SEE PAGE 2 for the quad bandit bank robberies
ANAHEIM PRESS
MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2014 - AUGUST 10, 2014
anaheimpress.com
SEE PAGE 3 for lightning strike kills man in venice beach VOLUME 1, NO. 14
$55.8 million contract signed with HP Governor for Anaheim’s tech needs Brown signs by Vickie Vértiz agreement with Mexico to reduce dangerous greenhouse gases The City of Anaheim an- virtualization, a program that HP will also be expanding
HP will continue to manage the city’s information technology -Courtesy Photo
nounced on Monday, July 28, that a $55.8 million agreement was signed with HP for continued management of information technology (IT). HP currently provides a full set of services for the IT infrastructure of Anaheim. New additions to those offerings include an upgrade to disaster recovery protocols that will ensure companies can conduct business as usual following a catastrophic event. New services also include lower power consumption with PC power management, enhanced IT security, and enhancements that will improve hosting service
allows a single server to run multiple operating system images at the same time. According to Marketwire, “With more than 336,000 residents, major corporations and significant travel and tourism activities, the city’s IT needs are critical,” said Debbie Moreno, finance director, City of Anaheim. “HP serves as our IT department, combining its deep knowledge of technology and city operations to boost our productivity, security and ability to avoid and respond to incidents while enabling us to redirect resources to innovation and strategic planning.”
services to improve the existing videoconferencing system to increase public access for city officials. The public will directly receive perks as the renewed contract also includes new web content management services for internet and intranet sites. Marketwire pointed out that the goal of these latter changes is to streamline workflow and improve timely communications with citizens. HP also monitors and manages the Network Management Services for the city, securing its wired and wireless network.
Doe #2 received. This case was investigated by the Anaheim Police Department (APD) with assistance from Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF), who contacted Garcia through the magazine advertisement. Members of OCHTTF and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) work proactively to protect women and minors from falling victim to commercial sexual exploitation. OCHTTF is a partnership
On the first full day of California’s Trade and Investment Mission to Mexico, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Mexican environment officials signed an agreement to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. “California can’t do it alone and with this new partnership with Mexico we can make real progress on reducing dangerous greenhouse gases,” said Governor Brown. July 28th’s agreement was signed by Governor Brown, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Rodolfo Lacy and Mexican National Forestry Commission Director General Jorge Rescala Pérez. “Mexico and California have a long and rich history of environmental cooperation, and recognize each other as strategic partners in coping with climate change challenges and protecting and preserving our natural resources. The agreement signed today will take our joint work to a whole new level of cooperation, which will reflect in tangible and concrete results that will inure to our mutual benefit,” said Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Rodolfo Lacy. The pact seeks to enhance
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Woman convicted of conspiracy to pimp two women from brothel she operated from motel A woman was convicted today of conspiring to pimp two women from a brothel that she operated out of a motel. Ramona Judith Mora Garcia, 41, Anaheim, pleaded guilty today to two felony counts of conspiracy to commit pimping. She was sentenced to one year in jail and six years in state prison stayed pending the completion of three years formal probation. Circumstances of the Case: Garcia is a pimp/modern-day slave owner who exploits women and/or children for financial gain. She required the victims
in this case to turn over half the payment they received for performing unlawful sex acts from sex purchasers. Between Oct. 1, 2013, and Feb. 12, 2014, Garcia recruited 38-year-old Jane Doe #1 and 33-year-old Jane Doe #2 to work for her as prostitutes in a brothel she was operating out of an Anaheim motel. Garcia placed sexually suggestive advertisements in a Latino magazine and then set up sex purchasers to meet with a Jane Doe for commercial sex. The defendant kept half the payment Jane Doe #1 and Jane
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“Quad Bandit,” now suspected in nine bank robberies since April in various cities across Orange and LA Counties A suspect known as the Quad Bandit is believed to have robbed nine banks in multiple cities, including one earlier this week in Anaheim Hills, according to investigators with multiple law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles and Orange Counties who are working jointly to identify the suspect. The unidentified male suspect was nicknamed the “Quad Bandit” after he either robbed or attempted to rob four separate banks in the city of Buena Park in April 2014. Since then, the suspect has been linked to bank robberies or attempted bank robberies in the cities of Cerritos; La Habra; Anaheim and Anaheim Hills. The crimes were linked based on evidence including descriptions by victim tellers and bank surveillance photos that are being released to the media. During the robberies, the suspect known as the Quad Bandit typically passes a note and makes a verbal demand for cash. In some of the robberies, the Quad Bandit has threatened a weapon, or has appeared to have gestured toward what might be a weapon, according to victims. The suspect is further described as follows: Race: white, height: 5’8” – 5’9”, weight: 150-160 lbs., age:
Quad Bandit at the Chase Bank in Buena Park - Courtesy Photo
approximately 40 – 50 years old, eyes: wears sunglasses, hair: dirty blonde, facial hair: goatee, stubble growth, clothing: Wears baseball cap; including L.A Dodgers. Anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is urged to contact their nearest FBI office or dial 911. The investigation to identify and locate the Quad Bandit is being conducted jointly by the FBI; the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; the Buena Park Police Department; La Habra Police Department; the Anaheim Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Additional information can be found at: www.labankrobbers.org.
Woman convicted of pimping conspiracy Continued from page 1
between the APD, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Huntington Beach Police Department, OCDA, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and community and non-profit partners. Deputy District Attorney Brad Schoenleben of the HEAT Unit prosecuted this case. Proposition 35 and HEAT: In November 2012, California’s anti-human trafficking Proposition 35 (Prop 35) was enacted in California with 81 percent of the vote, and over 82 percent of the vote in Orange County, to increase the penalty for human trafficking, particularly in cases involving the trafficking of a minor by force. A component of the OCHTTF is the OCDA’s Human Exploitation And Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, which targets perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including pimps, panderers, and human traffickers. The HEAT Unit uses a tactical
plan called PERP: Prosecution, to bring justice for victims of human trafficking and hold perpetrators responsible using Prop 35; Education, to provide law enforcement training to properly handle human trafficking and pandering cases; Resources from public-private partnerships to raise public awareness about human trafficking and provide assistance to the victims; and Publicity, to inform the public and send a message to human traffickers that this crime cannot be perpetrated without suffering severe consequences. Under the law, human trafficking is described as depriving or violating the personal liberty of another person with the intent to effect a violation of pimping or pandering. Pimping is described as knowingly deriving financial support in whole or in part from the proceeds of prostitution. Pandering is the act of persuading or procuring an individual to become a prostitute, or procuring and/or arranging for a person work in a house of prostitution.
HP IT management contract Continued from page 1
Marketwire asserts that this gives the “2,300 city employees who use PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and printers a single point of contact for all IT-related service and support.” Regarding health and safety city matters, HP also manages the Enterprise Virtual Operations Center (EVOC), a system that supports close to real-time data for fire, police, and emergency management officials. For Anaheim, which frequently experiences wildfires, EVOC supplies information for decision makers to better manage traffic patterns during emergencies or densely populated events, which will come in handy during Angels baseball or Ducks hockey games (not to mention all the visitors
that come to Anaheim for the happiest place on earth). “Anaheim is embracing and expanding its use of IT to better manage a vibrant, growing city and world-class tourist destination,” said Mike Poth, vice president, State and Local Government, HP Enterprise Services, as reported in Marketwire. “As a trusted partner for more than 10 years, the HP team will continue to provide Anaheim with leading-edge technology services, outstanding customer support and strategic consulting designed to make Anaheim a better place to live, work and play.” Unlike the bond issue currently causing disagreements in Anaheim, the HP contract was a welcomed development.
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hlr media EDITORIAL
Rare lightning strikes all over Southern California kill 20-year old and injure several others
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Jennifer Schlueter
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On the weekend of July 2527, Southern California experienced a rare weather phenomenon for its region: Hundreds of lightning strikes jolted LA and its surrounding counties. In Venice Beach, one strike proved to be fatal for 20-year old Nick Fagnano, who was in the ocean when it hit him, and injured 13 additional beachgoers. On Santa Catalina Island, a 57-year-old golfer was struck, hospitalized, and according to Steve Denning, a law enforcement technician with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, in a stable condition. A National Weather Service map shows 858 lightning bolts in San Bernardino, 228 in Western and Central Riverside County, 248 in inland San Diego County, 75 in San Diego County along the coast, and 28 in LA County. According to the Los Angeles Times, more than a total of 1,400 lightning strikes were reported in Southern California throughout the weekend and the following Monday of July 25-28. James Thomas, a meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told the LA Times: "It's an unusual amount of lightning strikes... for any time of year for that matter.” The lightning resulted from an unusual high-pressure system pulling hot, moist air up from the Gulf of California and Mexico towards the Southern California coastlines, explained climatologist Bill Patzert of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the LA Times. "Coastal Southern California is virtually lightning proof," he added. "Because it's so unusual, people are not sensitized to the dangers." Because thunderstorms are very rare in Southern California, and even less in July, lifeguards and officials were not as well prepared and did not ask people to clear the beaches, as they would have done in Flori-
da or the Midwest, where these weather conditions are more common, states Patzert. Scott Miller, an inspector with the Los Angeles County Fire Department agrees and told National Geographic that lightning strikes are “hard to predict.” Miller added that in the rare event of thunderstorms, LA lifeguards are trained to get people out of the water within 30 seconds. According to the rule “If you hear thunder, head for cover,” looking for shelter should be the next step; however, LA beaches have no approved rules for this, says Miller. John Jensenius, a light-
ning safety specialist with the National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Maryland, told National Geographic that lightning currents can travel across the ground and items which can channel electricity, and that most people are struck by ground current. Therefore, he advises not to lie on the ground and to avoid metallic objects such as wires, doors, windows, plumbing, etc. Sturdy buildings and hardtop vehicles provide the best protection. Fagnano was the 16th victim nationwide to have died from a lightning strike in 2014, and the first one in California.
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Support grows for 2nd annual “Keep Calm & Beat H.E.A.T. Rocking & Rally” to take place at Chapman University Just a few months to go and the support keeps growing as new sponsors sign on to stand up against human exploitation and trafficking for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) 2nd Annual “Keep Calm and Beat H.E.A.T. Rocking & Rally” this coming October. The event will be held on Oct. 24, 2014, at Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange. This is the first year Chapman University will co-host and co-sponsor this event to fight against Human Trafficking and Exploitation (H.E.A.T.) as part of the initiative to go after perpetrators of human trafficking and exploitation with vigor, while taking a comprehensive approach to solve the problem and bring community stakeholders together. There will be an all-day symposium, food trucks, informational booths, and a rock concert at this event.
The symposium will be held to increase community awareness on human exploitation and trafficking, the second-largest criminal enterprise in the nation and a $32 billion a year industry. A rock concert will immediately follow with Director of Music Stan Frazier, of Sugar Ray, at the helm. In April 2013, OCDA formed the Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, which targets perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including pimps, panderers, and human traffickers. Commercial sex trafficking is the second most lucrative criminal enterprise behind narcotics trafficking. Often the perpetrators are gang members and/or career criminals. To date, the Unit has prosecuted 47 cases with 100% conviction rate. The HEAT Unit also targets
defendants who create a demand for prostitution by soliciting and purchasing sex, which increases the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children. The HEAT Unit uses a tactical plan called PERP: Prosecution of human trafficking perpetrators and sex purchasers; Education for law enforcement to properly handle human trafficking and pandering cases; Resources to raise public awareness and provide assistance to the victims; and Publicity to inform the community about the problem and notify human traffickers and sex purchasers that this crime cannot be perpetrated without suffering severe consequences. Co-Sponsors: The OCDA would also like to thank the cosponsors for this event: Anaheim Councilwoman Kris Murray, the A21 Campaign, the Casa Youth Shelter, Chapman University, Chil-
dren of the Night, the Community Service Programs Inc., Crittenton Services for Children and Families, Diamond Bar Councilwoman Ling Ling Chang, Jerry Zomorodian, the Junior League of Orange County, Mike Schroeder, the Orange County Human Relations Commission, the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, OCDA Chief of Staff Susan Kang Schroeder, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Rancho Santa Margarita Councilman Steven Baric, State Board of Equalization Vice Chair Michelle Steel, and Julianna Nagle, a 17-year-old Girl Scout Ambassador who single-handedly raised over $500 for this event. Anyone interested in becoming a co-sponsor can contact Susan Kang Schroeder at (714) 347-8408 or email beatHEAT@da.ocgov. com. Additional sponsors will be named in the months to come.
Agreement with Mexico to reduce dangerous greenhouse gases Continued from page 1
cooperation through a range of activities, including: Aligning greenhouse gas reduction programs and strategies; Collaborating on fire emergency response along the border and other climate change adaption strategies; Improving air quality, including reducing pollution and expanding markets for clean
energy technologies; and strengthening fuel and truck efficiency standards and supporting green freight initiatives. “In line with the priorities of the Mexican Government for the forestry sector, the Memorandum of Understanding signed today with the State of California lays down the conditions and excellent opportu-
nities for mutual cooperation to strengthen our capacity to prevent and respond to forest fires, a key issue in our common border,” said Mexican National Forestry Commission Director General Jorge Rescala Pérez. The agreement with Mexico comes on the heels of similar agreements signed in 2013 with the governments of British Columbia and the states of Oregon and Washington and China’s National Development and Reform Commission – the first agreement of its kind on climate change between the commission and a subnational entity. For the past several years, the California Air Resources Board and Quebec have worked together to fully harmonize their cap-and-trade programs. The Governor first announced the Trade and Investment Mission to Mexico in his 2014 State of the State address and met with Mexican Consuls General from cities across California in March. Last week,
ahead of the trip, Governor Brown met with Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs José Antonio Meade Kuribreña in Sacramento and invited Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to meet later this year in California. The Governor is joined on the Trade and Investment Mission to Mexico by a delegation of state legislators and senior administration officials. A delegation organized by the California Chamber of Commerce with the help of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education that includes approximately 90 business, economic development, investment and policy leaders from throughout California is also participating in the trade mission. For social media updates and other announcements throughout the trade mission, please follow these twitter handles: @CAMexicoTrade; @JerryBrownGov; @GovPressOffice; @CAGoBiz; @CalChamber and @VisitCA