DA Bonnie Dumanis Threatens Third Judge With Boycott
By Kelly Thorton / Voice of San Diego / February 10, 2010
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office has threatened to boycott another Superior Court judge over rulings that prosecutors found troubling, according to a personal account from the judge in question.
Laura Parsky, the third judge in four months to be targeted by the district attorney, related details of the possible boycott during a court hearing in a domestic violence case Jan. 15.
Parsky said it was her ethical duty to disclose that a district attorney supervisor had complained to the supervising judge in Chula Vista about some of her rulings, including decisions she made in the still-pending domestic violence case. The supervising judge, who handles ministerial matters such as assigning cases to other judges, then relayed these concerns to Parsky, along with a warning that the District Attorney’s Office may seek to disqualify her in future cases.
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Permanent Homeless Shelter On Hold
By Jeff McDonald /Union-Tribune / Originally posted February 6, 2010
DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO — A plan to build a permanent shelter for San Diego’s homeless, rather than a temporary tent every winter, has become bogged down in disputes over funding and location.
In early December 2008, the City Council first blessed a draft plan inviting community groups to bid on building the long-sought shelter somewhere downtown. The contractor was supposed to be selected last year. By now, project planning or even construction was expected to be well under way.
But questions over funding and a site — age-old issues in the world of social services — have conspired to delay the project. A final decision over who will run the center and where it would open may not be reached for months.
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San Diego’s Teenager Curfew Law Ruled Illegal
By Greg Moran / Union-Tribune / February 9, 2010
San Diego’s teen curfew law was struck down — again — by a court because it was too broad and did not provide sufficient constitutional protection for youths.
The state 4th District Court of Appeal said the city’s ordinance is fatally flawed because it does not allow teens to travel to and from certain late-night events permitted under the law — including school, religious or recreational activities — unless accompanied by an adult. As a result, Associate Justice Alex McDonald wrote, the law essentially “imposes de facto restrictions on or conditions to the exercise of First Amendment rights” that are unconstitutional. The city’s curfew law also was struck down in 1997.
The decision issued Friday came in the case of a girl identified only as “A.G.” because this kind of juvenile prosecution is confidential under law. She was charged with violating the ordinance after being stopped for speeding by a California Highway Patrol officer just after 1 a.m. May 28, 2008.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
great news about the teen curfew law being repealed, again. to me it’s ludicrous to restrict a minor to home/school for two-thirds of the day. And when will teens be defined as those between 13-19? Are those not, in fact, the teen years clearly by name?
Amazing…. I am a san diego native and grew up in ocena beach….. when I was a teenager I was arrested MANY times for curfew violations….. of course…. I was not partaking in any legitimate activities at the times of my arrest. (wink)……. I think the curfew should stay….. school activities should NOT require kids to be up after about 11 pm……. they need their sleep.