Category: Southern California

Yorba Linda Man Helps Struggling Student Veterans at Cal State Fullerton

Every May for the last six years, a local man and his family have helped over 90 student veterans and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets struggling with financial hardship at California State University–Fullerton with scholarships started through the Vets and Cadets Endowed Scholarship Award. The vet scholarship program was established in late 2017 by…


3-Alarm Fire Engulfs Restaurant at Irvine Strip Mall

A fire at the 99 Ranch Market strip mall was extinguished by the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) in less than an hour, leaving one building damaged June 20. The fire began around 6:42 p.m. Tuesday at 5394 Walnut Avenue. Multiple county fire authority units responded to the fire and the Irvine Police Department was…


San Diego City Council Bans Homeless Encampments

A controversial homeless encampment ban, which would prohibit unhoused people from camping in public spaces to protect public health and safety, narrowly passed on a 5 to 4 vote after nearly 10 hours of discussion between San Diego City councilors during a special meeting June 13. According to the ordinance, such a ban near schools,…


Evacuations Lifted, Garbani Fire 90 Percent Contained

The 43-acre Garbani Fire in Menifee is now 90 percent contained and all evacuation orders have been lifted, according to a 7:29 a.m. report on June 21 from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). CAL FIRE reported at 6:31 p.m. on June 20, Garbani Road between Bradley Road and Garlington Street,…


Man Charged With Sex Assaults on 2 Unconscious Women in Irvine

A 47-year-old man was charged on June 20 with sexually assaulting two unconscious women in Irvine. Eleuterio Gomezgodinez was charged with rape of an unconscious person and rape, with the alleged crimes occurring on February 20, 2015, and oral copulation of an unconscious person on May 8, 2022, all felonies, according to court records. He…


Man Killed in Shooting at San Diego Juneteenth Celebration ID’d

SAN DIEGO—Authorities on June 20 publicly identified the 20-year-old man who was fatally shot during a Juneteenth celebration at NTC Park in Liberty Station. Patrol officers responding to reports of a shooting about 6:45 p.m. on June 17 arrived at the park to find numerous people fleeing and Jonathan Shields-Pullum of San Diego suffering from…


3rd Suspect Arrested in Connection With Long Beach Metro Stabbing

The third and final suspect in the fatal stabbing of a 25-year-old man on a Metro A Blue Line train in Long Beach was behind bars on June 20. Gael Cruz-Gonzalez, 21, was arrested Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, where U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents stopped him as he was attempting to fly…


California’s Stable Affordable Housing Act One Step Closer to Becoming Law

A proposal that would change the way California approaches affordable housing is receiving broad support from Democratic lawmakers and is now closer to reaching the governor’s desk after passing the Senate. Introduced by Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward), Senate Bill 555, also known as the Stable Affordable Housing Act of 2023, proposes a 10-year goal of…


Southern California School District Considers Policy Notifying Parents of Students’ Trans Status

Should schools notify parents if their child wants to identify as transgender or non-binary? The question—which has recently been the subject of heated debate nationwide—is now being discussed by the Chino Valley Unified School Board in San Bernardino County, California. The board is currently considering a proposal—introduced on June 15 by Board President Sonja Shaw—that…


Laguna Niguel’s 2nd Vacant City Council Seat Filled by Former Deputy Sheriff

Former Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff Foster “Gene” Johns was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Laguna Niguel City Council—the second vacancy this year—during a June 14 council meeting. Johns will be sworn in on June 20. He worked with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for over 31 years and has lived in…