Nudists Say They Want to Let It All Hang Out

Some folks just want to let it all hang out at a California state park.

Nudists are suing the state following a directive from state officials that they would crack down on those in their birthday suits.

The Naturist Action Committee filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court Wednesday against the State Department of Parks and Recreation. The suit states the agency should have requested public comment before banning nudity at the 1,000-foot beach beginning after Labor Day.

Park officials, however, say they need a ban after complaints from those actually wearing clothing at the beach, which is located behind some cliffs at San Onofre State Beach.

The hearing, where everyone will be required to be dressed, will be held on Aug. 20.

Editor's Take: We don't have a problem with people in their birthday suits, as long as the area is not impacting the rights of families and individuals who do not want to see that kind of thing. Then again, maybe some people wearing swimsuits to the beach should be banned. Some folks just don't know when to say no to the beach.

So what do you think?

Posh Losing a Little Spice?

Well, at least she has her husband's soccer salary to fall back on.

Word is that Los Angeles queen Victoria Beckham's (Posh Spice) upcoming men's line in her dVb collection has been put on hold due to a sluggish response from retailers who would sell the merchandise. The line was due to be available this fall.

This appears to be another setback for the onetime pop star, who also saw Kitson and Fred Segal dump her denim line earlier this year as a result of poor sales, along with her reported refusal to do a promotional appearance.

Editor's Take: Time for Posh Spice to go back to taking care of the kids, staying away from any more Spice Girls reunions, and maybe actually doing something constructive with her life.

Former Rams Kicker Arrested on Rape Charges

A former NFL kicker with the Los Angeles Rams is in trouble with the law.

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Tony Zendejas with drugging and raping a female customer of his Pomona sports bar in January. Zendejas, 48, was arrested on felony warrants early Thursday at his Yorba Linda home.

He is charged with one count each of rape by use of drugs, rape of an unconscious person, sodomy by anesthesia or controlled substance and sodomy of an unconscious victim.

Bail was set at $260,000 for Zendejas, who also played for the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Oilers and San Francisco 49ers during his 15-year career.

San Francisco Mayor Orders Increase in Retrofits

In an order to improve building safety, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on Monday said he is directing staff to step up its efforts to identify and help retrofit so-called "soft-story" buildings that could fall when the next significant earthquake hits the region.

The move, which Newsome indicated will cost less than $6,000 for most soft-story retrofits, will expedite development of retrofit guidelines for soft-story, wood-frame buildings and the processing and review of permits for seismic retrofit upgrades of these buildings.

"Although there is no such thing as an earthquake-proof building, engineers agree that proper seismic retrofitting can give buildings a fighting chance against a sizeable earthquake," Newsom said in a statement. "We must take the same measures to insure the safety of our homes and workplaces as we do our families and selves."

Under Monday's directive, city staff will: Expedite completion of the soft-story component of the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPSS) initiative, including the development of retrofit guidelines for soft-story, wood-frame buildings; Expedite immediately and waive fees for projects that include seismic strengthening and related Planning Department reviews of soft-story buildings; Increase outreach and awareness on the importance of seismic strengthening; Create a soft-story, wood-frame exercise scenario in the October 2008 citywide emergency drill.

The supporting legislation will require City departments that issue building and renovation permits to speed up the review and permitting process for projects where the scope of work includes voluntary seismic retrofit upgrades to soft-story buildings.

The legislation also seeks the waiver of those fees associated with the review and permitting of such work.

AMBER ALERT.....

An Amber Alert was in effect Thursday after a man allegedly shot his estranged wife and fled with his 9-year-old son. Authorities believe the man, Lonnie Ramos, 46, may have switched his car and was now using a motor home.

Ramos, considered armed and very dangerous, was believed to be driving a rented 39-foot purple-and-gold Fleetwood Providence motor home with the license plate number 5EGW556.

Authorities said he may be in the San Diego area and Border Patrol agents were notified in case he attemped to head for Mexico.

Wildfires Continue to Scorch Parts of the State

The fact that it isn't even officially fire season in California makes the current fires burning in parts of California all the more frightening.

Yet another day and fires continue to burn, with the area of Big Sur now threatened. One firefighter has also died during the recent fires. Other victims are animals, as the fires send wildlife headed for safer grounds.

One blaze, which has scorched more than 64,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest, was just one of hundreds flaming around the state.

Elsewhere, a wildfire is threatening more than 200 canyon homes in the Santa Ynez Mountains above communities on the southern Santa Barbara County coastline. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County to free up resources to battle that blaze, which has consumed more than 2,400 acres.

Meantime, crews near the Pacific Coast Highway tackled flames from homes and historic landmarks. More than a dozen homes have been destroyed in the area since the blaze started nearly two weeks ago.

Needless to say, the 4th of July will not be a relaxing one for firefighters.

Obama Tries to Win All on Gay Marriage Issue

We cannot say we fell off our chair when we read this one.

Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama is against a California ballot measure that seeks to outlaw same-sex marriage. The November measure looks to outlaw the recently Supreme Court approved right of gays and lesbians to marry in the Golden State. Republican nominee John McCain supports the measure.

Obama has called the proposed constitutional amendment “divisive and discriminatory.” He also extended congratulations to gay and lesbian newlyweds who have gotten married statewide over the last two weeks.

Obama said that while he is personally opposed to same-sex marriage, he thinks the issue should be left to states to decide. Well how convenient an opinion to take.

Editor's Take: Obama coming out saying he supports the right of gays and lesbians to marry, yet saying he is opposed to same-sex marriage, is a simple way to pander and try and have it both ways. We are not against gays and lesbians, but we support the belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. Nice try Mr. Obama.

So what do you think on this issue? Should the state ban gay marriage?

Death Penalty On Its Way Out?

A report issued Monday says California's death penalty, which has been in existence for 30 years, is "close to collapse."

The report (www.ccfaj.org/rr-dp-official.html) says the state's death penalty costs more than $100 million annually to run. The California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, appointed by the state Legislature to propose criminal justice reforms, released the 117-page report detailing major flaws in the death penalty system. Among the findings was that California has the biggest backlog of cases in the nation.

The commission stopped short of calling for the abolition of the state's death penalty, but did note that California would save millions of dollars throughout the criminal justice system if capital punishment were eliminated.

At the present, there are 673 inmates on California's death row and 79 inmates there are still in need of being appointed attorneys to prepare their automatic appeals to the California Supreme Court.

California, which takes on average about 17 years to execute someone who has been convicted, has executed 13 inmates since the death penalty was reintroduced in 1978, but none since 2005.

According to the report, "The families of murder victims are cruelly deluded into believing that justice will be delivered with finality during their lifetimes."

This will be the commission's final report, as it disbands Tuesday.

Editor's Take: We still believe in the death penalty and support it. We also say that there should not be on average a 17-year lag between conviction and execution. While everyone is certainly entitled to a fair trial and an automatic appeal, the time drawn out between conviction and execution is not only costly to the state, but harms the families of the victims who were killed. Let's make the system have more of an impact on the people it was intended for - the criminals.

So what do you think? Should the state abolish the death penalty?

Man Convicted in 2005 Metrolink Train Disaster

Juan Alvarez, 29, the man accused of killing 11 people back in a 2005 commuter train derailment in Glendale, California, was convicted last Thursday on 11 counts of first-degree murder.

Alvarez, who was acquitted on a count labeled train wrecking, was also convicted of one count of arson.

According to authorities, Alvarez said he was trying to commit suicide when he stationed his SUV on railroad tracks back in January of 2005. That decision resulted in a Metrolink train derailing and striking a second Metrolink train.

The penalty phase of Alvarez's trial will take place next month. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty.

Editor's Take: There are many 'easier' ways for someone to kill themselves. The sad part here is that 11 other people suffered the ultimate loss; they had no choice in the matter. Alvarez, who had a choice in the matter, should get his previous wish.

Question of the day: Should Juan Alvarez get the death penalty when he is sentenced next month? Feel free to leave a comment.

Employer Fined in Breastfeeding Issue at Work

California Labor Commissioner Angela Bradstreet announced the issuance of a citation to a Santa Clara-based International Security Services, Inc. for reportedly failing to provide private accommodations for an employee to express breast milk for her newborn. The citation is the first of its kind since the law took effect in 2002. A fine of $4,000 has been assessed.

“Under the law, employers are obligated to accommodate employees who wish to provide breast milk for their infant children,” Bradstreet said. “This employer failed to provide a reasonable amount of break time and a private room for an employee to express milk for her baby as required.”

The labor commissioner received a complaint -- the first lodged as a result of the 2002 legislation -- from the employee on March 7, which prompted an investigation. The investigation revealed that the employee was not provided an appropriate, designated room. Initially the room that was provided was computer server room with security cameras. This offered an inadequate level of privacy needed to perform the milk expressing process.

Labor Code sections1030-1033 became law in 2001 and mandates every employer, regardless of size, to provide a reasonable amount of time to accommodate expressing of breast milk and to make reasonable efforts to provide the employee with the use of a room or other location, other than a bathroom, in close proximity to the employees work area to express milk in private.

Bradstreet urged women who are not being provided appropriate accommodations for milk expressing to contact her office and file a complaint.

“This is not the type of law that we can address with enforcement sweeps and filing a complaint is important so that we can correct the violation and educate the employer,” added Bradstreet.

What do you think about this issue? Do you have a problem with a woman breastfeeding while on a break at work?

SATURDAY HEADLINES.....

It is the weekend and we're packing up the car and headed to the beach to escape our mini heat wave that has descended on Southern California. That being the case, we thought a visual for the day would be appropriate. It appears model Kate Moss left nothing to be hidden when she was out with her 5-year-old daughter in public recently. So, did Kate bear a little too much? Photo - Scanpix/SipaPress

FRIDAY HEADLINES.....

** Thought of the Day: It is Friday and all our heads are already thinking the weekend. With that being the case, I couldn't help but pull out a photo of our good friend Jocelyn Kirsch. Don't know who Jocelyn Kirsch is? Well, we blogged (see June 5 entry) about her a while back. Jocelyn is the young 20-something who got into a wee bit of trouble with her former boyfriend. Authorities say the two went on an identity theft crime spree in Philadelphia and stole ID's from other people to travel the world before finally being caught last year. Kirsch, whose mother lives in California, reportedly stole a credit card out here and used it after being nabbed in Philly in '07. She has since returned to Philly and was recently in court, with her sentencing yet to come. Anyhow, we couldn't resist another pic of the beauty to start the weekend off right. She definitely can work a camera.

On a more serious note, see story below if you like to drive with one hand on the wheel and one hand holding a cell phone. Times are about to change. Happy weekend!!

NEWS
* Starting July 1, drivers in California will have to stop using hand-held cell phones while driving or risk a fine. But one area not covered in the new law is texting.

The new law states that drivers must use hands-free devices to talk while driving, but it does not stipulate you cannot text while driving.

Looking to make things safer for all drivers on California's roadways, one state senator has proposed legislation that would add texting to the new cell phone ban. Sen. Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto), has proposed that text messaging be added to the lists of things not to do while driving.

However, even if the no-texting legislation does gain approval and is signed by the governor, it would not take effect until Jan. 1.

The law taking effect next month takes special aim at juvenile drivers. While adults will no longer be able to use hand-held cell phones (they can use hands-free or text messagers), juveniles cannot use any mode of communication, including all cell phones and text messagers.

The violation, though, is a secondary offense, which means minors may not be pulled over for using a hands-free cell phone or text messager unless they are pulled over for breaking a second traffic offense at the same time.

California became the fourth state to ban motorists from holding cell phones while driving when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation that passed in the state assembly back in 2006.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. are the other areas where it is illegal to drive and be talking on a hand-held cell phone, unless in an emergency situation.

Thursday Headlines.....

** Thought of the Day: We saw a story on the wires today about what happens to homes after someone is murdered in them. The story on Foxnews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369083,00.html) looked at such former homes as those of murderers John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer, and victims like Sharon Tate (pictured to right), Nicole Brown Simpson and JonBenet Ramsey. It is a very interesting story and makes one wonder if you could live in the home of someone who killed or was killed. Our guess is it would be a little spooky to say the least.

NEWS/SPORTS
* San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre has sued San Diego Gas & Electric in an effort to recover millions of dollars in damages caused to city property and for firefighting costs associated with last October's wildfires. The civil complaint says SDG&E failed to take steps to prevent downed utility lines from sparking the devastating Witch Creek and Guejito fires. The lawsuit reportedly seeks to claims tens of millions of dollars. To see more on this story, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com .

* A Norwalk man was arrested after reportedly leaving his 8-year-old Rotweiler in the car as temperatures outside topped 100 degrees. The dog, Sierra, died after being left in the vehicle on Wednesday afternoon. The man claims he answered a phone after leaving the car and forgot about the dog.

* A new cell phone law goes into effect in California on July 1. If you are caught holding a phone in your hand while driving, police will issue fines. The initial ticket is $20, but with court fees, it's closer to $75. Motorists will still be allowed to use a hand-held cell phone or other mobile device in an emergency.

* Mixed results Thursday afternoon for So Cal's baseball teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers scored a 7-4 win in Cincinnati, while the San Diego Padres dropped a 2-1 decision to the Yankees in New York.

Celtics Rout Lakers 131-92, Claim 17th NBA Title

The NBA championship is back with its traditional holder - the Boston Celtics.

Boston placed five players in double figures, led by a game-high 26 points from both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, in routing the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday evening in Beantown, 131-92. Finals MVP Paul Pierce added 17 points. You could say that the Big 3 had a little help from their friends.

Rajon Rondo (21 points, six steals) and James Posey (11 points), who also both scored in double figures, and a cast of others, clearly outplayed the Lakers on this late spring evening in Boston.

This was no fluke or what could have been for the Lakers. They were clearly outplayed for most of the Finals and by one factor - defense. Although Boston scored 131 points on this night, it was the defensive play of the Celtics that was the difference.

As great a player as Kobe Bryant is, his supporting cast left him out to dry for most of the Finals. There is no doubt Bryant is the best player in the NBA at this time, but his teammates were virtually non-existent for much of this series.

Although the Lakers figure to be back in the hunt next season, and although salaries and free agency will play a major role with this team, management needs to do some house cleaning. We believe that moving Vlad Radmanovic, Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf would be a good start. The Lakers bench in this series was clearly a major disappointment.

Secondly, Lamar Odom needs to amp up his game if he wants to keep playing with Bryant. Odom, except for flashes of good play here and there, was also non-existent in this series. The same could be said for Pau Gasol.

In the end, the better team clearly won, but Lakers fan can only wonder what the series would had been like if Bryant would have had a little help from his friends.

MONDAY HEADLINES.....

NEWS

* Police captured a parolee accused in the killing of a Yolo County sheriff's deputy in Dunnigan. Marco Antonio Topete, 35, of Arbucke was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing deputy Tony Diaz of Woodland. The shooting happened around 10 p.m. Sunday during a traffic stop. Topete reportedly then fled on foot after the shooting. Dunnigan is approximately 40 miles from Sacramento.

* Police shot and killed a man outside Turlock Saturday evening after he reportedly beat a baby to death. The man reportedly fought with passers-by who tried to intervene, before he was shot to by a police officer. The 27-year-old suspect has not been identified. The child appeared to be 1 or 2 years old.

* One woman was killed and seven others were injured Sunday after an SUV ran into a crowd of people leaving church in Venice. The vehicle hit five people around 1:15 p.m. following a Father's Day mass at the Catholic Church of St. Mark.

* The former husband of a San Diego area woman who was found dead in her driveway in May was to be arraigned today on a murder charge. Frank Weaver, 60, was arrested last month in Idaho and brought back to San Diego. While police have not said how the Santee woman died, her body exhibited signs of trauma, according to reports.

SPORTS

* With Game 5 in their pockets, the Los Angeles Lakers headed back east today to prepare for Tuesday night's Game 6 in the NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics. Los Angeles avoided elimination Sunday evening with a 103-98 victory at the Staples Center.

* In baseball action today, New York Mets at Los Angeles Angels (7:05 p.m.); Detroit Tigers at San Francisco Giants (7:15 p.m.).