I really need to stay away from reading the latest about the California Governator and his prison budgets… cuz, it really pisses me off! In a way, I really wanna know what is going on with our money, but then when I find out, I just get upset because its jacked and there seems to be little anyone can do to relieve popular hysteria that is allowing the large prison unions to suck us all dry.

The California Parole system is broken, but it is broken for a good reason, to line the pockets of the correction system unions with 6 figure salaries, people who would only be qualified to work at Jack-in-the-crack without them. I mean, you need tons of people to get tons in overtime and they make sure getting tons of people is no problem. Civil rights? hell, they got trumped by 100k+ salaries to idiots who flunked out of pre-school.

Seriously, the California prison system is one of the largest on the planet with the highest rate of paperwork and parole violators on the planet to match. The Governator just asked for billions more to build more California prisons so California can hire more cousins as guards and give people prison time on their parking tickets so more guards can buy those gas guzzling Hummers they seem to love. Hell, almost makes you wish you were related to a California prison guard, no need for education or even 1/2 a braincell, they take care of their own, ya know.

There is a family I know, if it wasn’t for the correction officer union they would all be on welfare and there is over a dozen of em. They make me sick, always saying how great it is to be able to vote for your own raises and be able to hire all your friends and family. Yep, they claim they vote on whether to get a raise or not… ahh, let me think about that one… “I vote not. California is in a budget crisis ya know… my new Maseratti can wait! DUHHH!”

The sad fact is that the California parole board makes it very hard for parolees to NOT get violated. Getting pulled over for a traffic ticket may get you a year and 3 years of parole no matter what the original sentence, is mandatory. Many people do more time on violations than the original offense, keeping the union fat and happy.

Many parolees are forced into crazy restrictions, even though they are now “free”. I just saw a story about a block of houses in the ghetto. It seems that the parole officers are FORCING the parolees to live there. Once there, they are not allowed to get back to work and are made to file for welfare, whether they want to or not. The welfare is to pay for the housing and the fleet of BMW’s (and all the gold teeth) the cousin, sorry, I mean the home owner wants.

They stack bunk beds 10 deep in the bedrooms and force the “free” men to stay there and pay rent with the welfare money that gets sent directly to the cousin, sorry, the homeowner. If the men have a home and a job to go to and actually leave… well, it’s a violation and another year in prison.

I talked to this kid, he was about 21, he told me he refused to go on welfare, he said he had a wife and child to take care of and if he did the welfare, they would take it out of HER paychecks from work (his wife), he was actually allowed to work (after many complaint letters) and tried to work but the job was 50 miles away from house and it took 2 hours on a bus to get to work. He said they refused to allow him to live closer to his job, seems it was just too much paperwork. Anyway, he is now back in prison because he was late coming back twice… 2 to 3 hours late… Once because of the bus and once because his boss needed some overtime. His wife and child? well, seems their home is now in foreclosure because she just can not pay all the bills alone. Child support? she gets none because “cousin” takes the welfare check. He needs a few more 140″ flat panel plasma tv’s, to give as gifts to the union members that set him up, fat, collecting welfare checks for 30 fools living in his 3 bedroom house. All thanks to the Governator and the State of California!

Here is a quote regarding this issue..

Whoa! Take a deep breath for a minute. I happen to be a Correctional Officer in a state institution that holds about 7200 inmates. I must say (and I am a progressive) that you don’t want these men back on the streets. Many can barely read, don’t have a work ethich other than selling dope, and are prone to violence. God knows what people are capable of doing while under the influence. Be careful what you pray for, you just may get it…

Funny how “ethic” is mis-spelled above from the original quote. That attitude sums us the California budget crisis in regards to the bloated prison population. “God forbid that someone who can not read, be taught how to read, hey, they would then be able to read the paperwork, point out the mis-spellings and maybe some other bullshit being spread on taxpayers.

Just throw them into the bottomless hole where they belong and do everything possible to keep them there for years after the original sentence was completed, drain dry the struggling taxpaying families, schools and social programs to lock up as many people as possible for as long as possible “. Speaking about being prone to violence… I saw some news piece some time back about the Coecoran prison guards who were setting up prison fights to the death for the sake of their own entertainment and gambling… Does that qualify as violent? Criminal sentencing needs to stay where it belongs, with the justice system, NOT the labor unions and their kin.
Unrealistic parole rules set as a blanket, regardless of the individual situation is insane. What is sick ass shit is that the only reason they make it impossible for the parolee’s to get back into society, work and family is to make sure the prisons stay FULL. Without full prisons, there would be no need for tons of overtime! It sickens me that every other state wants parolees to get to work and become self-sufficient while California forces them into insane conditions, all set up to bring them back into prison for the 3 years! WTF Taxpayers? We need school books NOT welfare for parolees that are not allowed to work.

Crazy thing is, that 21 year old kid also said that he tried smoking crack at the house for the first time ever(he was not into drugs, he went to prison over a stupid drunken brawl). He said everyone is so bored that all there is left to do is dope. Thats great, my 28% of income tax is going into starting some kids drug problem and keeping up the neighborhood’s crack house. GO GO Governator!

wanna know more about the governator Arnie and the california budget due to intentional prison overcrowding to make a few rich? read this article about how much money California may waste as our school children lack the funds needed for things like…. books

This sums it all up, comment from another article about needing billions more yearly to build more prisons..

I find California’s prison system to be a “MONEY PIT”. And until they revise the Sentensing process and Parole System and get these parts out of the hands of the Prison Unions their will never be an answer. California has turned the Fox Loose in the Hen house.

Bro, the Union’s foxes seem to have penned up not just the hens, but every rooster, turkey and pigeon for their pluckings.

Making money hand over fist and still taking..

People need to be more educated in the real reason why more prison are being build. I college student and my research has been on the Prison Industrial Compex. PRISONS ARE THE NEW SLAVE TRADE. Fortune 500 and multi-billion dollar corporations such as McDonalds, Microsoft, Boeing, Sprint, Compaq, Toys R Us, and Revlon and Victoria ’s Secret use prison labor for packing, telemarketing, and manufacturing. Hattery, Angela and Smith, Earl. (2006) The prison industrial complex. Sociation Today, 4 (2).

This is on the main site, but WTF, here it is again…

Yep, Some of those hardcore conservatives in Texas may be showing their true color… its red, the same color as their necks.

What the f@ck are these fools thinking in Texas? Not sure if this is real or fake, but it sounds about right for some of the thinking in that neighborhood.
I read today that the Texas GOB(Good Ole Boys) had a GOP meeting and had made

these lovely pins asking the ridiculous question. I gotta admit, with some of the political intelligence that has come from the great state of Texas (GWB and friends), I can understand their confusion.

I have a better question to the GOP. Do you fools REALLY fund that shit or better yet, accept money from the hicks who dared even participate in that meeting? Scratch that, I already know the answer.

So today I see that Nancy Pelosi (speaker of the house) got a bail out for salmon fisherman put through using her power as speaker and bypassing vote (see earmark reform).

174 million dollars for Salmon fisherman who now need to stoop to catching other fish because the Salmon are low… wait a minute…

This smells a bit foul, here’s why

the fisherman are getting 6 figure checks based on work they do not need to do.

The fisherman are picking a “GREAT” season between 2002 and 2005 and are allowed to be reimbursed for the highest season’ s earnings. Talk about living the American dream.

They are not out of work, they just have to catch other fish in the meantime, but they are still getting a paycheck for the boats they did not run, hands they did not employ, gas they did not use, in trying to catch Salmon… so they get 2 paydays this year. 1 for the Best Catch Ever (from US TaxPayers) and one for this seasons(if they feel like working since they already are getting paid for their best catch in years).

Sounds like a great gig, and… they got a part of this last year also for smaller catches. I do not want my kid to go to college, hell NO, he needs to get a farm or fishing boat! Why work if you don’t need to.. right? that seems to be Nancy Pelosi’s argument.

Can someone reimburse me for the years of diminished tech wages? I mean, my engineering degrees mean shit nowadays when most Tech and programming jobs have been outsourced to India at 1/10th our pay.

I don’t even bother with programming anymore since all I even hear is “the guys in India will do it for 50 cents”, So its not done right… but hey, at those prices they can come back and pay Americans to fix it saving thousands.

Anyway, the fisherman are going to Aruba on me, getting their biggest payday in 5 years having never worked at all… and if they would like to work, then they can. I mean, a fish is a fish is a fish… OK, they may not pay as well per pound, but isn’t that a fact of life?

Nancy says it’s a national emergency, These boys can’t keep the kids in private schools without it! The news reported the average check was 100k…. for not working! When I get laid off I get unemployment that caps out at $420 or so a week in California.

BTW, Katrina victims who lost all due to city levy issues got about $2500 a piece… Those fools should have bought a boat and fished for salmon in the flooded river. Today, they would be sitting phat!

Nancy and friends, go buy some salmon, its not an expense… its just money back into your own pockets.

Yesterday, something horrible happened in a high school. 3 boys were accused of drugging and raping 3 girls in a park, a public restroom until stopped by on lookers. Because of a few very very bad eggs 1000’s of other boys get the same punishments for never even having committed a crime.

News like that causes hysteria and panic, the lawmakers trying to boost popularity make harsher laws to treat the good, bad and every one in between in the same manner as the worst offender.

You see, you can’t get a whole bunch of tax money over a few bad eggs, but you can get it in truck loads if you scare the public into believing it’s an epidemic.

Read this letter and think twice before judging or voting on more money towards tracking these perverts of society. (BTW, less than 15% of the registry is even considered serious or violent but all get the same treatment from the serial rapist/murderer(.0001%) to the high school sweetheart). If you don’t believe me, it’s public and you can count how many for yourself.

I was born 22 years ago to a middle class family. We lived in the suburbs, my dad a carpenter and my mom waited tables part time. We had money for most things, not rich, but able to afford yearly vacations and such.

Growing up, I was never the cool or popular kid. I was shy I guess. I got bullied a bit in school as most kids do at some point or another. In Jr. High, the girls never liked me, I was a bit geeky I guess. I loved math and science and that wasn’t the coolest thing to be into.

In high school, my luck with girls didn’t improve much until my senior year when I met a girl who thought I was great. I thought she was incredible, funny, brilliant and HOT. We dated all through my last year of school, I was a senior and she was a freshman. That did not matter, we had a great time together.

I graduated and she went into the next grade. It was summer. I applied at a few colleges to study law and she was so proud of me. The school I chose was only a few hours away so we could see each other on weekends.

We had never had sex, but discussed it, she wasn’t ready and I was not gonna push her. One summer night we ended up at the beach, we dismissed the “close at dusk” signs and went anyway. We were caught making out and charged with trespassing. It was kinda awkward but funny. Her parents picked her up from the station and I was just allowed to leave with a ticket being an adult now.

About a month later, my parents (who I live with) got a call asking me to come into the station for an interview, I did. The police asked me what we were doing on the beach. I told them it was a date, we thought it was romantic. They asked me if I knew her age. I said of course, we had been dating for a year now. We met in high school , 2 semesters back. They asked if we had sex. I replied “is that your business? but no, we haven’t yet. They wanted to know what we had done and I told them we kissed and played around a bit, but that is all.

To make a long story short, I got charged with child molestation and spent the next 6 months in jail. I am now a registered sex offender and my college education is but a dream. I am not allowed to live at home with my family because I have a younger brother who is 13. I am classified a violent predator, a child molester and my photo is on the sex offender website. My parents have now become separated over this and how much money has been spent on making sure I am not homeless since I can not get a job nor live at home. My college scholarships were revoked over this and my parents took out a loan for my college tuition that they still have to pay interest on.

My little brother keeps running away and if I even go near him to talk to him, I can go to prison for 3 to 7 years. My now ex girlfriend is over 18 and has become addicted to meth. I have not seen her in years but I hear this from others. My life is over, I can never have a family since I can never be around kids and what woman would want me now anyways, jobless, homeless and a status of violent child predator? Another law in my state is getting passed that says registered offenders can not live within a few miles of a school or park. There is one of each in every community so I have no idea where to go. Like most in my situation I will go where they would like us to be, in prison.

The difference between you and this sorry fool, he got caught doing what every teen does.

The laws in many states say that a 3 year age difference, even when both are juveniles is a “sexual predatory” offense and molestation with life long consequences. So why do most schools open the door by being 4 to 5 year schools? Do they expect high schoolers to alienate themselves from junior classes? WTF? sick ass unjust shit.

I wish that boy luck, but I know he will never get any luck nor justice. The witch hunt for the high (state dollars) paying predator incarcerations continues. Especially now since marijuana is becoming legal in many states and the 2 to 5 year jail sentences for possession are but a memory of money lost to corrections unions… the money has to come from somewhere … and there are tons of teens. The few horrific crimes in recent years also put them into the “public safety above all” clause allowing a persons rights to fly out a speeding cop cars window. Basic human rights, living in a home, privacy(address not published unless crime involved violence), having family, kids and FREEDOM. Do you smell that, I do, Our  Beloved Constitution Burning.

I am so sick of the hypocrisy! America, give morality a freaking break! The moral, at times red neck agenda has gotten old. David Vitter apologizes to GOD and his wife and all is forgiven, still in office. The woman on the other side, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, is dead having killed herself rather than going to prison for 8 years.

Why is Vitter not looking at jail for being the “John”? I hear that may be against the law…. Ya’ All Know.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) apologized last night after his telephone number appeared in the phone records of the woman dubbed the “D.C. Madam,” making him the first member of Congress to become ensnared in the high-profile case.

The statement containing Vitter’s apology said his telephone number was included on phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates dating from before he ran for the Senate in 2004.

Are these not the same hypocrites pushing for tougher laws on prostitution, non-violent , consensual sex offenses and other issues of “morality”? Shouldn’t the lawmakers be held to a higher standard, or at LEAST the SAME standard of social conduct as the ordinary man?

Sadly, an immoral madame lay dead and the very moral family man/senator must only apologize to GOD and be done and free to create the next set of morality laws that he is far above. The old ladies who have been married for 50 years, since the age of 12 to their husbands, 20 years older, can cheer now! One less chick that the senile fool may leave his assets to when he kicks it.

Wonkette.com says it best

Hey but at least David Vitter is still in the Senate, and even if he’s eventually voted out of office, he’ll have wonderful Senate health and retirement benefits for the rest of his miserable (but comfortable) life.

Moral America can celebrate its triumph!

And Deborah, AKA DC Madame, you will be remembered on the moon..

For the great crime of hooking up willing ladies with horny politicians, “D.C. Madam” Deborah Jeane Paltry was facing four to six years in prison, and today she was found dead in a shed behind her mother’s house in Florida. The men who paid for hookers through her service, such as Republican Senator David Vitter, have paid no price for their crimes, and they remain in power as the very people who make up the laws. Anyway, good-bye, Deborah Jeane. Though we didn’t know you at all, you had the grace to hold yourself while those around you crawled. They crawled out of the woodwork, and they whispered into your brain. They set you on the treadmill and then Dick Cheney had you killed. But Wonkette just sent your name to this moon spaceship, Deborah. Enjoy the ride to a better place! [Washington Post]

The link to the very sad DC Madame suicide handwritten note

on to the more absurd….

So I just did this thing about some of the absurdity that surrounds sex offender registry laws in the U.S and decided to figure out some twisted shit … can’t say I got to far in figuring out what the hell politicians are thinking and Why the hell the public buys this BS.

So there are plenty of accounts of consensual teenage sex, drunken behaviors(indecent exposure, mooning, ass grabbing), spanking your kids, and many other non-serious crimes that are lumped in with the violent rapists and serial molesters under the sex registration legislation that have yet to prevent a single sex crime, but have caused 1000’s of vigilante crimes against families..

There is a couple in a southern state that may now lose their child because the father is a “sex offender”. Seems that a 16 YO girl had a relationship with her 19 or 20 YO boyfriend. The mom got upset over something, not the age difference, something else and called police. He was arrested, went to prison and added to the registry. When he got out of prison, the girl (girlfriend/victim of said crime) is 18 and they get married and have a child. She is the victim and he is the perpetrator… ironic, isn’t it, too bad these two high school sweethearts do not live happily ever after.

They moved into a new house and were forced to move out due to harassment by neighbors who never even knew any details other than he is a “sex predator according to the internet”. The police got involved and a question was raised that convicted sex offenders are not allowed to be near children, even his own son. I mean… you never know, his tastes may in fact change from girls 3 years younger than him to baby boys in a flip of a switch in his head…. right? Yep, thats popular belief based on the misconception that the US justice system is in fact just and if you are in the registry you must have raped a small child a few times over. Only Sickos are registered, teens and non-serious stuff are not… right? ahh, NO! See, everyone from stupid kids, teen sweethearts, drunk ass grabbers, mooners, breast flashing girls, and in some states… fathers who spank the child are in the registry and you automatically become a homosexual pedophile, regardless of the original crime. Yep, the cute chick who flashed her boobs while drunk at a party becomes a “homo pedophile violent predator” if arrested for indecent exposure…. For LIFE!

Anyway, having heard many stories of children removed from sex offender parents who never did anything wrong towards their child, i wanted to figure out were the State felt these children would be safe from the sex crazed parent.

I found a lady in the same state who fosters children for the state when the parent is a sex offender and loses his/her custodial rights because people in the registry lose the right to have children, regardless of original crime, depending on the state. Here is her story in a nutshell….

She is an angel, Mother Teresa, reincarnated. She accepts money from the state to care for and house as many as 7 children of sex offenders at any given time. It is her cause and she has bought a house from the money she has made as well.

She has done this for some time and her husband loves it. They are so caring. She has been married for 20 years to her husband and their own children are all grown, btw… she is 35 and her husband 46, oldest kid is 20. Say what? wait… doesn’t that mean she was 12 and he was 23 when they started dating? Isn’t that child molestation?

So the couple whose kids got taken away for a 3 year difference in age gets placed with a couple with an 11 year difference, and grown children that prove that she was maybe 14 during conception and he was 26? But it’s all good because he is NOT a registered sex offender and therefore its fine. Her mom never called the cops on the relationship, even though she probably should have for a grown man dating her 12 YO daughter.

Can I get a thumbs up for foster care in the US and legislative hypocrisies! Yep, the children are now safe from child molesters!

a small note, I looked at prisoner visitation policy in CA… it goes as so. Adults must have ID to visit inmates. Wives of inmates with children, where the wife is not yet 18 can use a school ID. huh? Not 18 yet with a child? does that not make a PROVEN sex crime? Nah… no one got arrested so it’s a wholesome relationship.

ohh, this will be a long one because this issue aggravates me like none other..

For starters… just about every senior in high school who has dated a freshman or junior, the kid in college who is still dating his high school sweetheart, any dumb college kid who flashed or mooned anyone. the 12 year old kid who as a joke pulled down their younger siblings pants and laughed. the wrongfully accused and any man going through a bitter divorce with a vengeful wife. Anyway… 99.5% of the population

So know who is a registered sex offender? Anyone who was unlucky enough to have been caught and someone lying about the age is no excuse…..everyone should be able to tell the difference between 17 and 18! period.

think it could not possible be true? read on.

Los Angeles, CA–”When Ricky was 16, he went to a teen club and met a girl named Amanda, who said she was the same age. They hit it off and were eventually having sex. At the time Ricky thought it was a pretty normal high school romance.

“Two years later, Ricky is a registered sex offender, and his life is destroyed. “Amanda turned out to be 13. Ricky was arrested, tried as an adult, and pleaded guilty to the charge of lascivious acts with a child, which is a class D felony in Iowa. It is not disputed that the sex was consensual, but intercourse with a 13-year-old is illegal in Iowa.“Ricky was sentenced to two years probation and 10 years on the Iowa online sex offender registry. Ricky and his family have since moved to Oklahoma, where he will remain on the state’s public registry for life.“Being labeled a sex offender has completely changed Ricky’s life, leading him to be kicked out of high school, thrown out of parks, taunted by neighbors, harassed by strangers, and unable to live within 2,000 feet of a school, day-care center or park. He is prohibited from going to the movies or mall with friends because it would require crossing state borders, which he cannot do without permission from his probation officer. One of Ricky’s neighbors called the cops on him, yelled and cursed at him, and videotaped him every time he stepped outside, Ricky said.

“‘It affects you in every way,’ he said. ‘You’re scared to go out places. You’re on the Internet, so everybody sees your picture.’”

A 17 YO kid went to summer camp, sent there by his parents, he meets a girl at camp who tells him she is 16, they have a summer romance. Her parents find out, tell the kid she is only 13(he did not know, they are in the same teen summer camp together) he is now a registered sex offender for life. He is not allowed to return back to his school nor finish high school, he can never go to college or get a real job. Most likely he will spend 15 years in prison on registry violations before he is 40 and will be forced to move countless times as states add more and more places he no longer can live near.

A black man 40 years ago(then a teen) was wrongly arrested for “molesting” a white girl. He is railroaded by the white police and forced to plead guilty. 40 years later, the registry is retroactive he finds himself in prison for 5 years, as an old man for registry violations because the southern state he lives in says that registered sex offenders can not live within 1/2 mile of schools, parks, bus stops, swimming pools, churches, etc. leaving 1 hotel in the state that no one can afford daily or under a bridge. This man committed no crime other then the one 40 years back and was evicted out of his lifelong home because the state says he can not live there. Being homeless is not an excuse to not register an address and is 3 to 10 in prison as a violent felony in most states.

A 20 year old college kid at spring break moons a group of girls with his buddies, gets arrested for indecent exposure. one of the girls has her 16 YO sister with her in the crowd. He is a sex offender for life. 20 years later, now 40, married with kids and having committed no crime the police come to his home, arrest him for a week lapse in registration, seems the Read the rest of this entry »

Every year a ho rises to super-stardom, and puts the fear of God, or at least fear of “woman scorned” back into America’s moral underbelly.

2008 is Ashley’s year of fame and fortune almost from its start, Ashley Dupre couldn’t have planned her rise to stardom any better. Ashley Dipierto Dupre had a modeling and acting portfolio, she really did want to be famous…. and all she had to do to get that fame was blow. WOW! Who would have thunk it. I wonder how many hookers are searching the internet for political photos to see if any of their clients match.

Next year a new girl will no doubt come along and put an end to Ashley’s reign as queen Ho, but 2008 is all Ashleys and she has 10 more months to enjoy it, well, unless one of the whores searching through pictures on the internet looking for her johns actually finds a match and blows the whistle.

There always seems to be a time gap between great sex scandals. I have a theory… These elite circles of sex, lies and videotape are fairly well protected. After a year without scandal, people feel safe, untouchable and stop worrying about getting caught becoming a bit sloppy. Media rushes in and fries the biggest fish of the now exposed circle.

Read the rest of this entry »

ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME??? Here we go with our “Protect and Serve” peeps. They are getting drunk, while answering 911 calls, and just barely admitting that they did anything wrong. If someone would have died due to the neglect of one of these officers do you think they would have been charged with murder?? No, the would have said that “they are just human”, and embarrassed at this “isolated” incident! You people sleigh me, no really, cops are a real riot! I’m sure this is the type of thing that happens when Cops are just “trying to have a good time”!

No 911 calls were ”mishandled” during a bawdy holiday gift exchange in which Montgomery County employees posed for photos with sex toys and bottles of alcohol at the county’s emergency dispatch center, county officials say.

County Public Safety Director Tom Sullivan said at a Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday that his internal investigation revealed all 952 of the calls received the night of Dec. 23 were answered in a timely fashion.

”There were no problems, delays or lack of attention to duty,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan made that determination after reviewing the evening’s audio logs and interviewing all employees who were on duty that night.

County commissioners two weeks ago fired platoon supervisor Shaun P. Brown from his $47,298-a-year job for posing in what officials called ”embarrassing” photos.

The photos, which are rumored to have been displayed on an employee’s MySpace page, included one in which a smiling dispatcher posed with another employee wearing a ball gag, a sphere-shaped piece of rubber attached to a strap that is often used in sadomasochistic play.

Other photos showed employees grinning while holding up bottles of rum and one shows a woman, who is wearing her dispatch headphones, leaning back in a chair with an empty beer box on her lap.

County officials have not yet determined what disciplinary action will be taken against other employees who participated in the gift exchange and photo-taking. They have said that about a half-dozen other employees were involved.

”It’s an ongoing investigation in terms of disciplinary action,” assistant county solicitor Maureen Coggins said. Her probe revealed that no one consumed alcohol that evening but that employees violated county code by having alcohol on county property. They also violated the county’s code of ethics by engaging in inappropriate behavior, she said.

Meanwhile, Sullivan on Thursday revealed additional problems related to the 911 center.

He said county dispatchers were unable to answer 911 calls on two occasions during the last few days.

Dispatchers were unable to receive 14 calls on Thursday and 39 calls on Sunday because of a cable being cut during an excavation project in Plymouth Township, Sullivan said. Fortunately, none of the calls were emergencies, Sullivan said.

”This could have been serious,” Sullivan said.

He and other county officials voiced concern about the incidents.

Sullivan said he’s unsatisfied with how Verizon, the county’s phone service provider, handled the outage. He said it seemed as though Verizon was not monitoring the system very closely.

AB 1940 would grant privileges to late-term pregnant women

SACRAMENTO — Give birth, get a parking pass? California lawmakers are considering granting special parking privileges to women in the final three months of pregnancy and the first two months after birth.

The legislation would apply to more than a half-million women who give birth every year in California.

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore’s bill would qualify pregnant women for “temporarily disabled” parking placards from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

“Let’s be reasonable here: There are challenges, physical challenges, that arise as a natural part of life,” DeVore said of pregnancy.

The Irvine Republican said it makes little sense to force a pregnant woman who has trouble getting out of her car, and might have a toddler in tow, to park in the outer reaches of a parking lot.

“It certainly makes you realize that for that very short period of time in their pregnancy, they are certainly by any practical definition (impaired),” he said.

DeVore is wading into a thicket abandoned four years ago by a colleague, then-Assemblyman Tony Strickland, R-Thousand Oaks, who proposed similar legislation, then shelved it amid a hail of controversy.

Opponents of the new proposal, Assembly Bill 1940, say pregnant women should be exercising as much as possible and that the legislation could reduce parking for motorists with more serious disabilities.

“We really want pregnant women to be active, to be moving, to be walking,” said Shannon Smith-Crowley of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ California chapter, which opposes the bill. A woman with complications from pregnancy that severely impair walking, or cause other serious health problems, can qualify for a temporary parking placard under existing law, she said.

“If she truly needs it, she can already get it,” Smith-Crowley said.

Helen Grieco, executive director of the California chapter of the National Organization for Women, said the bill inadvertently could send the wrong societal message.

“It’s very much a normal part of a woman’s life — we have children,” Grieco said. “So we’ve always been troubled by framing pregnancy as a disability.”

The bill would allow pregnant women to park in spaces reserved for those with disabilities, park for free beside meters, and park for unlimited lengths of time beside green curbs.

To qualify for a temporary placard, women would have to produce a note from a doctor, nurse, midwife or other health care professional stating that they are in the final three months of pregnancy.

Frances Gracechild, executive director of Resources for Independent Living, which assists people with disabilities, said she had not yet read AB 1940.

“But reasonable people might say that if you decide to pass it, it would have to have a commensurate increase in parking spaces (for people with disabilities),” Gracechild said.

AB 1940 faces its first legislative hearing Monday in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

More than 2.6 million Californians, roughly 11 percent of the state’s motorists, possess special parking privileges because of disabilities, DMV records show.

Statistics are not kept on how many temporary parking placards have been granted under existing law due to complications from pregnancy.

Strickland, whose 2004 effort failed, said he still supports easing the strain on pregnant women. “Look, I’ve never had to carry around a 10-pound baby in my belly and walk every day,” he said.