San Benito Election Results Finalized 12-1-20 16:55 DC

San Benito County Elections today announced the certified its 2020 November General Election.

Here are the winners of some of the top races in San Benito County:

• County Supervisor, District 2: Kollin Kosmicki with 51.21% of the vote
• County Supervisor, District 4: Bob Tiffany with 37.60% of the vote
• Hollister Mayor: Ignacio Velazquez with 57.82% of the vote
• City Council Member, District 1: Rick Perez with 65.19% of the vote
• City Council Member, District 4: Tim Burns with 53.08% of the vote
• San Juan Bautista City Council: Scott Freels with 32.05% and John Freeman with 28.06%

The department reports that 80.85% of registered voters turned out to cast their votes. Monterey County certified its results a week ago.

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SCSO Seeks to Stop Jail COVID Outbreak 12-1-20 18:11 DC

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office is trying to prevent an outbreak among its inmates after several correctional officers tested positive for COVID-19.

There were 10 correctional officers as of Tuesday morning who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Along with the 10 correctional officers who tested positive, seven others who came in contact with those officers are now under quarantine.

None of the 324 inmates at county jail sites have – so far -- tested positive.

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CA Paid Fraudulent Unemployment Claims to Prisoners 12-01-20 17:48 DC

California sent about $400 million in fraudulent unemployment benefit payments to state prisoners. That was nearly triple the amount disclosed last week and a number that officials said could grow as a criminal investigation continues.

Nine county district attorneys and a federal prosecutor are investigating unemployment fraud involving payments from the California Employment Development Department, which was under intense pressure to quickly process millions of claims as the economic impact from the coronavirus intensified last spring.

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office confirmed last week that inmates at the Monterey County Jail may be some of those involved in the fraud, and the DA's Office is a few months into the investigation.

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Red Cross Awards Men for Saving Life 12-01-20 17:17 DC

The American Red Cross has recognized three Santa Cruz County men for their work to save the life of a Watsonville fire captain after he was injured in a hunting accident.

Captain Danny Lucas' sons, Danny Lucas Jr. and Chad Lucas of Watsonville, and Lucas' father-in-law, Raymond Harris of Aptos, received the Red Cross Certificates of Extraordinary Personal Action.

In November 2018, Lucas was accidentally shot while on a hunting trip. The bullet hit his left leg, shattering his femur above the knee and tearing the femoral artery.

Red Cross said family members applied an emergency tourniquet and were able to take Danny Lucas through remote terrain to the nearest hospital, which was two hours away.

Lucas spent 41 days in the hospital recovering and received 24 units of blood, according to the Red Cross.

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