06/12/2013 — Co-defendant says her boyfriend strangled homeless woman
A woman who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a homeless woman two years ago testified Wednesday against her boyfriend, who is charged with murder in the killing. Kristina Canell, wearing blue Ventura County jail garb and chains on her feet, told Judge James P. Cloninger her account of what happened the night Sarah Overholser was strangled. Prosecutors said James Wilkerson, 37, killed Overholser because he didn’t like her and wanted to steal the van in which she lived. Wilkerson is charged in the slaying of Overholser on Nov. 6, 2011. Her body was found the next day floating about 200 yards off Sycamore Cove in south Ventura County. Prosecutors said Wilkerson blamed Overholser for sending his friend John Cox, Overholser’s fiance, to jail. more...

05/30/2013 — Analysis gives high marks to California's independent redistricting process
California’s experiment with independent redistricting was a success on every front, earning high marks for transparency, attracting overwhelming public participation and producing maps that fully met the criteria established by voters and court decisions, an independent analysis has concluded. The report released Wednesday was produced by Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs at CSU Los Angeles and four associate academic researchers. “Given the newness and the difficulty of the process, the redistricting process was surprisingly successful,” Sonenshein said. “It ended up being quite well regarded by the public.” The analysis was commissioned by the League of Women Voters of California, one of the sponsors of the ballot initiative that created the Citizens Redistricting Commission. It was funded by the James Irvine Foundation.
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06/09/2013 — Jake's Wayback Burgers plans Ventura ribbon cutting this weekend
Jake’s Wayback Burgers will host a ribbon cutting and other events at its Burger Bash weekend in Ventura. The events, which run Friday through Sunday, will begin with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce. There will also be a fundraiser with Battleground INC, burger eating contests, free food for children and other activities. Jake’s will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from the party to Battleground INC. The ribbon cutting will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, with Mayor Mike Tracy in attendance. Saturday’s activities will go from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a burger eating contest at 3 p.m. and free food samples and giveaways all day. Sunday’s festivities will run from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jake’s Wayback Burgers is at 4960 Telephone Road in Ventura.
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