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Families of Police Victims Demand End to Slow Release of Coroner’s Reports

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The Anti Police-Terror Project, in partnership with families who have lost loved ones to police violence, has launched a campaign calling for the Alameda County Sheriff’s department to release coroner’s reports in police-involved deaths within 30 days.

 

 

This demand comes after it took several months and legal involvement of the families of Yuvette Henderson and Richard Perkins to receive the reports of their loved ones’ deaths.

 

 

In the case of Henderson, a Black grandmother who was killed by Emeryville police after allegedly shoplifting and suffering from an assault inside Home Depot, it took eight months for the coroner’s report to be given to her family.

 

 

Richard Perkins was killed by Oakland police in November of last year while watching a side show and holding a replica toy pellet gun. His family waited four months to receive the coroner’s report.

 

 

“We think that 30 days is a reasonable time to get a coroner’s report and to run an investigation to determine what happened,” said Cat Brooks of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP).

 

 

“When we got (Perkins’) report, we looked at it and saw that it only took two days after his death for it to be filed,” said Brooks. “There is absolutely no reason why they couldn’t get that family his report sooner.”

 

 

According to members of APTP, the delay in releasing reports in police-involved cases points to collusion between the Sheriff’s department and local police departments.

 

 

“You only have so long to file a civil lawsuit,” Brooks said. “If you miss that time frame, you can’t do anything, and it makes it harder for families to get a lawsuit together and dispute (police) claims.”

 

 

In an interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Lt. Riddick Bowers of the Sheriff’s department defended the length of time it takes to get out a coroner’s report, saying “The public is done a disservice by rushing an investigation, by adhering to some kind of arbitrary deadline.”

 

 

Yet according to Brooks, the justification for the time length doesn’t hold up since in both Henderson and Perkins’ cases the coroner’s report was released the day before APTP had planned demonstrations at the coroner’s office for the reports to be released.

 

 

Further demands by APTP include investigating possible collusion between the Alameda County Sheriff’s department and the Oakland Police Department, the release of the entire video series relating to Perkins’ death and to bring in an outside investigator to investigate his death.

 

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Bo Tefu

California Assembly Passes Bill to Strengthen Penalties for Soliciting Minors

The revised version of Assembly Bill 379, authored by Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento), now allows prosecutors to file felony charges against adults who solicit sex from a 16 or 17-year-old, provided the accused is three or more years older than the minor. If the offender is within three years of the minor, the charge would remain a misdemeanor.

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The California State Assembly has agreed to amend a controversial bill that would increase penalties for adults who solicit sex from minors ages 16 or 17, following a wave of criticism from Republicans and concerns raised by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The revised version of Assembly Bill 379, authored by Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento), now allows prosecutors to file felony charges against adults who solicit sex from a 16 or 17-year-old, provided the accused is three or more years older than the minor. If the offender is within three years of the minor, the charge would remain a misdemeanor.

“From a prosecutor’s standpoint, this bill strengthens California law and gives us the felony hammer to prosecute the creeps that are preying on teenagers,” Krell said in a statement supporting the amended bill.

The new amendments also include provisions for a state grant program aimed at improving the prosecution of human trafficking and sex trafficking cases, as well as a support fund for survivors partially funded by increased fines on businesses that enable or fail to address human trafficking.

The bill faced significant opposition last week after the Assembly removed a provision that would have treated solicitation of 16 and 17-year-olds as a felony for all offenders.

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Business

Student Loan Collections Have Resumed: Here’s What You Need to Know

According to the DOE, 42.7 million borrowers owe more than $1.6 trillion in student debt. More than 5 million borrowers have not made a monthly payment in over 360 days and their loans have been declared “in default.” Another 4 million borrowers are in late-stage delinquency (91-180 days). As a result, there could be almost 10 million borrowers in default in a few months. If this happens, almost 25% of the federal student loan portfolio will be in default. 

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By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced that its Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) resumed collection of its defaulted federal student loan portfolio on May 5.

The department has not collected on defaulted loans since March 2020.

‘Collections on defaulted federal student loans are resuming. This means that your tax refund or other federal benefits may be withheld,” reads an email affected borrowers in California and around the country received from the DOE last week.

“Later this summer, your employer may also be required to withhold a portion of your pay until you begin to repay your defaulted federal student loan,” the email continues.

According to the DOE, 42.7 million borrowers owe more than $1.6 trillion in student debt. More than 5 million borrowers have not made a monthly payment in over 360 days and their loans have been declared “in default.” Another 4 million borrowers are in late-stage delinquency (91-180 days). As a result, there could be almost 10 million borrowers in default in a few months. If this happens, almost 25% of the federal student loan portfolio will be in default.

“American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a release.

The DOE is urging borrowers in default to contact the Default Resolution Group to make a monthly payment, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan, or sign up for loan rehabilitation. Later this summer, FSA will send required notices to begin administrative wage garnishment.

Student loan debt statistics among racial and ethnic groups reflect dramatic differences in financial health, habits, and resource availability from one community to the next, according to the Education Data Initiative.

Black and African American college graduates owe an average of $25,000 more in student loan debt than White college graduates (Black and African American bachelor’s degree holders have an average of $52,726 in student loan debt).

“The level of concern here really depends on the reasons a borrower has not paid their federal student loans. If they don’t have the capacity, they may be overstretched,” Michele Raneri, vice president and head of research at TransUnion, said in a statement. “They may not know they have to pay them, may not be able to find the information on how to do so, or may not have a willingness to pay for one reason or another,” she said.

Top tips to manage any pending student loan payments include reviewing your student loan balance on your Dashboard.

Affected borrowers can visit their loan servicer’s website for assistance if needed. Setting up auto pay to ensure on-time payments is recommended. Individuals are also encouraged to review many loan forgiveness options and qualifications.

Most programs have strict eligibility requirements, but student loans can be forgiven under programs such as the following:

Learn about other loan forgiveness programs at Studentaid.gov.

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Bay Area

Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

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Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.
Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron RichmondCAER and  Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.

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