "urban" ....maybe its all the rivers

[poochee]

Originally Posted by iltos

i'll be there (again) this weekend for the Odyssey of the Mind state tournament...it is a pretty town..for the most part, it's avoided looking "urban" ....maybe its all the rivers

That accounts for all the naivete of new comers.

[iltos]

Originally Posted by poochee

That accounts for all the naivete of new comers.

i'm sure ....six years ago, the first year i went, the school district got us hotel rooms for our weekend stay...in folsom....one group of kids was assigned a room that an hour before had been cleaned out by the police during a drug bust....

the kids were too young to give it more'n' a look of surprise/confusion....but many of the parents were....unsettled, to say the least

[poochee]

Originally Posted by iltos

i'm sure ....six years ago, the first year i went, the school district got us hotel rooms for our weekend stay...in folsom....one group of kids was assigned a room that an hour before had been cleaned out by the police during a drug bust....

the kids were too young to give it more'n' a look of surprise/confusion....but many of the parents were....unsettled, to say the least

I have a friend who lives in an upscale neighborhood in Folsom. Her car has been stolen from her driveway. She has a registered pedophile living a block from her, etc., etc. I always kid her about it! There is crime everywhere. The people in the poorer neighborhoods have sense enough to be aware of it. The others?

I grew up in Detroit and Chicago so I have always been aware.

[bill.aam]

Legislators from both political parties said Reiner, an outspoken Democrat, improperly spent $23 million of commission funds to highlight preschool when he was promoting a referendum for the June 2006 ballot that would guarantee preschool for 4-year-olds.

A crime or bad judgment?

Director Rob Reiner resigns from Calif. commission

[angelize56]

This is nice! I'm amazed that there are 90,000 homeless people in L.A. County every night....including 10,000 children! I hope this plan works out! That's a lot of money!

L.A. approves $100M county homeless plan

The Associated Press

Wednesday, April 05, 2006 9:14 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A controversial plan to clean up downtown's Skid Row by building a network of regional homeless shelters in the suburbs has won county approval.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday in favor of the $100 million plan, which parallels a push by city and state officials to tackle crime and blight in the downtown district.

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/s...toryId=1507220

[poochee]

Originally Posted by angelize56

This is nice! I'm amazed that there are 90,000 homeless people in L.A. County every night....including 10,000 children! I hope this plan works out! That's a lot of money!

L.A. approves $100M county homeless plan

The Associated Press

Wednesday, April 05, 2006 9:14 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A controversial plan to clean up downtown's Skid Row by building a network of regional homeless shelters in the suburbs has won county approval.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday in favor of the $100 million plan, which parallels a push by city and state officials to tackle crime and blight in the downtown district.

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/s...toryId=1507220

Good plan, hope they do it soon.

[angelize56]

Here you go poochee! They should talk to Mulder and see if he wants one in his neighborhood...he'd love to help the homeless!