The SacBee.com has a very telling story about how a little girl was brutally beaten and killed.

A 3-year-old Fair Oaks girl beaten to death in her home this year had suffered a broken arm and burned hand eight months earlier, but Sacramento County’s Child Protective Services never divulged those injuries to the court or to the attorneys overseeing her welfare, The Bee has learned.

Instead, a CPS social worker assured the court in August 2007 there were “no health or safety concerns” about Valeeya Brazile and recommended that the little girl remain in her home without further court supervision.

The court agreed, and the case of Valeeya Brazile was closed – until she was brutally beaten and died.

“This kid didn’t have to die,” said a furious Robert Wilson of Sacramento Child Advocates, whose attorneys represent children in dependency court, including Valeeya.

Had Wilson’s attorney advocates been told the full story by CPS, they would have aggressively investigated the circumstances and pushed to keep the case open, he said.

“Had we seen that information anywhere along the line, we would have escalated our investigation,” Wilson said. “There would have been red lights and red flags at our end.”

Valeeya died Feb. 5 from a severe beating, though the coroner concluded that the 31½-pound girl had been a victim of battered child syndrome, suffering numerous injuries over time. The mother’s boyfriend, Thomas Jerome Martin, has been charged with her murder.

The revelations about CPS’ knowledge of the child’s injuries – and its lack of disclosure to the court – are contained in internal agency records and juvenile court documents released to The Bee after a seven-month legal effort by the newspaper.

CPS documents chronicle the girl’s injuries. But the juvenile court files show that the girl’s attorneys and the court’s referee – who ultimately decided Valeeya’s placement – were told by CPS social worker Alexis Hince in a court report only that Valeeya was up to date on medical and dental exams. The girl “appears to be meeting normal developmental milestones for her age group,” the social worker stated.

Hince did not respond to a request for comment. CPS spokeswoman Laurie Slothower, in an e-mail response to a list of questions, wrote, “We cannot discuss specific case details because the information is confidential. However, it is CPS practice to provide all relevant information in court documents.”

Juvenile Court Referee Peter Helfer, who made the decision to remove Valeeya from the court’s oversight based on the social worker’s recommendation, did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Children had been placed in foster care

 

Valeeya and her older sibling had been taken away from their mother, Milicca Holmes, in October 2006 after Holmes was arrested for trying to run over a man, whom she had been dating, in a Jiffy Lube parking lot. At the time, Valeeya was in the back seat, in a car seat not belted in.

Initially, the girl and her brother were placed into foster care but were returned home to their two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment Feb. 15, 2007, under CPS supervision. The court was asked to decide in August 2007 whether the children should remain dependents of the court.

In her July 23, 2007, “In-Home Review Report” to the court, social worker Hince praised Holmes for successfully completing counseling, parenting classes, a 15-week domestic violence support group and alcohol and drug treatment and testing. As a result, Hince determined that the children’s risk was “low.”

“The mother immediately recognized the error of her ways and focused on changing her behaviors and reunifying with her children,” wrote Hince in her summary. The summary also bears the name of Lynn Frank, director of the county’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Hince would acknowledge after the death that she never met Martin and did not know he was living in the home, according to CPS documents.

Helfer, the Juvenile Court referee, agreed with the recommendation on Aug. 2, 2007, and Valeeya and her sibling were removed from the court’s jurisdiction and placed in the “sole legal and physical custody of the mother.”

Enough is enough…

As I have stated on numerous occasions, there needs to be a full investigation at CPS.  They need to start at the top and hand out a few pink slips.

From the SacBee.com

Democrats are outpacing Republicans in the drive to recruit new voters in the Sacramento region ahead of the November general election.

Amid the change, Placer County has fallen from its post as California’s chief Republican stronghold, a shift that may affect a closely watched congressional race.

Since the two parties largely settled on presidential nominees in April, voter rolls have increased by roughly 19,500 – or 2 percent – in Placer, El Dorado, Sacramento and Yolo counties, according to new figures from the California secretary of state’s office. Democrats accounted for 10,500 of those new voters. Just 2,400 were Republicans. Most of the others declined to state an allegiance.

The regional numbers mirror a statewide trend. California’s Democratic voter rolls have increased by 181,118 since April while the number of Republicans grew by 6,823. Republicans saw a net loss of registered voters in 25 counties, including a loss of more than 15,000 in conservative Orange County. Similar trends are playing out nationally, in several battleground states.

“We’ve had a little weariness with the current administration,” said Craig MacGlashan, chairman of the Sacramento County Republicans, explaining the apparent preference of the new voters. But he said the numbers don’t reflect a recent wave of enthusiasm for the presidential campaign of John McCain. “I’ve seen an uptick with interest since John McCain picked Sarah Palin” as his running mate.

That interest has not been enough to counter the shift in Placer County, which since 2002 had been the state’s Republican leader.

Modoc County, in California’s rural northeastern corner, is now statistically the state’s most Republican.

And no longer are most Placer County voters registered Republicans.

The party’s share dropped from 52.2 percent before the 2004 election to 49.7 percent today.

During the past four years, the Placer County Democratic Party has grown by roughly three registered voters for every two who have joined county Republicans, state figures show.

More recently, from April though August, Placer’s Democratic tally grew by 1,269 while Republican ranks increased by 585, state figures show. Since Labor Day, Republicans have narrowed that 684-voter gap to 424, Placer election officials say.

“I’ve got to attribute that to a strong Democratic effort to get new registrants – a stronger effort than Republicans,” said Gary Dietrich, a local political analyst and president of Citizen Voice, a nonpartisan voter-awareness group.

That drive could play a role in the contest between Democrat Charlie Brown and Republican Tom McClintock to fill the seat John Doolittle now holds in the 4th Congressional District, Dietrich said.

The district, which covers Placer County and much of rural northeastern California – including Modoc County – is rated a “Race to Watch” by Congressional Quarterly.

The district still is solidly Republican, but from April to early September, Democrats added 2,649 voters in the 4th District, compared to 1,582 more Republicans.

Bill George, Placer County Republican Party communications director, dismissed the recent numbers as “statistically insignificant.”

“Those are very incremental types of moves and not indicative of any type of trend or change in the makeup of the county,” he said. “There’s no trend, no change that we see in the numbers that show that we’re becoming less of a Republican Party in this county.”

George added that the party has seen strong voter registration activity since the beginning of September – about 950 new voters registered as Republicans this month, compared to 700 Democrats.

There are, however, physical signs of change in Placer County: For the first time in roughly a decade, it has a Democratic Party headquarters. Located in Auburn, the office is paid for by the Placer County Democratic Central Committee and serves as headquarters for the Barack Obama and Charlie Brown campaigns. It’s staffed full time by volunteers, said Newcastle resident Arry Murphey-Frank, the Democrats’ district manager.

What does this say for our city…

He told delegates at the California Republican Party’s fall convention that they should take the threat from the state prison guards union seriously, even if it isn’t likely to succeed.

“I hope that I don’t have to tell you what an ill-considered idea that is. We did it once; we did not do it lightly,” he said, referring to the 2003 recall of former Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, an election that sent Schwarzenegger to Sacramento. “It is something that should not be taken lightly. It is an extreme measure.”

A conservative wing of the state GOP had planned to vote later Saturday on whether to endorse the recall campaign but instead decided to further investigate the effort first.

In his lunchtime speech to about 250 delegates, Wilson did not directly address the rift between the politically moderate Schwarzenegger and others in his party. Schwarzenegger also avoided the topic during brief remarks to about 300 party members and supporters Friday night.

The governor’s unpopularity with the most conservative Republicans grew this summer after he proposed a temporary increase in the state’s sales tax to help close what was then a $15.2 billion deficit. Wilson was critical of the tax plan, as were Republicans in the Legislature who successfully fought the effort.

That proposal particularly rankled rank-and-file Republicans, California Republican Assembly president Mike Spence said earlier this week.

“We’re talking about a core, central policy that has united the party _ taxes _ and the governor went back on his word,” Spence said.

Frustration with Schwarzenegger within the party’s base was widespread, he said. That’s partly because he has failed to implement many of the government reforms he promised when taking office, Spence said, pointing to the budget deficits that continue to plague the state.

In a slap to the governor, the state party’s board of directors made its frustration with him official Saturday by adopting a resolution praising legislative Republicans for “refusing to raise taxes and standing against the growth of government.”

“We encourage Governor Schwarzenegger to stand with our Republican legislators in the future,” the motion said.

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association filed formal notice this month of its effort to recall Schwarzenegger. The union criticized Schwarzenegger for what it called “catastrophic leadership failings and inept management” since he took office.

One of the motivations for recalling Davis was his deal giving prison guards a 37 percent pay raise after he had accepted $2.6 million in campaign donations from the union.

Schwarzenegger has not taken money from the prison guards and has called its recall drive a political ploy designed to pressure him to give into the union’s demands during contract negotiations. The guards union has been without a contract for two years.

After his address, Wilson told reporters that there will always be disagreements with a governor, but that a recall should be reserved for “serious dereliction of duty.”

“It’s something that you do on a really extreme provocation,” he said.

Well, the State of California has you covered. At least for this Saturday!

By Matt Weiser - mweiser@sacbee.com

Californians can fish for free on Saturday as wildlife officials provide another opportunity to enjoy the sport and appreciate the state’s natural resources.

On Saturday only, both adults and children can fish in state rivers, lakes and coastal areas without purchasing a fishing license. But they must heed all other fishing rules pertaining to bag and size limits, gear restrictions, and stream closures.

That means anglers must still abide by the ongoing closure of salmon fishing in Central Valley rivers by not targeting that species. But they may fish for other species in those waters without purchasing a fishing license on Saturday.

Also Saturday, the California Department of Fish and Game offers a “Fishing in the City” event from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Elk Grove Park, on Elk Grove-Florin Road next to Elk Grove High School. Instruction and loaner fishing equipment will be provided to help introduce newcomers to the sport. The park’s lake will be stocked with catfish for the event.

For more information, visithttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Fishing/. Copies of state fishing regulations can also be found in most sporting goods stores and bait shops.

So my question, why pass it? I’m sure that balancing a $145 billion budget is no easy task. However, isn’t is just mathematics 101? You do not allow your expenses to exceed your income. Bottom line, stop being fiscally irresponsible! Governor Schwarzenegger will sign this budget early next week.

Schwarzenegger demanded that the state solve its structural budget problems for good this summer, in Arnold-speak repeating he no longer wanted to “kick that can down the alley.”

The governor and legislative leaders called for reforms to prevent future deadlocks. But they have significantly different views about the kind of reform needed. If the Governator isn’t happy with the budget, then why should we be?

“I don’t see that much of a signing ceremony, because there’s nothing to really celebrate that much,” Schwarzenegger said at an afternoon news conference

Republicans are balking at this budget as well…

“There certainly have been get-out-of-town budgets before, but I have never seen a budget as awful as this one,” said Republican adviser Steve Merksamer, former chief of staff to Gov. George Deukmeijian. “Legislators are here to make tough decisions, provide leadership, and one of the reasons why their ratings are so low is because they play these kinds of games.”

So just how bad is this budget you ask? Wanna get a copy and see for yourself? Well I do and I am ! Get your copy here.

Sent from my iPhone

Tom called for the elimination of school buses due to high gas prices. He also went on to say that it’s the parents responsibility to be better parents and make sacrifices for their children. What type of sacrifices would we make Tom? Change jobs and go in later? Then tell your kids that they can’t have the normal lifestyle that they have become accustomed to because their mom or dad had to changes jobs making less money because a talk show host had their school buses eliminated!

Let me ask Tom a question, “How’s the view from the cheap seats?” It must be rough being able to set your hours, or have an assistant pick up your kids. Maybe I’ll just hire a nanny!

I am sure that tomorrow I will go right back to listening, but for now I’ll just be grumpy…

Elk Grove teachers won’t have the guidance of experienced teaching coaches next fall. A gleaming new school in Natomas will sit empty. And in Sacramento, middle schools will have fewer music classes and high school teachers will have less time to run special programs like athletics and honors academics.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May budget proposal gives more money to schools than he suggested in January, and meets the minimum guarantee schools are owed under state law. And his latest proposal increases school spending next year by $200 million over this year – but it’s an amount education advocates say is paltry compared with their needs.

The governor’s latest budget proposal doesn’t cover the higher costs schools will face next year for things such as gasoline, health care and raises for teachers as they advance in experience, said David Gordon, superintendent of Sacramento County schools. So districts are trimming other parts of their budgets to keep up.

“That is a big cut when you’re not kept even with the inflationary factors,” Gordon said. “You have to cut other things to keep marching in place.”

…Natomas Unified has managed to trim its budget without laying off any teachers. Instead, the district is putting off opening the new H. Allen Hight Middle School that has already been built, for a savings of $1.2 million.

Natomas is also trying to save money on school lunches by improving the food it offers at its high schools. The hope is that with tastier choices, more kids will buy lunch and offset the money the district now spends to keep cafeterias afloat. The district is looking at opening Mexican or Italian food stations at Natomas High.

“More students will simply buy lunch,” said Superintendent Steve Farrar. “We’re hoping (they) will not bring lunch from home.”

California spends only $7,127 a year per student (according to 2006 data from the National Center for Education Statistics). Where does the rest of the money go? ADMINISTRATION!

We need to start from the top and work our way down. Eliminate all of the dead weight in the administration and start holding non-performing teachers accountable. My daughter is in grade school, one teacher. The teacher does a great job. My son is in middle school with 6 teachers. One or two of which actually seem to care about the students. the others seem to be treading water. These teachers need to be held accountable.

Accountability is the key. If these teachers are simply not performing, then place them under review and deal with the situation. This should go for the school Principals as well. My daughters Principal does a great job and is very involved. My sons Principal is just the opposite! I have spoken to him (my sons Principal) on numerous occasions and each time I find it amazing that he is charged with running a school.

Bottom line, throwing more money at education, is not the answer. Refine the system, eliminate the dead weight, hold the teachers accountable and then fund it.

On Jan. 29, the city council approved a resolution that included letters to the Marines advising them that their recruiting station is unwelcome in Berkeley. It also called for an investigation into whether the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for homosexuals violated city anti-discrimination policy.

Other portions of the resolution applauded residents who “volunteer to impede” the work of the Marines, and gave Code Pink a parking space directly in front of the Marines’ office from noon to 4 p.m. every Wednesday for six months, as well as waiving the fee for a sound permit.

That decision sparked a nationwide outrage, calls to withhold government funding for the city, and an apology and clarification from Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

On Tuesday, the council will hear from Laurie Capitelli and Betty Olds, two council members who are sponsoring a revised resolution that will ask the city not to send a letter to the Marine Corps saying it’s unwelcome in Berkeley.

The resolution would reiterate the city’s opposition to the Iraq war, while clarifying Berkeley’s support of the nation’s military servicemembers.

In a joint press statement, Capitelli and Olds said: “We failed to make it clear that while we continue to oppose what we consider an unethical and illegal war in Iraq, at the same time we respect and honor all the brave men and women who are serving or have served in the military … We have erred by not adequately differentiating between the war and the warriors.”

Capitelli and Olds also said in the press statement: “The recommendation to inform the Marine Corps recruiting office that they are not welcome in our city, was insulting, hurtful and wrong.”

The council’s initial Marine Corps motions prompted a backlash from lawmakers in California’s capital, Sacramento, and Washington. There have been calls to withhold state and federal funds — including $2 million in federal money earmarked for ferry service and school lunches, among other things — as well as an apology from Berkeley’s mayor.

“Let me be absolutely clear that this is not about the men and women who are serving our country in our armed forces,” Mayor Bates said on Feb. 1. “I am a retired U.S. Army Captain and I respect the choice of those who are serving our country.

“However, this community strongly opposes the war in Iraq and the foreign policy of the current administration.”

He added: “I understand that there are people across the country that may not agree with this action, but it is the Berkeley City Council’s responsibility to represent the will of the people of Berkeley.”

That argument didn’t fly with California Assemblyman Guy Houston, a Republican, who asked last week that $3.3 million in state transportation funds be suspended until the council rescinds its resolution.

“The Marines, and all of our branches of the military, deserve the honor of our elected officials, not their scorn,” Houston said.

At Tuesday night’s council meeting, Berkeley politicians will also consider measures that would condemn the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border as well as a request to Canadian leaders to grant sanctuary for U.S. war resisters.

I fully support Assemblyman Houston’s recommendation to withhold funding. The BerZerkeley-ites need to put down the bongs and join the rest of us in 2008. While I can agree that we need to take action with our troops in Iraq, I whole heartedly believe we must have our military. To believe otherwise is ludicrous.

If BerZerkeley continues with these resolutions, ALL FEDERAL funding should be cut-off. Let them chew on that for a while…

From News10.net:

A manhunt is underway for the gunman who shot and killed a Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop early this morning, officials said.

The sheriff’s department identified the deputy as Jeff Mitchell, who spent nine years with the department, six of those years as a deputy. During his other three years of service, he was a recreation specialist.

Sheriff John McGinness described Mitchell as “a fine, outstanding, dedicated officer” and said he left behind a wife and 6-year-old son.

Mitchell made a traffic stop in south Sacramento County at 3:37 a.m., McGinness said. When he failed to report in as expected, other deputies were sent to the scene at Dillard and Meiss roads. There they found Mitchell, who had been shot in the head. He was transported to U.C. Davis Medical Center where he died, according to a nursing supervisor.

McGinness said it appeared Mitchell was attempting to take the driver into custody when he was shot.

Investigators with the sheriff’s department, Elk Grove Police Department, Amador County and the California Highway Patrol are searching for a person near Sloughhouse off of Jackson Highway. They believe the gunman may have fled in a white Chevrolet van. Investigators are stopping cars traveling along Dillard Road trying to find the person responsible.

Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 471-1700 or (916) 874-6500.

News 10

I can only hope that the person or persons responsbile for this crime is brought to justice. Frankly, the justice should be administered via a needle.