Good morning and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, December 15th. I’m justin ray
Warning: This story is about sexual abuse.
A Times investigation found that since 2013, 10 California doctors have successfully regained their licenses after losing them for sexual misconduct.
The state medical association, which has long fought allegations of sparing bad doctors and failing to protect patients, has reinstated more than half of all sex offenders who wanted their licenses back, a rate that is significantly higher than for doctors who did theirs For all other reasons, a Times review of board data took place.
Any sexual contact with a patient violates a doctor’s code of ethics as set forth by the American Medical Assn. and violates California law.
Our story, which named some of the doctors, found that the committee had a lot of leeway in considering requests for reinstatement, even in the case of serious misconduct such as patient harm, sexual abuse of minors, or lying to the police. The reinstatement process focuses on the rehabilitation of the doctor, usually with the testimony of therapists hired by the doctors and with no input from the injured patient.
All of the doctors who committed sexual misconduct and got their licenses back provided testimonials from therapists who said they could safely practice again, the Times found. They also admitted that their accusers were telling the truth. Most also mentioned receiving spiritual guidance.
Board chairwoman Kristina Lawson defended the panel in a recent interview, insisting, “My colleagues on the medical board, 100% of whom are dedicated, are committed to protecting California’s consumers. It is number 1 that is most important to everyone in their work. “
One particularly shocking case involves a doctor convicted of sexual abuse in New York in 2001. In 2009 he received his license to practice medicine in California after being rejected three times on the basis of his file. What happened next was hard for me to read, to be completely honest.
“I don’t know how to give a license back to someone like that,” said one victim. “He took advantage of vulnerable women.”
This story is difficult to digest, but it is important to understand the shortcomings of the state’s medical system. Lawson himself admitted that the board had “room for improvement”.
And now this is happening across California:
Note: Some of the websites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without a subscription.
California Atty. General Rob Bonta says the rash of robberies is rooted in a type of organized crime. Those who storm into the shops are mostly foot soldiers as others rule from a safe distance. As a result, Bonta met with major retailers, online marketplaces, and law enforcement agencies to discuss retail theft and ways to combat it. The crime spate has sparked debates not only about how to combat them, but also about criminal justice reforms in California, which some police officers blame for the increase in some crimes. Los Angeles times
LA STORIES
On the hunt for a murderer shadowing a homeless camp. Even in Los Angeles County, where hundreds of people are murdered every year, the three murders were noticed in a homeless camp on the banks of Compton Creek. The fate of the victims underscored the precarious and dangerous existence of the homeless in the county. Little was known about her killer, except that he, too, was homeless. Through court files and interviews with his lawyer, a detective who handled the case, and others, a portrait of a man who is lost in a lonely, paranoid existence and people as either “robbers” or “prey” comes into focus. looked. Los Angeles times
A memorial where the body of Patricia Loeza, 26, a homeless woman, was found in Compton.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A Los Angeles County judge Tuesday upheld the assault charges against rapper Tory Lanez, who is accused of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet after an argument in Hollywood last summer. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, appeared to shake his head in disgust several times during the 90-minute preliminary hearing and once yelled at a detective before Los Angeles Supreme Court Justice Keith Borjon upheld the charge of assault and gun possession 29 years old. Both Lanez and his defense attorney Shawn Holley declined to speak outside the courtroom. Los Angeles times
More than 60 faculty members at USC have signed an open letter asking university officials to “publicly and explicitly reprimand” a student for several inflammatory comments she made online earlier this year, including a tweet in which she said she wanted to “kill every mother Zionist”. . “In the December 1 letter to USC President Carol Folt, Provost Charles Zukoski, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Rick Caruso, the faculty urged officials to reprimand Yasmeen Mashayekh, a 21-year-old civil engineering student, and” the USC of her. ” to distance “. hateful statements. “On December 3, Folt and Zukoski responded with a letter saying that the matter” has worried us deeply, as we understand very well the hurtful nature of the statements. “Mashayekh’s supporters circulated a letter in which they urge university officials to issue a statement “demonstrating support for a student who is currently being disproportionately singled out.” Los Angeles Times
A USC student’s posts on Twitter sparked outrage.
(Associated Press)
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POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco appointed his brother to head the department’s thermal station without consulting or informing leadership in the towns of La Quinta and Coachella, the Desert Sun reported. In doing so, he violated the agreement that set out how the ministry would provide police services to these cities. The announcement was made in a departmental memo, which the department declined to publish. “I am disappointed that this process was not followed with the recent promotion,” said Jon McMillen, manager of La Quinta City. Desert sun
CRIME AND COURTS
The judge says the school may refuse to display the menorah symbol at the tree lightning ceremony. One woman wanted to add an inflatable balloon decorated like a menorah to the school tree-lighting ceremony that her third grader was attending, but the Carmel Unified School District refused. A federal judge says the school has the right not to accept the menorah. Although the after-school celebrations revolved around a Christmas tree, the Supreme Court has ruled that Christmas trees are no longer purely religious symbols in US society, said US District Judge Beth Labson Freeman of San Jose. The mother, Michele Lyons, and her lawyer said they were confused by the events. According to Lyon’s complaint, the school’s teachers refer to Christmas as an “American holiday” and Hanukkah as an “Israeli holiday”. San Francisco Chronicle
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Couple finds expensive mushrooms. A couple who live on the Lost Coast, California, found and collected chanterelles – a prized wild edible mushroom – in the mountains near Petrolia, a small town about 400 miles north of San Francisco. “We’ve never seen anything like it,” Jordan Anderson told SF GATE. “It felt like we found the best kept secret in the forest. Bright orange everywhere … I’d say we have between 200 and 250 pounds between the two of us. ”At the grocery store, where chanterelles sell for more than $ 18 a pound, that many mushrooms would make about $ 4,000. SF-GATE
CALIFORNIAN CULTURE
Why does California have the highest unemployment rate in the country? Around 1.4 million are unemployed and looking for work. In October, the state had an unemployment rate of 7.3%, the highest in the country, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, a difference California shares with Nevada. The national unemployment rate in October is 4.6%, a few points lower. One factor behind the state’s sluggish employment is that California’s large recreational and hospitality sectors – made up of hotels, restaurants, and more – have not recovered as quickly as the rest of the country. This can be linked to declining international tourism, which is a large part of the state’s economy. CalMatters
Take a Tour of Old LA’s Grand Department Stores For a long time, shopping in Los Angeles, especially for the holidays, meant putting on real clothes and shoes unsuitable for a shower stall and taking a trip to the venues of the commercial lot Angeles. The city has been home to big stores for nearly 150 years, from the soaring of huge downtown flagship department stores, the centrifugal sprawl of suburban malls, and the invasion of that unsightly moneymaker called the mini-mall – long before there was no internet for shopping . The Times’ Patt Morrison takes you on a journey through these stores through the city’s history with beautiful vintage photos. Los Angeles times
Hamburger’s, shown on a postcard from Patt Morrison’s collection, was founded in 1881 and housed the Los Angeles Public Library from 1908 to 1913.
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CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
Los Angeles: Cloudy, 57 San Diego: Cloudy, 59 San Francisco: Wow, that cat judges this essay so harshly. Rainy, 54 San Jose: Rainy, 55 Fresno: Overcast, 50 Sacramento: Rainy, 50
AND FINALLY
Today’s California memory is from Cheryl Hilser:
I grew up in Bell Gardens in the 1970s. My father worked hard digging pools for icons from Jerry West to Raymond Burr. Attending the Los Angeles Lakers games at the Fabulous Forum was a treat. I thought it was the most beautiful building ever. My favorite Laker was Gail Goodrich. You could park for $ 5, buy a hot dog for $ 2, and Dad would get a beer for a couple of dollars. It was such a great time. Dad has been gone for more than six years now, but I still have great memories of those nights on the forum.
If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please limit your story to 100 words.)
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