The Disney Star will be partying, drinking, and getting crazy with her girlfriends, she told US  Weekly.  In one scene, the coeds even wind up robbing a restaurant as a means of funding the trip.   Although the edgy part is a far-cry from her off-screen persona, Gomez said she was up for the challenge and embraced the role. Viewers should keep in mind that movie-set jails are quite different from what celebrity female arrestees like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan experienced when they were booked into the Lynwood Jail, the Los Angeles County women’s jail.

As far as having concerns about her younger, tween-fans sneaking into the film, Gomez said she’s not worried.  The film, written by Harmony Korine, will be released as independent, she said.  It will be shown globally at a number of film festivals and will be less-easy to access than films released to main-stream theaters.

Production for the film is set to begin in the early part of this year. No word as to if a bail bondsman will be used by the Gomez character.

Gomez first got her start in 1992 when she was cast to play Gianna in Barney & Friends.  Since that time she has stared in Spy Kids, 3-D: Game Over; the 1996 made for TV movie Brain Zapped; and has played varying roles in series such as Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place.  She has starred in a number of Disney Channel Original Movies and currently has a recording contract with Hollywood Records.  Her most recent single, Love You Like A Love Song is ranked number 23 on the The Billboard Top 40.

Due to the new California realignment plan, counties all across the state are taking a closer look at their jail facilities. Many of them, like Los Angeles County, are already facing severe overcrowding in the jails. While Santa Clara County does not have an overwhelming influx of inmates, they have other issues.

Jails in Santa Clara are not built to hold inmates for extended periods of time. Cells may have wooden doors instead of metal and walls are Sheetrock instead of cinder block. Inmates have to spend 23 hours a day in small cells because of the lack of rehabilitation programs and secure workout areas. This goes against the whole purpose of realignment: rehabilitating inmates instead of only incarcerating them.

Along with the cost of the expansion, it will cost the county an additional $14 million annually in order to run the facility. This includes the hiring of an additional 119 deputies and jail staff.

Santa Clara County is number six in the line of counties seeking state funding for jail expansions. The state only has $300 million to go around for the larger counties. Eight counties are seeking $100 million from California to build with. The majority of funds will likely be given to counties with overcrowded jail facilities.

#10 Santa Maria Jail And Gang Unit Faces Cuts

The Santa Maria jail and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s gang unit received notification that they were in jeopardy of being shut down as a means of helping to bridge the county’s $72 million budget gap. Sheriff’s deputies did not take the proposal lightly, although they acknowledged the need for budget cuts.  Officials estimated that closing the jail could save $1.2 million annually.

#9 LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Opens

Although many were excited about the February opening of the $84 million downtown Los Angeles facility, others pointed to concerns that the jail would take 83 officers off the street to help operate it. Once opened, the Metro Center Jail replaced the antiquated, 50 year-old Parker Center Jail.

#8 Plea Deal And No Jail Time For Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson made a plea deal with prosecutors this year which meant he did not need to face jail time for his 2010 domestic violence charges. As part of the deal Gibson pled guilty to misdemeanor battery charges for an altercation involving his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. He was, however, ordered to undergo counseling as part of that agreement.

#7 Merced Sheriff Proposes Closing Main Jail

In May of 2011, Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin suggested the closure of the main jail as a means of helping to close the county’s $20 million budget deficit.  He further proposed the early release of 150-200 inmates and the elimination of 20 correctional officers.  The closure, he said would trim $8 million from the sheriff’s $40 million budget.

#6  San Francisco County Jail Will No Longer Hold ICE Inmates

Starting June 1, the San Francisco County Jail implemented a policy which exempted it from detaining illegal immigrants who had been arrested for petty crimes. This was the first time in the history of California that this type of policy was enacted.  Law enforcement officials said that the county was not obligated to assist the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless a felony crime had been committed.

#5 Costa Mesa Considers Outsourcing for Jail

Law enforcement officials in Costa Mesa joined others from throughout the state in searching for creative solutions to help bridge budget gaps. Part of that solution involved putting out a request for proposal (RFP) to seek a private firm take over jail operations. A bid from the firm G4S to run the Costa Mesa Jail came with an approximate annual cost of $614,000. Proponents of the plan pointed out that this was a marked reduction from the $1.3 million it cost to run the facility under the city’s police department.

#4 California Jails Ordered To Reduce Prison Population

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California needed to reduce its prisoner population by 30,000.  CA Gov. Jerry Brown then proposed “realigning” prisons as a means of compliance.  Instead of low-level, non-violent non-sexual offenders serving out their sentences in state facilities, Brown proposed they be transferred to county facilities instead. The realignment concept sparked concern from sheriff’s departments throughout the state, including the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

#3 Alleged Beating at Twin Towers Spawns Internal Investigation

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department found itself under the microscope for most of 2011 after allegations that two Sheriff’s Deputies beat a Twin Towers Jail inmate unconscious.  The Jan. 24 log of the incident said the “inmate was punching the deputies until they had no other choice but to tase him”.   The American Civil Liberties Union said that charges like this are not uncommon but are hard to prove because the inmate-witnesses to the alleged crimes are not considered to be credible.

#2 LA County Board Of Supervisors: Jails Need More Oversight

After months of internal investigations the LA County Board of Supervisors agreed with suggestions that county jails needed more oversight.  As of Oct. 20, two plans were being considered.  The first proposed the instillation of surveillance cameras, eliminating the use of heavy flashlights and steel-toed shoes, and the implementation of a ban that would prohibit deputies from striking inmates on the head.  Plan number two would establish an independent review commission that would look into complaints. The supervisors hoped this would help restore public confidence in the Los Angeles County Jail system.

#1  California County Jails Fast Approaching Capacity Under Realignment

With the overwhelming number of inmates being transferred from state to county facilities to serve out their sentences, county law enforcement officials from throughout the state said they were quickly running out of room. It was said that Los Angeles County Jails could reach capacity by the end of 2011. As of November, the Riverside County Jail was at 93% capacity. Both the Orange County Sherriff’s Department and the Kern County Sheriff’s Department said they had received far more inmates in the first 30 days of the program than initially expected.

Her son, Keith Doolin, was arrested and charged with the 1995 killing of two prostitutes and the attempted murder of four more.  He was 22 years-old at the time of his conviction and was eventually transferred from the Fresno County Jail to the San Quentin State Prison.

Keith has spent the past 17 years of his life awaiting state execution for a crime he says he did not commit.

DNA and ballistics testing have been requested since 1998.  Donna said that “after 17 years of wrangling with the courts, that DNA testing was finally done” and the findings clearly showed that it was not Keith’s.   The results of the ballistics testing also supported Keith’s claims of innocence.

She said that although they do not yet know when he will be released from Death Row, that the family is hopeful it will be soon.

Donna has long claimed that the “flat fee” charged by Keith’s original defense attorney Rofolfo Petilla was unfair in that Petilla spent less than $9,000 in ancillary costs and was allowed to pocket the rest.  The Metropolitan News Enterprise previously reported that she said there was a “built in incentive for [him] to spend as little as possible on the defense so he could spend more money”.

Parolees are now considered to be a lesser threat and although those violating the terms of their release by doing things such as consuming alcohol will not be sent back to jail, those who commit new crimes while out on parole may “qualify for jail time depending on their on their offense.”

Fresno joins a growing-number of counties who are scrambling to deal with fast-growing inmate populations under the state’s prisoner realignment program.  On Nov. 8, 139 state parolees were being held at the jail, which was more than all the inmates the county was expecting to hold at this stage of realignment.

Parolees had previously been remanded to state prison if they violated the terms of their release.  State parole officials have since said they will work to find other ways to deal with the problem. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson Oscar Hidalgo said that some of these solutions may include GPS monitoring, in-home detention and needing to check in at day-reporting centers.

He also said he is hopeful that under the realignment plan that a greater focus will be placed on rehabilitation now that there is less room to house inmates. Under the previous system of incarcerating “everyone at the state level”, recidivism rates have remained high, he said.

Opponents of the realignment have said they feel the state had not done enough to prepare counties in advance to better help them deal with increased prisoner populations.  Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Kern counties have all reported challenges under the new system.

Lemon Grove Patch has reported that members of the Sheriff’s Department, the San Diego Fugitive Task Force, the Court Services Bureau-Field Unit worked jointly to apprehend suspects.   Those taken into custody, they said, had both misdemeanor and felony warrants.

Sheriff Sgt. James Blanton said that the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department had stepped up its efforts in the past year to bring those with warrants into custody.  That effort, he said, can be expected to continue.

People who have outstanding warrants are encouraged to turn themselves into a local court facility between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The judge said full sentence, which she described as “putting the keys in the defendant’s hands“, requires Lohan serve just 30 days with the remaining time being temporarily stayed.  If Lohan completes a mandated 12-days of community service at the county morgue and four sessions with a psychotherapist before her next scheduled court hearing in December, the stay will extend through mid-January.

Lohan is scheduled to appear before the court monthly progress-report hearings, according to court documents.  Should she adhere to her community service and psychotherapy mandates, the remainder of her sentence will be stayed permanently.  If not, Judge Sautner said, she will be required to serve the remaining time behind bars.

Lohan is no stranger to the Lynwood jail known as LASD Century City Jail. On this turn in court, however, Lindsay wasn’t shocked, only relieved that the mandatory sentence wasn’t longer.

Also arrested for suspicion of conspiracy to commit grand theft and perjury was Mark David Davis and Janelle Marie Llorens. Llorens was also charged with insurance fraud. It is not clear whether Davis and Llorens were employed by AJ’s Bail Bonds or what their connection might be to Pontillo. In 2008, AJ’s Bail Bond business was the concentration of a federal investigation.

Sergeant Anthony Bejaran, the Stanislaus County Jail sheriff’s spokesman, said Pontillo, Davis and Llorens were arrested without incident and being detained at the Stanislaus County Jail.

The arrests were sparked by a California Department of Insurance (DOI) investigation. The bail industry in California is regulated by the DOI. Dave Althausen, spokesman for the Department, said they couldn’t release any details yet, as they were “still coming in from agents in the field.”

The bail set for Davis was $500,000, and Llorens had a bail of $1 million.

FBI agents and gang task force members served a federal warrant and conducted a search at AJ’s Bail Bonds on December 23, 2008. They also searched the home of Pontillo for paperwork and files. There were no arrests made during this search.

The Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force helped federal agents in the search conducted in 2008. This task force unit is funded federally and is a countywide group who has members from other local law enforcement agencies and the FBI.

The FBI would not comment on whether or not there was any gang activity or any other details of the investigation with AJ’s Bail Bond business.

Friday, September 2, 2011 Sobriety Checkpoint from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

- Venice Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Wilshire Area
- Topanga Boulevard and Califa Street in Topanga Area

Saturday, September 3, 2011 – Sobriety Checkpoint from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

• Venice Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard in Pacific Area
• Western Avenue and Slauson Avenue in 77th Street Area
• Figueroa Street and 9th Street in Central Area

Sunday, September 4, 2011 – Sobriety Checkpoint from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Harbor Boulevard and 1st Street in Harbor Area

If you’re going to be drinking, please plan accordingly. Remember, the police are looking for “impared” driving or “driving under the influence” — litterally. Buzzed driving is going to get you in just as much trouble.

 Johannes Mehserle, a former BART police officer, was sentenced to two years after he shot and killed Oscar Grant, an unarmed train passenger, in 2009. A judge ordered that Mehserle be released from jail on Monday after serving less than half of his two-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter.

Quan said in a written statement: “Although we expect peaceful gatherings, we do not anticipate nor will we tolerate vandalism or violence. The Oakland Police Department is prepared to respond if personal safety or property are at risk.”

Oakland Police will have additional officers on duty, starting Sunday, and will be coordinating a mutual aid response with California Highway Patrol, Alameda County Sheriff’s and other neighboring law enforcement agencies.

 Several groups in the community say that they will be organizing demonstrations at the Fruitvale BART station where Grant was shot to protest Mehserle’s release on Monday.

With the eruption of violence due to the racially-charged case in the past, many businesses in Downtown and Uptown Oakland have taken precautions to protect against vandalism and looting. Windows and doors have been boarded up, turning the city into a ghost town.

“This issue has deeply touched people in our community, and we will continue, as we have in the past, to respect peaceful expression,” Quan said in her statement.