8 ARRESTED AS SAN JOSE POLICE SHUT DOWN HOME-BASED CASINO: SAN JOSE (AP) — San Jose police say eight people have been arrested after officers broke up a home-based casino with roughly 15 video gambling machines.
The Mercury News reported Wednesday that officers responded to a home following reports of a possible assault between a man and a woman.
Lt. Mike Sullivan says as police arrived Tuesday people began scattering from the home. Officers found video gambling machines, drugs and an undisclosed amount of cash in plain view.
Sullivan says police detained 20 people were ultimately arresting eight on a slew of charges including narcotics possession and active felony warrants.
MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN THROAT-SLASHING AT CALIFORNIA CASINO: SAN BERNARDINO (AP) — A defendant accused of slashing the throat of a man outside a Southern California casino has pleaded guilty to attempted murder.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise (http://bit.ly/1wqhKBx) says 32-year-old Israel Vito Uwnauich was immediately sentenced Wednesday to 13 years in prison.
Uwnauich’s wife said shortly after the attack that her husband had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The victim was standing in a drop-off area at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino last September when Uwnauich approached, pulled a knife and slashed his throat.
Uwnauich tried to run away, but security guards caught him. The victim was treated at a hospital and released.
MOTHER DIES AFTER FIRE THAT KILLED 3-YEAR-OLD SON: SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO (AP) — Southern California authorities say a young mother has died a day after her son succumbed to injuries from a fire that tore through a condominium without working smoke alarms.
The Orange County coroner’s office says 20-year-old Maricela Sanchez died Wednesday at a hospital. Her 3-year-old son, Jaiden Liborio, died Tuesday night after the blaze filled the four-bedroom unit in San Juan Capistrano with heavy smoke.
Sanchez’s 2-year-old son remained in grave condition.
Nine people were injured in the fire, including a woman who suffered burns and severe leg injuries after she jumped from a window.
Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi says an unsupervised child playing with a lighter started the blaze.
It displaced about 80 people from eight units damaged by fire, water and smoke.
BARBARA BOXER, KEVIN MCCARTHY TRADE BLAME OVER DROUGHT BILL: WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy are publicly blaming each other over who derailed congressional efforts last year to pass a drought relief bill for California.
McCarthy, a Republican, has maintained that lawmakers were close to passing legislation last year, but objections from Boxer spoiled negotiations between Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Republicans.
“We almost got to a very strong place,” McCarthy told The Associated Press earlier this month. “Sen. Boxer stopped it.”
Boxer told reporters Wednesday that McCarthy made similar comments in a telephone call with her. She said she told him he was dreaming, and that the negotiations faltered because some parties that would be affected by the water bill weren’t allowed to participate.
“A leader brings both sides into the room,” Boxer said.
The finger-pointing underscores the differences that lawmakers will have to overcome if Congress is to pass legislation that would bring more water to the state’s farm belt. The GOP has strengthened its hand by adding to its ranks in the House and Senate. Still, it could have a difficult time generating veto-proof support if Boxer opposes the measure.
On that front, Boxer laid out a few parameters House Republicans will have to meet to get her support. She said she can’t vote for a bill that doesn’t have support from state officials in California. She also said she won’t support a bill that pits various regions of the state against one another.
The state is suffering from its third year of drought, and GOP lawmakers in the House have complained that environmental protections designed to protect fish and wildlife have exacerbated the water shortage in the state’s San Joaquin Valley.
Boxer is focusing on legislation that would provide loans, grants and tax rebates to encourage water conservation and recycling.
At one point, Boxer referred to McCarthy’s blaming her as threatening her with a street fight. “I’m good a street fights,” she said. “I grew up in Brooklyn.”
McCarthy’s spokesman, Matt Sparks called Boxer’s comments “disappointing, but not surprising.”
“House Republicans remain focused on solving our water crisis that is affecting millions of Californians, and remain open to working together with willing partners committed to finding real solutions,” Sparks said.
