Judge Stephen V. Manley on the bench in Santa Clara County. (Photo: Veteransvoices.net) Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Manley refers to defendants in his courtroom as “clients” – an indication of the unusually informal and conversational tenor of the Behavioral Health Court he created more than two decades ago. “It tends to break through a barrier,” Manley said.
Anthony Bowden, chief of the Santa Clara County Fire Department, testifies before the Assembly's Select Committee on Natural Disaster,Response, Recovery and Rebuilding. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)As California’s largest wildfire moved swiftly, the internet speed in the area slowed to a crawl: Verizon choked it down to the first responders battling the Mendocino Complex blaze. Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, says a new law is necessary to protect first responders’ access to high-speed internet, although Verizon acknowledged the move and quickly apologized.
A homeless man feeds the birds on an L.A. street. (Photo: Laurin Rinder)Two recent studies have confirmed it: In California, poverty exists in the most unlikely places.