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Fugitive charged with posing as ICE agent, scamming California immigrants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

A federal grand jury indicted a San Diego County fugitive for impersonating a federal agent and defrauding more than 25 victims in Orange County seeking work permits, legal residency and U.S. citizenship, prosecutors announced Thursday, May 25.Davyd George Brand Jimenez, 52, who pretended to be a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, primarily targeted undocumented Latino victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.Brand Jimenez, of San Ysidro, was named in a 25-count indictment, with 10 counts of false impersonation of a federal officer or employee, three counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, seven counts of fraudulent possession and use of U.S. government seals, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of misusing a United States passport, the office said in a news release.From April 2019 to November 2020, Brand Jimenez charged each victim – most of whom were illegally in the United States – between $10,000 and $20,000, accordi...

Del Taco’s Independence Poppers are part of a campaign to help veterans

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

Just in time for Memorial Day, Del Taco has added a splash of red, white and blue to its menu.Independence Poppers are the latest flavors in the chain’s Popper series of boba drinks. They are made with strawberry-flavored boba pearls and blue raspberry flavoring added to Sprite, Minute Maid Zero Sugar Lemonade or a vanilla shake, according to a news release.They will be available through July 12 in partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation, which serves wounded veterans, first responders and their families. Del Taco, which is based in Lake Forest, will make a minimum $20,000 to the foundation and encourage customers to support it, the news release said.Sinise, an actor known for his role as a wounded Vietnam veteran in “Forrest Gump,” has engaged in several projects for veterans in Southern California and served as grand marshal of the 2018 Rose Parade in recognition of his efforts.Prices are around $2.49-$3.49 but vary by location.Information: deltaco.com 

Firefighters’ mental health is at risk. A California bill could help.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

By Julie Cart | CalMattersA state Senate bill that would expand workers’ compensation coverage for California first responders experiencing post traumatic stress — aimed at addressing what Cal Fire officials call a mental health crisis — has cleared its first legislative hurdle and been sent to the Assembly.Authored by Sen. John Laird, a Salinas Democrat, the bill is one of a growing number of state initiatives attempting to address the cause of mental health struggles and the difficulty first responders encounter when seeking medical care through state-run insurance.The bill would extend by seven years a provision in existing state law that says PTSD qualifies as an occupational illness that is covered by workers’ comp for firefighters, police and other first responders. The extension would last through Jan 1, 2032, rather than expiring in 2025. The bill also would add more categories of dispatchers, peace officers, investigators and public security officers in claims for psycholog...

‘Little Mermaid’ Happy Meals are on sale at McDonald’s

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

McDonald’s is selling “The Little Mermaid” Happy Meals featuring characters from the Disney musical opening Friday.The meals include one of eight figures from the movie: Ariel, the mermaid; King Triton, her father; Prince Eric, the human; Ursula, the villain; Sebastian, the crab, Flounder, the fish; Scuttle, the seagull; and Max, the dog.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | After burglary, Oakland’s Michelin-listed Hi Felicia shuts down indefinitely Restaurants, Food and Drink | BottleRock Exclusive: Here’s what’s really cooking on Culinary Stage in 2023 Restaurants, Food and Drink | 7 amazing Bay Area things to do over Memorial Day weekend Restaurants, Food and Drink | 20+ Bay Area beer and wine events to enjoy this summer Restaurants, Food and Drink | How to get deals for Hamburger Month 2023 and Hamburger Day, May 28 The toys are incorporated into an online game at HappyMeal...

California lawmaker opens legal fund over Facebook feud

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

By Alexei Koseff | CalMattersA first-term state senator is raising money from interest groups to fight ongoing litigation related to complaints that she blocked critics on social media in her previous job as a mayor.Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who was elected to the Senate in November to represent southern Orange County, opened the legal defense fund at the end of January and has raised $17,500 so far, in addition to receiving legal assistance from the California Democratic Party, according to campaign finance records.Blakespear appears to be the only legislator with an active legal defense fund. The contributions include $12,000 from the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and $5,500 from the Pechanga Band of Indians, both of which lobby at the state Capitol.Blakespear declined to discuss the case in depth because it is still active, but she defended using her legislative position to fundraise for her legal bills.“This is a politically motivated lawsuit,” Blakespear told CalMat...

17-year-old boy in custody after California bus driver stabbed during argument

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

An argument that started on a Metro bus and spilled outside in Woodland Hills left the driver stabbed and in critical condition and a 17-year-old boy in custody, police said.The confrontation occurred about 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, near Erwin Street and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, with the driver stabbed more than once, officials said. It’s unclear what ignited the dispute.Suspect pic.twitter.com/fW54nRX4xw— LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) May 25, 2023 Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who also serves as a Metro board member, was at the hospital Wednesday night. She met the family of the driver, who had surgery that night. He is a husband and a father.“The driver is still not out of the woods yet,” the mayor said during Metro’s Board of Directors meeting on Thursday. “We need to keep him in our prayers.”LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said at the meeting she had heard from doctors on Thursday morning: “He did try to open his eyes this morning, and the doctor said that was a good sign,” she...

Barabak: DeSantis faces sobering lesson on ambition, hubris and big talk

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

When you’re the governor of a state, you’re a big, important deal.Your whims can assume the force of law. The stroke of a pen can open or close schools, help or harm major industries and, in cases involving capital punish-ment, decide whether a person lives or dies.A governor who wins election in a big state, like, say, California, Texas or Florida, is even more powerful and may be all the more convinced of their genius and political prowess. (Who’s going to disabuse them?)Inevitably, Washington beckons, as it has for Florida’s freshly reelected governor, Ron DeSantis, who formally, inauspiciously entered the Republican presidential contest Wednesday with a glitchy announcement on a sputtering Twitter livestream.As if on schedule, DeSantis learned a lesson that other gubernatorial grandees soon came to understand: Despite their high esteem for themselves, there is absolutely nothing like running for president.And what’s more, all the glory they’ve reveled in back home doesn’t promis...

Court upholds California’s anti-pay-to-play law barring votes benefiting campaign contributors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

A Sacramento County Superior Court judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of an anti-pay-to-play law prohibiting elected officials from voting on matters involving the people and companies who contribute to their campaigns.In his ruling Thursday, May 25, Judge Richard K. Sueyoshi determined the law, which went into effect in January, does not violate either the state or federal constitutions.“The United States Supreme Court has recognized that preventing quid pro quo corruption or its appearance is a compelling state interest,” Sueyoshi wrote. “Defendants have provided sufficient evidence that SB 1439 sought to address this corruption by eliminating an exception for local elected officials in the legislative history.”SB 1439, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in November, requires public office holders — from city councils to school boards, water boards and county supervisors — to recuse themselves from votes and discussions involving anyone who has contri...

California man accused of using Telegram to teach bank fraud pleads guilty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

A 26-year-old Placentia man accused of using social media to teach people how to create false checks pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring with a bank employee, among others, to commit bank fraud, officials said.Meshach Samuels admitted to two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The 26-year-old has a history of felony convictions in Florida, and had five guns seized from his residence in March 2022 by federal agents, said the U.S. Department of Justice.From May 2021 to March 2022, Samuels used Instagram to promote his Telegram chat groups to his followers which, for a fee, provided details on how to commit check fraud and recruit accomplices. Using stolen information obtained from a bank teller and other sources, Samuels and his accomplices created fraudulent checks drawn from victims’ accounts, who would then deposit the checks into third-party accounts, according to his plea agreement.Related ArticlesCr...

The U.S. Is Unhappy That Mexico Is Spending Money on Its Own Citizens

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:25:10 GMT

The U.S. government is frustrated that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is prioritizing social spending for the benefit of his people over addressing matters that are important to the U.S., according to an excerpt of a leaked top-secret intelligence document. Part of a cache of classified intelligence records that were leaked on the platform Discord earlier this year, the document highlights the growing discontent by U.S. officials toward Mexico’s president, who has significantly limited U.S. law enforcement agencies’ role in the war on drugs, as fentanyl trafficked by Mexican criminal groups has worsened the overdose crisis in the U.S. and violence in Mexico.“President Lopez Obrador’s federal budget for 2023 gives priority to social spending and signature infrastructure projects, rather than the investments needed to address bilateral issues with the US such as migration, security, and trade,” reads the document from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence....