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Antolin Garcia Torres, the convicted killer of Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Garcia-Torres, 26, was convicted in May of first-degree murder in the 15-year-old girl's death and the attempted kidnappings of three women in 2009. On Tuesday, he was also ordered to register as a sex offender. The sentencing, which was originally scheduled to take place in September, was delayed as the court considered a challenge from the defense to remove Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Vanessa Zecher from the case. Garcia-Torres and his attorneys claimed that...

For the first time in 37 years, the summit of Mt. Umunhum is open to the public. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District on Saturday hosted a ceremony to mark the long-awaited occasion. "We’re thrilled to invite the community to create Mount Umunhum’s next chapter as one of the Bay Area’s great publicly accessible peaks and nature destinations,” said the district's General Manager Steve Abbors. Situated within the 18,000-acre Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve south of Los Gatos, Mt. Umunhum has been closed since 1980. It was at that time that the former Almaden Air Force Station, which sits on...

Rising water filling up Santa Clara County's Anderson Reservoir, which was 99.3 percent full as of Wednesday, is expected to flow over the dam's spillway as a result of this week's impending storms. Unlike the potentially catastrophic situation with Lake Oroville's emergency spillway, the Anderson Reservoir's operational spillway is not at risk of failure, according to Santa Clara Valley Water District officials. Despite that good news, officials in Santa Clara County are warning residents living along Coyote Creek and near Kelley Park to be on the lookout for potential flooding. Water officials for the past month have been releasing water...

Thousands of witches angered by the lenient sentence given to Stanford rapist Brock Turner have performed a mass hexing after organizing online. As well as creating the event, Hexen posted instructions for the spellcasting ceremony online. Followers were told to get a black candle, piece of string, and a representation of Brock Turner, noting that the candle could be anointed with 'urine, menstrual blood or hexing oil'. Next, the hexers were told to draw a circle of power around themselves for protection - with salt being recommended as a good material - before marking 13 crosses on the candle and...

The phone has been ringing off the hook at Judge Aaron Persky's chambers at the Santa Clara County court for the past several days. "Tell your judge he can go to hell, and I hope his kids get raped and he rots in hell," said one caller. The judge and members of his family have received death threats -- which seems to be the way America rolls these days. Just a suggestion: If you disapprove of something strongly, consider the words "shame," "scandal" or "debacle." Try not to commit a crime yourself in protesting a lenient sentence. Judge Persky sparked...

A petition calling to remove from the bench the judge whose sentencing in a high-profile Stanford University rape case has sparked outrage had attracted close to 100,000 signatures by Monday. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky last week sentenced former Stanford student Brock Turner to six months in county jail for the sexual assault of an unconscious and intoxicated woman in January 2015. Opponents have accused Persky of being too lenient on Turner. Persky also attended Stanford, according to a biography of provided by the League of Women Voters. A petition calling for his removal from office posted...

Radar Tower Historic Status, Decide it Will StaySanta Clara County supervisors Tuesday decided the fate of a radar tower sitting atop Mount Umunhum. For years, a battle has brewed over whether to take down the prominent radar that some have labeled an eyesore and others, a historical treasure. Many see the tower as a symbol of Silicon Valley, but the 56-year-old construction is also a piece of Cold War history. On Tuesday, the county’s board of supervisors voted unanimously to declare the tower historic, effectively ensuring that it won’t be going anywhere. “The tower was the coastal defense radar that...

A 17-year-old Cupertino boy who had been missing and returned to his family on Thursday night, hid on his high school campus over the last four days and ate fruit to survive, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. Sgt. James Jensen told NBC Bay Area on Friday morning that Connor Sullivan had hidden for a portion of the time at Monta Vista High School, where he had last been seen Monday morning after his first class. Jensen said he also used portable toilets on campus as scores of deputies and volunteers had fanned the South Bay looking for...

Open Space Authority to Return Assessment Funds San Jose, CA, May 29, 2009 – Property owners who have property within the jurisdiction of the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority will soon be able to claim refunds of an assessment charged by the Authority on their real estate tax bills between 2002 and 2008. In 2001, the Authority approved a $20 annual assessment on single-family homes located within the Authority’s territory to help purchase and maintain open space and parkland. Higher amounts were charged for multi-family and commercial properties. The Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, and...

(04-09) 16:37 PDT SAN JOSE -- Vandals cut fiber-optic cable lines belonging to AT&T at two locations early today, knocking out phones and access to 911 emergency services to thousands of residential customers and businesses in southern Santa Clara County, in Santa Cruz and San Benito counties and along the Peninsula, authorities said. Four AT&T fiber-optic cables in an underground vault were severed shortly before 1:30 a.m. along Monterey Highway north of Blossom Hill Road in south San Jose, police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said. Four more underground cables, at least two of which belong to AT&T, were cut about two...

CBS 5 Poll: South Bay BART Measure Falling Short SAN JOSE (CBS 5/KCBS/BCN) ― A new poll of Santa Clara County voters finds Measure B, a one-eighth-cent increase in the sales tax to help pay for the BART extension to San Jose, still has not garnered the two-thirds majority it needs to pass. A CBS 5 poll conducted by SurveyUSA found that 62 percent of likely voters either lean toward voting or are certain to vote for the extension. The Yes on B campaign has lined up big names such as former Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta to convince the 17...

Mayor Jose Esteves has made two key endorsements this year: for a political unknown running for mayor of Milpitas and a vetted South Bay politico vying for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Esteves, who terms out as mayor at the end of the year after six years in office, is backing Craig Donnelly, an underdog mayoral challenger to Milpitas' most veteran politician, Bob Livengood. "Yes, I endorsed Craig for mayor," Esteves said. "He's new to the city, but he's not new in government in the public sector." Donnelly, 61, works as a district director for state Assemblyman Gene Mullin...

Editorial: Assessment ruling won't serve state well Monday's state Supreme Court decision striking down an assessment by the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority was one more nail in the coffin of California's quality of life. Not that the court was unreasonable. The justices were interpreting Proposition 218, as convoluted and mean-spirited an anti-tax law as California voters ever passed. The 1996 initiative aimed to tighten the rules set by Proposition 13 to make it even harder for government to raise revenue, and it's succeeding all too well. Californians must come to grips with the kind of place they want...

California high court strikes down Santa Clara County open space tax The California Supreme Court today struck down a special fee on Santa Clara County homeowners used to pay for open space acquisition, possibly wiping out more than $50 million collected over the past seven years for parks, trails and other services. In a unanimous ruling, the justices found that the 2001 special assessment by the county's Open Space Authority violated Proposition 218, a 12-year-old voter-approved law known as the "Right to Vote on Taxes Act." Proposition 218 was designed to limit local governments' ability to raise revenue without voter...

CA, November 7, 2006 Election E-Mat's Last Minute Voting Endorsement Lists (Differentiating Factors) Statewide Arnold SchwarzeneggarTom McClintock! (PL)Bruce McPhersonTony Strickland (PL)Claude Parrish (PL)Chuck Poochigian (PL)Steve PoiznerRichard "Dick" Mountjoy (PL) Prop. 1A Transportation Funding Protection:  YESProp. 1B Transportation Bond:  NO!  Prop. 1C Housing Bond:  NO!  Prop. 1D Education Bond:  NO!  Prop. 1E Levee Bond:  YESProp. 83 Jessica’s Law:  YES!  Prop. 84 Park Bond:  NO!  Prop. 85 Parental Notification: YES!  Prop. 86 Cigarette Tax:  NO Prop. 87 Oil Tax:  NO!  Prop. 88 Parcel Tax:  NO!  Prop. 89 Taxpayer Funding of Campaigns:  NO!  Prop. 90 Protect Our Homes:  YES! CA Initiatives (Propositions/Measures)http://www.tommcclintock.net/news.php?news_id=85&start=5 Judicial: State Supreme Court Joyce Kennard – NO! An enemy or...

Gilroy - A federal judge next week could invalidate a controversial land-use initiative slated for the November ballot based on claims that environmentalists, who circulated the petition only in English, violated the civil rights of residents who don't speak English. According to a lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for Northern California, in San Jose, county officials violated the federal Voting Rights Act by certifying a petition that was not translated for signers into Spanish and several other languages, the standard practice with election pamphlets and ballots. The suit, which seeks a fast-tracked court hearing Aug. 25, was filed...

Please use this thread to post information, discussions, or links that will help readers decide on the California Statewide Partisan Republican Ballot Offices below. Please refrain from rants, petty arguments, name calling, and other unhelpful replies. Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Director; District 5 William J. GarbettJohn A. DiquistoVirginia HoltzThere are 7 SSC Open Space Authority districtsFor other candidates and measures, please refer to other threads, some I plan to post later: ***State*** CA Freepers Voter Guide, 6/6/2006 Primary, Statewide Partisan Republican BallotCA Freepers Voter Guide, 6/6/2006 Primary, Statewide Nonpartisan Offices & MeasuresCA Freepers Voter Guide, 6/6/2006 Primary, State...

Please use this thread to post information, discussions, or links that will help readers decide on the California Statewide Partisan Republican Ballot Offices below. Please refrain from rants, petty arguments, name calling, and other unhelpful replies. Judge - Superior Court; County of Santa Clara; Office 8 Douglas B. AllenWilliam J. MonahanGeorge S. ColeJudge - Superior Court; County of Santa Clara; Office 13 Timothy PitskerMichele McKay McCoyShawna Schwarz Assessor; County of Santa Clara Pete "Primo" McHughLarry StoneDistrict Attorney; County of Santa Clara Marc BullerDolores CarrJim ShoreKaryn SinunuSheriff; County of Santa Clara Laurie SmithMeasure A. Sales Tax -- County of Santa ClaraMeasure...

Please use this thread to post information, discussions, or links that will help readers decide on the California Statewide Partisan Republican Ballot Offices below. Please refrain from rants, petty arguments, name calling, and other unhelpful replies. Judge - Superior Court; County of Santa Clara; Office 8 Douglas B. AllenWilliam J. MonahanGeorge S. ColeJudge - Superior Court; County of Santa Clara; Office 13 Timothy PitskerMichele McKay McCoyShawna Schwarz Assessor; County of Santa Clara Pete "Primo" McHughLarry StoneDistrict Attorney; County of Santa Clara Marc BullerDolores CarrJim ShoreKaryn SinunuSheriff; County of Santa Clara Laurie SmithMeasure A. Sales Tax -- County of Santa ClaraMeasure...

Please use this thread to post information, discussions, or links that will help readers decide on the California Statewide Partisan Republican Ballot Offices below. Please refrain from rants, petty arguments, name calling, and other unhelpful replies. United States Representative; District 16; Republican Party Charel Winston California has 53 California U.S. Representative Districts http://www.calvoter.org/voter/maps/index.htmlFor other candidates and measures, please refer to other threads, some I plan to post later: ***State*** CA Freepers Voter Guide, 6/6/2006 Primary, Statewide Partisan Republican BallotCA Freepers Voter Guide, 6/6/2006 Primary, Statewide Nonpartisan Offices & MeasuresCA Freepers Voter Guide, 6/6/2006 Primary, State Assembly District 23, Partisan Republican...