Paramedics transported a man to the hospital late Saturday night after allegedly being shot in the South Wrigley neighborhood of Long Beach.
The shooting occurred at roughly 10 p.m. near the 2400 Block of Cedar Ave. Long Beach Police Department spokesperson Lt. Michael Deprete told the media the victim suffered a “non-life-threatening injury to the lower body,” per City News Service.
Streaming 562 reported that multiple cars were struck by gunfire.
On Friday, peaceful demonstrators gathered on the steps of the Deukmejian Courthouse in Downtown Long Beach to protest the overturning of two landmark Supreme Court cases that effectively retracted the constitutional right to an abortion.
Driving the news:
Hundreds held handmade signs, sang in chorus, defiantly chanted pro-choice slogans, and consoled each other. The public has known for weeks the outcome of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization since last month when a leaked draft opinion to Politico, but the reaction was just as heated. In Long Beach, it was tranquil, despite the brutal news.
Local political figures made appearances and made brief speeches:
Long Beach City Council member Suely Saro, told a passionate crowd, “We’re not gonna give up! Let us use our anger and energy to keep going.”
Vice Mayor Rex Richardson read a statement on behalf of Mayor Robert Garcia.
State Senator Lena Gonzales made passionate remarks about assisting women seeking an abortion from other states.
Seven states have fully banned abortions since the overturn of Roe v Wade.
Abortions will soon be illegal in Tennesse, Texas, Idaho, Mississippi, Wyoming, and North Dakota.
Florida, Indiana, Montana, and Nebraska will likely ban abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
What now:
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Friday giving California-based physicians immunity from lawsuits when treating patients from other states where abortions are illegal or limited, per SF Gate.
Democratic governors in California, Oregon, and Washington are building a “ West Coast offense to protect patients’ access to reproductive care.”
California elected officials announced plans to preserve the right to abortion in the state constitution.
Newsom proposed a $125 million program called the “Reproductive Health Package” that would, “maintain and improve the availability of safe and accessible reproductive health care services and prepare for a potential influx of people from other states seeking reproductive health care and abortion services.
California's Fair Practice Political Commission has decided not to take action against Long Beach City Council member Mary Zendejas over allegations by a former primary challenger that she violated campaign disclosure rules and other offenses.
Former City Council candidate Lee Charley, filed an FPPC complaint on June 6, in which he claims Zendejas violated campaign disclosure rules by not completing Form 460, a document that requires campaigns to disclose contribution sources and expenses.
He wrote, “Mary Zendejas Did NOT file her Campaign 460 that was due June 1,2022. We all were called and told by the City Clerk that we would get a 500 fine for not filing on time or late.”
Charley speculates in his complaint that the possible reason behind Zendejas's alleged tardiness could be due to her past relationship with now-disgraced political consultant Melahat Rafiei. Zendejas employed Rafiei for her re-election campaign but later departed after the revelation that she was arrested on federal bribery charges and connected to the Angel Stadium scandal.
In the complaint, Charley wrote, “Mary Zendejas Campaign Manager and Political Consultant, Melehat wore an FBI wire and was involved in a corruption scheme…, She has now decided to break campaign rules and laws and not File her form 460.”
Mr. Charley further writes that Zendejas paid Rafiei's firm, Progressive Solutions Consulting (PSC), $58,000 and asked, “Where did the money actually go?” and implores the commission to “look and see if this money was not laundered to her friends and not actually this possibly not legal Consultant Firm.”
Charley noted that PSC closed in 2019; however, according to the California Secretary of State’s website, Progressive Solutions Consulting is listed as being ‘suspended,’ and has been inactive since Nov 23, 2021.
A June 16 letter from Angela Brereton, the FPPC’s Enforcement Chief, to Mr. Charley wrote, “After review of the complaint and evidence provided, the Enforcement Division will not pursue an enforcement action in this matter.”
Overall, Charley filed six FPPC complaints against Zendejas. The commission rejected all but two, and as of now, only one is known to be under review.
