California Watch

Police ignored, mishandled sex assaults reported by disabled

Patients at California’s board-and-care centers for the developmentally disabled have accused caretakers of molestation and rape 36 times during the past four years. Only one arrest has been made. 

The latest story in our Broken Shield investigation uncovers shocking cases of alleged abuse at the state’s five developmental centers that were ignored or mishandled by the state-run police force assigned to protect them. Read the full story to learn more. 

Image taken from our new video graphic novel “In Jennifer’s Room,” telling one young disabled woman’s heartbreaking story.

Disabled vets waiting for help on Veterans Day

Tens of thousands of disabled veterans in California will spend Veterans Day just as they did last year — waiting on a benefits decision from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

They’re among the more than 800,000 veterans across the country who are currently waiting on the VA to rule on their disability claim. Our newly updated interactive map shows just how long veterans are waiting at each of the VA’s 58 regional offices. 

To learn more about the VA’s disability claims backlog, and the agency’s error rate in processing these claims, read the latest investigation from reporter Aaron Glantz. 

Majority of third-strike inmates are addicts, records show

Convicts imprisoned under California’s three strikes law are no more inclined to high-risk “criminal thinking” than other inmates, but are far more likely to be addicted to drugs and alcohol, according to data from the state prisons department.

Our new data analysis, conduced with the San Francisco Chronicle, reveals that in all, nearly 70% of convicts with a third strike show a high need for substance abuse treatment, compared with 48% of all inmates tested. Currently, only 15-20% of inmates receive any education, therapy or drug treatment.

Read the full story here.

Photo: Inmate counselor Vincent Russo talks about healthy relationships at an Addiction Recovery Counseling meeting at San Quentin State Prison in August. Credit: Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle

wnyc:

30 Issues in 30 Days looks at foreclosure in America. Check out the map of foreclosures by county, over the last five years. Here.

-Jody, BL Show-

Although foreclosures in California hit a five-year low in the second quarter of 2012, experts say millions of Californians who owe more on their homes than they are worth might not see their situation improve for years. Read more from The Bay Citizen’s Aaron Glantz here. 

Volatile weather creates dramatic changes for California farmers

On the front lines of climate change, California’s agriculture industry faces a new landscape with less water, warmer winters, unexpected rain and rising salinity.

Our new “Heat and Harvest” series with KQED explores the challenges that farmers in the state are facing due to volatile weather conditions. Find out what’s at stake for this $30 billion industry — and your grocery bill.

Watch the full documentary here. 

Photo: Almond trees show signs of poisoning by exposure to salt. Rising salinity levels in irrigation water has farmers alarmed. Credit: Serene Fang/Center for Investigative Reporting

The Bay’s five trashiest waterways

Five waterways in the Bay Area have such high levels of trash that they’re in violation of the Clean Water Act, according to Oakland nonprofit Save The Bay.

Read more about these “Trash Hot Spots” here.

Photo courtesy of Save the Bay

California Border Patrol apprehensions hit a new low

via Sacramento Bee:

With the economy still down, sneaking across the California border just isn’t as tempting as it once was for illegal immigrants.

The number of apprehensions by the California Border Patrol fell from about 101,000 in 2010 to 73,000 during 2011, according to new figures from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The number of immigrants apprehended at the California border has fallen 65 percent since the start of the recession and nearly 90 percent since 1992. Apprehensions have also plummeted nationwide.

Read the full report from the Department of Homeland Security here. 

How to track West Nile virus in your county

There have been more reported cases of West Nile virus in the U.S. so far this year than at any time since 1999, when the disease was first detected in the country. Nearly 2,000 people have been infected, and 87 have died as a result. 

California has had 69 human cases of the virus this year to date, including three fatalities. Have there been cases in your county? Here’s how you can find out: http://ow.ly/dwyHC