California CPS News Archive

Brooke Mueller home turned upside down by Child Protective Services

by Theresa Leschmann

Charlie Sheen's ex-wife Brooke Mueller is telling friends and anyone who will listen that the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Services came barging into her home just hours after she returned from the hospital.

After six hours of searching, all the investigators found was a stray cigarette butt on the floor of the master bedroom. They questioned her about whether or not she smoked in the house when the children were home. Her reply indicated that she smokes in her bathroom but only with the windows open.

examiner.com

December 12, 2012

Fight back against Big Food: How to boycott all the brands that helped kill Prop. 37

Though there are still quite a few absentee, mail-in and provisional ballots left to be counted, it appears as though California's Proposition 37, the genetically-engineered foods labeling initiative, has indeed failed to pass by a very narrow margin.

If even half of the nearly six million Californians that voted in favor of Prop. 37 decided to stop purchasing the following "natural" and organic food brands, all of which are owned by companies that spent millions to defeat Prop. 37, the financial damage incurred by these corporate traitors would be significant enough to send the message that the people want to know, and have a right to know, whether or not the foods they eat contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

naturalnews.com

November 27, 2012

Mountain lion sightings in Berkeley raise concerns

by Tracey Taylor

Concerns about mountain lions prowling the Berkeley hills are mounting with new reported sightings and the posting of signs alerting local residents to their possible presence.

On Thursday Nov. 15, UC Berkeley police received unconfirmed information of a mountain lion sighting near Building 26 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). UCPD conducted a search of the area and was unable to locate any signs of mountain lion activity or presence.

berkeleyside.com

November 18, 2012

Child Protective Services Called To Octo-Mom's House AGAIN!

by Jen Heger

Officials from the Los Angeles County Child Protective Services are planning on visiting Nadya "Octo-Mom" Suleman's house in Palmdale, Calif. yet again, after someone made an anonymous call to the agency.

"Social workers from DCFS will be visiting Nadya's Palmdale home this week to do a welfare check," a source close to the situation tells Radar. "Officials are trying to get a hold of Nadya and speak to her, but have so far been unable to reach her. Under the law anytime someone makes a report about a child being in either physical or emotional danger an investigation will be launched and a visit to the home is legally required. Social workers will most likely want to speak to all 14 children individually."

radaronline.com

November 8, 2012

Unique learning offered at Summit Charter Homeschool

What do the Middle Ages, microorganisms, mathematics and music have in common? Andrea Sharp, coordinator of Summit Charter Academy Homeschool, answers the question.

"These subjects are part of our new enrichment classes which include history, geography, science lab, choir, writing, reading and mathematics," Sharp said. "Our vision is to help our students' brains engage and hearts thrive. We believe a life-long love of learning is developed when teachers and parents actively work together. The cultivation of our children's intelligence, creativity and strong character is our top priority."

recorderonline.com

November 8, 2012

Food, biotech companies battle 'genetically modified' labeling measure

by Will Evans

The companies that make those candy bars leftover from Halloween don't want Californians to be spooked by scary tales of "Frankenfoods." The Hershey Co., - makers of Butterfinger, Kit Kat and Sand Snickers bars - gave a combined $367,000 last month.

They are just a few of the major food and biotechnology companies that have poured more than $44 million into the fight against Prop. 37. Proponents of the measure, who have raised $7.3 million from donors - including a controversial alternative health website and organic food companies - argue that consumers have a right to know what's in their food and point out that some countries already require such labels.

nctimes.com

November 2, 2012

GM food: nothing to worry about

by Rob Lyons

Voters in the Golden State will have their hands full on 6 November. Not only will they have to deal with the small matter of helping to choose a new Leader of the Free World...

The proposed law is backed by organic food producers, the Californian Democratic Party and the Green Party among others. One of Prop 37's leading supporters is Joseph Mercola, a Chicago osteopath who runs the self-proclaimed 'World's #1 Natural Health Website', Mercola.com. There you can even pick up a copy of Genetic Roulette, a DVD explaining the dangers of genetically engineered (GM) food: 'When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology. After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.'

spiked-online.com

November 1, 2012

States don't often share child-abuse records. And sometimes kids like Jeanette Maples die.

by Michelle Cole

A 10-year-old girl is found dead in a footlocker in Arizona and police learn her family had been under investigation by child welfare authorities in Utah.

A teenager is murdered in Eugene, leaving a trail of questions from Sacramento to Salem about who failed to protect her. A baby spends its vital first year with a stranger in Alabama foster care while relatives in Oregon wait for word that they can raise the child.

oregonlive.com

October 27, 2012

Proposition 37: Helpful or harmful?

by Bob Williams

A contentious proposition, Proposition 37, appears on the ballot mailed last week to California voters. Proposition 37, if passed, will require raw and processed foods in grocery stores to be clearly labeled if they are genetically modified.

Proponents say that buyers have the right to know what is in the food they buy. This is quite reasonable. They also allege in the text of the proposition, "Such genetic engineering can increase the levels of known toxicants in foods and introduce new toxicants and health concerns." This implies that some GM crops that have been approved for use have shown harmful health effects. This is not so. This proposition can also affect what is sold in grocery stores as well as the cost of food. All of these things need to be considered by voters.

redding.com

October 15, 2012

Mountain Lion Encounters: What To Do and How to Avoid Them

by Jessica Mullins

We've outlined the differences between a mountain lion and a bobcat and how rare it is to see a cougar, but here's information on how to avoid mountain lions and what to do if you actually encounter one.

Local wildlife officials have told Patch there are probably only two to three mountain lions in all of Marin and, while it's extremely unlikely to encounter one, it can happen. First, if you see a mountain lion, make sure it's really a mountain lion. Last week we highlighted the differences between mountain lions and bobcats, which are frequently incorrectly reported as mountain lions.

sanrafael.patch.com

October 13, 2012

Nonprofits provide transitional housing for emancipated foster youth

by Grier King

According to Ventura County Children and Family Services, more than 40 female foster youth are in need of such housing each year.

Alice's House gives a home to three such girls, and Camarillo's Casa Pacifica has also just welcomed three young women, as well as one young man, with its newly launched program, Stepping Stones.

vcreporter.com

October 11, 2012

Principal's notes say teacher blindfolded girl

SAN JOSE - Notes taken by a former principal accused of failing to report suspected sexual abuse at her California elementary school reveal that a teacher who was later charged with molesting children in class blindfolded a second-grade girl.

The notes were previously sealed but were released by a Santa Clara County judge after the newspaper filed a state Public Records Act request with the Evergreen School District. Other documents showed that tests by the county crime lab found semen on chairs in Chandler's classroom. Chandler, 35, was arrested in January and remains jailed as he awaits trial this month on five counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under age 14. He has pleaded not guilty.

sfgate.com

October 5, 2012