A San Joaquin County grand jury report blasted the Stockton Unified School District’s Board of Trustees for inappropriate behavior and misconduct, but the board does not have to implement any of the recommendations.
The 33-page report released on Wednesday found the board lacks transparency and accessibility, violates the Brown Act, ignores civil, behavioral norms and is the key reason for the district’s high superintendent turnover rate, among many other findings of misconduct.
Gary Cooper, foreperson of the 2020-21 San Joaquin County civil grand jury, said jurors began investigating the school district after numerous complaints and media evidence of inappropriate conduct.
Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the California Judicial Mentor Program, a statewide undertaking between the executive and judicial branches to advance the shared goal of an inclusive judiciary that reflects California’s diversity. Comprised of an Appellate Court Mentor Program and a Trial Court Mentor Program, the initiative aims to demystify the appellate and trial court application process and improve transparency and accessibility for all members of the legal community throughout California, fostering the development of a qualified and diverse judicial applicant pool.
“Our state’s remarkable diversity is a point of pride and strength that I am committed to advancing at every level of state government,” said Governor Newsom. “This mentor program supports our efforts to identify the best and brightest judicial candidates from throughout the state, contributing to a stronger, more inclusive bench to better serve all Californians.”
Samuel Nunez, founder and former director of Fathers & Families of San Joaquin, was arraigned Tuesday on suspicion of sexually abusing a child identified by authorities as a family member over the course of several years.
Nunez was arrested Friday on suspicion of continuous sexual abuse of a child, oral copulation of a victim under the age of 10 and sexual penetration with a foreign object on a victim who was unable to give consent.
The complaint filed in the case alleges that Nunez, 46, began sexually abusing the victim when she was 8 years old and continued until 2006. Court documents identify the victim as Jane Doe and described the child as either living in the same home as Nunez or having reoccurring access by the defendant.