KVTA NEWS BRIEFS
Thursday November 21, 2024
Governor Newsom has appointed a new judge in Ventura County to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of another judge.
Carla Ortega of Los Angeles County has been appointed to replace Judge Jeffrey Bennett who is retiring.
Ortega has served as Managing Attorney at the Kern County Superior Court since 2018.
Before that she served in several roles at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California from 1995 to 2016, including Chief Deputy and Staff Attorney.
Ortega earned her law degree at UCLA School of Law.
She is registered without party affiliation.
Annual salary for California judges is $243,940
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Recreational marijuana is legal in California but there are rules and regulations.
One of them is that if you deliver marijuana you have to have a permit to do so.
Deputies in Thousand Oaks say they cited three delivery drivers from three businesses in Woodland Hills for not having a permit.
That's a violation of the Thousand Oaks municipal code.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office says that the citations were handed out after a deputies in a marked patrol vehicle contacted the drivers and asked to see their permit.
When they said they did not have one, they and their dispensaries were cited.
The Woodland Hills dispensaries involved were The Vault on Ventura Boulevard, Atrium on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, and Elevate on Ventura Boulevard.
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The State Coastal Conservancy has handed out more than $113 million for restoration, resilience, and public access projects along the California coast.
It included more than $96,000 to restore almost five acres of wetland habitat along a tributary of the Ventura River in Ojai.
The other involves $1.5 million to several organizations in five counties, including Ventura, to coordinate education, training restoration, and restoration projects along the Southern California coast.
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The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office has charged a Los Angeles County man with allegedly selling illegal drugs laced with fentanyl.
The authorities claim 24-year-old Ronald Joseph of Woodland Hills was selling counterfeit Oxycodone “M-30” pills that actually contained fentanyl.
He was arrested on November 12th in Newbury Park following an investigation by narcotics detectives that determined he was doing business in Ventura County.
They allege that during a search of his residence they found more than 1,000 counterfeit “M-30” pills and a handgun.
They say Joseph is a convicted felon and documented gang member who is on active parole.
Prosecutors filed a long list of charges and special allegations.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s news release that Joseph was arraigned on the charges on November 18th and was being held without bail because of a parole hold.
But according to court and jail records, he never entered pleas to the charges, his arraigned was continued until November 26th and that he was released from jail on Thursday after posting bail.
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Simi Valley police have accused a smoke shop in that city of violating state law regarding what kind of items it sells.
Their Special Enforcement Team and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration conducted an inspection November 19th of Tobacco and More #4 Smoke Shop at 2760 Tapo Canyon Road in Simi Valley.
They allege that during that inspection, several violations were discovered including the illegal sale of cannabis products and the sale of flavored tobacco products.
All of the items were seized in accordance with state law.
They say the owner, an Oxnard resident, was cited for a criminal violation and will also face civil penalties for each violation.
The voter approved state law involved is SB 793.
