Followed by 20 years of supervised release
OAKLAND – John Vicencio Vinoya was sentenced today to six years in prison, to be followed by twenty years of supervised release, for attempted receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr.
Vinoya, 48, of Richmond, California, pled guilty to the charge on September 30, 2019. According to the plea agreement, Vinoya admitted that, in July 2018, when he was 46 years old, he texted a girl that he knew to be fourteen years old. When he learned that the minor was about to take a shower, he requested that she send him a “half body pic.” Vinoya admitted that he hoped and intended that the minor would send him a naked photograph that would have constituted child pornography.
Vinoya further admitted that, two weeks later, he sent sexually explicit text messages to the minor’s cell phone. He attempted to persuade and entice the minor to have sexual intercourse with him. On August 2, 2018, Vinoya drove to the minor’s home at a time when he believed that her parents were out of town. He brought condoms and lubricating oil with him to the meeting. He was stopped by law enforcement when he reached the minor’s home.
Vinoya was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 13, 2018. He was initially charged with online enticement of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). He ultimately pled guilty to a violation of 18 U.S.C §§ 2252(a)(2) and (b), attempted receipt of child pornography. Vinoya has been in custody since his arrest by officers of the El Cerrito Police Department on August 2, 2018.
Katherine Lloyd-Lovett is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kay Konopaske. The prosecution is the result of the collaborative investigative efforts of the El Cerrito Police Department, the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations HSI.
Read MoreHair salons, gyms, fitness centers may begin operating outdoors, hotels and short-term rentals may open
From Contra Costa Health Services, Office of the Director
Daily hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and the percentage of COVID-19 tests returning positive remained steady or fell slightly in Contra Costa County during early August, reflecting recent local progress in slowing the spread of a deadly virus. The seven-day rolling average number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Contra Costa dropped slightly, from 103 on Aug. 5 to 96 on Aug. 24. The average percentage of tests administered in the county that come back positive, meanwhile, has fallen from 8.8% on Aug. 6 to 7.4% on Aug. 24.
These key data indicators for the pandemic remain at dangerously high levels in Contra Costa, which remains on the California Department of Public Health’s county monitoring list, but are not currently increasing as they did in June and July.
Given the improvement, Contra Costa County today makes small changes to its social distancing health order to allow certain business sectors to begin operating again outdoors. The changes align Contra Costa’s policy with recently updated state health guidelines:
— Personal care services that do not involve close contact with the face, such as nail salons and massage, may begin operating outdoors in accordance with the state-issued industry guidelines and checklist.
— Gyms and fitness centers may begin operating outdoors in accordance with their own state guidelines and checklist.
— Hotels and short-term rentals in the county may open for personal or recreational travel, not just for essential business purposes.
These updates to the health order are effective Friday, August 28. Hair salons and barbers have already been permitted to perform limited work outdoors in the county, with no reported outbreaks.
Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) does encourage businesses to adjust reopening plans because of poor air quality in the county from Northern California wildfires. The county has issued a health advisory about smoke, encouraging all residents to stay inside when possible with doors and windows shut. For air quality updates and forecasts, visit the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
While recent issues at the state level skewed local testing data in late July and early August, Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) has confidence in data related to hospitalization and number of new positive cases because they are directly reported to the county by local health providers and clinics.
“Based on what we are able to see, we can be cautiously optimistic that there is a gradual downward trend in county cases, testing positivity rates and hospitalizations,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, county health officer. “We need everyone to understand this is a reason to keep up what we are doing and not let down our guards.”
Previous health orders remain in effect. Contra Costa Health Services urges residents to continue wearing face coverings when they go out or are near people outside their households, observe physical distancing, stay home from work or school when they do not feel well and wash their hands thoroughly and often.
Details of the update, including the full text of the order, are available at cchealth.org/coronavirus.
Read MoreCycle 16 of Workforce Development Program
By Brian Boyle, Communications & Development Associate, St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County
The Workforce Development Program at St. Vincent de Paul is a paid jobs training program aimed at helping the unemployed re-enter the workforce and find stable employment. The 24-week Pittsburg, CA based program teaches members techniques to find a job, offering training in resume development, interviewing, and workplace success techniques in a supportive & compassionate environment. Mandatory orientation sessions for people interested in applying to the program will take place on 9/12/20 & 9/15/20 from 9:00 AM – Noon in Pittsburg. To register call (925) 439-5060.
The Workforce Development Program aims to help tear down the barriers that stand in the way of employment for individuals who have struggled to obtain and maintain employment. Participants are matched with mentors and take weekly classes to continue developing necessary workplace skills. A new class of participants are selected every six months.
Participants gain paid, part-time, (22.5 hours per week), work experience in a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store or SVdP’s trucking and transportation department. Additional training in retail operations include cash register operations, inventory display and optimization, and warehouse operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen millions of people suddenly find themselves out of work. In these hard times, it is more imperative than ever that applicants gain skills to be competitive in the job market. The Workforce Development Program at St. Vincent de Paul seeks to address that need, and prepare participants for the realities of the working world.
St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County has provided safety-net services in the county for over 56 years, serving 81,000 people annually and distributing over $1M of direct financial assistance and over $1.5M of in-kind aid. Over 750 SVdP volunteers and a small staff lead operations in Contra Costa including the SVdP Family Resource Center in Pittsburg, 28 branches and 3 Thrift Stores. One of the largest charitable organizations in the world, St. Vincent de Paul is an international, nonprofit, Catholic lay organization of more than 800,000 men and women who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering in 155 countries on five continents.
Contact: Barb Hunt, Development Director
(925) 330-6732
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Contra Costa County
2210 Gladstone Dr.
Pittsburg, CA 94565
Read MoreWest Contra Costa residents looking for fast, free COVID-19 testing will have a convenient new option beginning Wednesday, when Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) opens a new community testing hub at Richmond’s Civic Center Plaza.
The new testing site, in a parking lot with the entrance at the corner of 25th Street and Nevin Avenue, accepts appointments and walk-in patients. In September CCHS will add drive-through service, allowing the location to test as many as 400 people per day.
“Our testing program has already shown that communities of color, and specifically some neighborhoods in West County, are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County Health Officer. “Accessible, timely testing is critical to reduce transmission of the virus and protect the community.”
Contra Costa offers COVID-19 testing to anyone who lives or works in the county, regardless of insurance, ability to pay or whether they have symptoms or not.
Drive-through appointments continue to be available at West County Health Center in San Pablo, and at a site near the corner of Second Street and Ruby Avenue in North Richmond, where no-appointment, walk-in testing is available Tuesday and Friday afternoons.
The Civic Center site replaces a smaller county testing location at Kennedy High School in south Richmond, opened over the summer in partnership with West Contra Costa Unified School District.
The expansion of public testing service in West County coincides with an increase in laboratory testing capacity and improved turnaround time in Contra Costa, where many patients this summer waited two weeks or longer for their results due to a national shortage of reagents needed to process specimens.
The primary private laboratory contracted by Contra Costa to process tests was reporting a turnaround time of two to five days as of Monday. The county has also contracted with additional labs, which are now preparing to process county specimens, and its Public Health Laboratory this month received new equipment from the state allowing it to process hundreds more tests in-house daily. Turnaround times at the county’s in-house lab average two to three days.
CCHS now operates nine free community testing sites, and the state runs another three in Contra Costa County. Testing appointments are available for all county sites by calling 1-844-421-0804 (8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily) or visiting coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-tested to schedule online. The new site also accepts walk-in patients without appointments. (Note: Testing clinics operated by Contra Costa County may close during the afternoon this week depending on current air quality.)
While you don’t need symptoms to get tested, symptoms that may warrant a test include cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle ache, sore throat, headache, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, recent loss of taste or smell, or confusion, particularly in older adults.
There is no up-front cost for testing and patients do not need medical insurance or government-issued identification to get tested. However, if you have health insurance, your insurance will be billed.
CCHS does request identification during appointment registration as part of its process to receive federal reimbursement for testing, but ID is not required to receive a test. Patient information is confidential and not shared with law enforcement or other government agencies.
Patients receive their test results via secure text, or in the mail if they cannot receive texts. Patients who test positive for COVID-19 also will be contacted by Contra Costa Public Health with important next steps, including information to help prevent spreading the virus to others.
Visit coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-tested for details about community testing, including site locations.
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By MELISSA JORDAN, BART Senior Web Producer
BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez told the group Latinos in Transit how his experience as an immigrant has shaped his policing philosophy, most recently when he created a new Bureau: the Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau.
“They’re going to continue the work we’ve done to make connections with the communities we serve,” he said in the discussion on Friday. “It’s the message that we teach and train constantly. If you treat people with respect, you’re going to get it in return.”
Alvarez, who has spent his entire career rising through the ranks at BART, talked about how the organization has changed over his 23 years there. He addressed the killing of Oscar Grant by a BPD officer in 2009, which presaged the nationwide reckoning over policing that disproportionately affects minority communities, and which BART itself has improved through numerous changes.
You could hear the emotion in his voice as Alvarez called that time over a decade ago as “rock bottom. It was hard to come to work. I care about this place and these people.”
In the intervening years, he said, BPD has made groundbreaking reforms, becoming one of the first departments to use body-worn cameras, and the role of BART’s Citizen Review Board and Independent Police Auditor in implementing other checks and balances. “Now I’m proud and happy to come to work,” he said.
Alvarez became chief only nine months ago, a trial by fire with the coronavirus pandemic, the economic devastation it wrought, and the outpouring of demonstrations for the Black Lives Matter movement sparked by events in Minneapolis in May 2020.
“We denounced the murder of George Floyd,” Alvarez said, of the man who lost his life when a police officer, now charged with murder, kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. “It shouldn’t have happened. And a lot of departments are changing how they operate because of it, because of him and the other individuals before and after him. It’s been a call to action.”
Alvarez shared a bit of his life story and the experiences that formed his character.
“I was born in Mexico in the state of Jalisco,” he said. “My parents migrated from Mexico to the United States and they built a life for us. I’ve lived in the East Bay my whole life, and my mom still lives there.”
Alvarez said that as a young boy he had to learn English, benefiting from ESL classes, and that his parents emphasized education as a way to get ahead, a principle he lives by to this day.
“I’m really proud of where I came from,” he said. “We persevered. I lost my father to a tragic accident when I was 10 years old, and my mom had to step up. My mom is a very strong Mexican woman. She had to learn how to drive, how to get a job to support our family.”
She went to work at the American Licorice Company in Union City (you may know them as the maker of Red Vines candy). “My mom never called in sick one day in 25 years, ever,” Alvarez said. “She made sure we were in school every day. On Sunday mornings, when we’d stayed out late on Saturday nights, she would kick open the door of our bedrooms, open up the blinds, and tell us we’re going to church. I appreciate that now. It helped make me the person I am today.”
Alvarez joined the force with a junior college degree then went back to school in his 40s to get his bachelor’s degree. “It was really hard, to be working, going to school and raising a family,” he said. “That’s why I tell Latino kids when I speak at schools, take care of your education before you have a lot of other commitments. I tell the kids to keep working on learning English, keep at it, the language will come.”
“We as immigrants have to take advantage of the opportunities that this country affords us,” Alvarez said. He said he never dreamed that one day he would be chief of the BART Police, with more than 400 personnel under his watch.
“We’re out there handing out face coverings, working on the mental health piece, connecting the homeless with services. In some ways this pandemic has been a good opportunity for us to hit a reset, tighten up a few things, so that when our ridership goes up we’re in a better place than we were pre-pandemic.”
“Our message right now is that BART is safe, reliable and clean. We’re ready to welcome everybody back to our system.”
Alvarez spoke at a monthly meeting (held virtually for now) of Latinos in Transit, a national organization that promotes the advancement and development of Latinos and other minorities in the transportation industry. The “Café Con LIT” networking meetings let members share a coffee break to connect with others and learn from their experiences.
At the talk with Alvarez on Friday, participants said his story resonated with many who had similar upbringings, and inspired pride in members of the Latino community.
“I’m humble to be one of many,” Alvarez said. “We’ve got to keep being role models, keep grinding, show people that it can be done. This country gives us many opportunities. You have to take them and give back.”
Read MorePublic and private elementary schools (TK – 6th grade) in Contra Costa County can now submit applications to allow in-person instruction at their campuses. In accordance with state guidelines, waivers may be granted “when requested by a local superintendent (or equivalent for charter or private schools), in consultation with labor, parent and community organizations. Local health officers must review local community epidemiological data, consider other public health interventions, and consult with the California Department of Public Health when considering a waiver request.
School districts will be asked to detail how they would safely conduct in-person classes and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Applications will go to the Contra Costa County Office of Education for an initial review before being sent to Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) for further analysis.
CCHS and the County Office of Education have developed a checklist with safety measures schools must take in order to reopen. These measures include:
- A plan for testing of students and staff with COVID symptoms. Schools must also show they have a plan for periodically testing asymptomatic staff members.
- Each school must identify a person to help CCHS with contact tracing efforts if there is a positive case
- Showing how shared surfaces will be regularly cleaned and disinfected and how use of shared items will be minimized.
- Proper use of face coverings
- How students will be kept in small, stable, groups with fixed membership that stay together for all activities (e.g., instruction, lunch, recess) and minimize/avoid contact with other groups
Review by local and state officials will take approximately ten days. The state will make the final decision to approve or deny requests. Schools in counties such as Contra Costa that are on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list can’t reopen unless granted a waiver by local and state health officials.
“We feel like we’ve reached a point where it makes sense to consider requests from elementary schools to reopen,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, health officer for Contra Costa County. “Our role will be to ensure that schools have a solid plan in place to protect their students and staff and show us how they will work with the health department when there is a case to prevent further spread of the virus.
The state outlined the waiver process for elementary schools two weeks ago. CCHS did not immediately begin accepting waiver applications because of the increasing prevalence of COVID-19 in our community at the time.
Since then, the situation has stabilized enough to begin reviewing school-waiver applications, said Dr. Farnitano. Case rates and COVID-related hospitalizations, for instance, have leveled off in August after spiking in July.
While school districts are invited to apply, waiver requests may not be granted if the plan does not meet state or local health requirements, or if data show worsening conditions in the community. Some districts may choose not to submit an application if they cannot meet the requirements outlined in local and state guidelines. Middle schools and high schools are not eligible for waivers.
Read MoreLong sought athletic facility closer to reality
Discovery Builders, Inc. has entered into an agreement with the City of Pittsburg to design and build an approximately 45,000-square-foot youth center that will include basketball and volleyball courts, among other uses. (See presentation slide show, here – DBI Pittsburg Youth & Sports Facility)
The proposed $3 million facility will be located at John Henry Johnson Park, directly north of West Leland Road in Pittsburg, California. City staff determined this site was best suited for a facility of this nature.
Community leaders have long expressed a need that more public amenities be made available to the local youth of Pittsburg. Meeting this need and providing recreational opportunities for young people has been an ongoing challenge in Pittsburg, since previous youth and community centers closed many years ago.
Public testimony from diverse groups of people and organizations has consistently centered around building a robust youth center, specifically, providing quality athletic facilities. The city currently lacks some of the infrastructure needed to provide ongoing recreational services. As a result of this direct need, Discovery Builders, Inc. and the City of Pittsburg have partnered to lay the groundwork for a future youth center.
While still in the design phase, the yet-to-be-named youth center is a culmination of years of listening and research done on the part of the Discovery Builders leadership team.
As noted by Louis Parsons, president of Discovery Builders, Inc., “As a community builder, we have decades of listening and local knowledge under our belts. We hear what the community wants and needs, and we said building this youth center makes sense for Pittsburg. One of the community benefits we bring is we can use our core building strengths to make Pittsburg and nicer place to live. I’m personally excited to see these basketball and volleyball courts get built. Obviously, this is contingent on a longtime project moving forward.”
Parsons added, “What’s nice about this agreement is we get to support the city and staff by saving them time and resources that are better served running the day-to-day operations of the city. With the pandemic and recent furloughs, a partnership like this is required to create the major public amenities people want.”
The agreement states this facility will begin construction within the next 18 months, contingent on a pending application being approved by the Pittsburg City Council on Monday, Aug. 24.
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Following a lawsuit filed by Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of California landlords, the California Judicial Council announced last week that it will end its illegal ban on eviction hearings.
By creating a de facto ban on evictions, the Judicial Council undermined the state’s separation of powers and seized policymaking power from the legislature and governor to block landlords’ access to courts.
“Constitutional limitations on government are never more important than during an emergency,” said PLF senior attorney Damien Schiff. “In this case, we challenged an eviction moratorium enacted not by the politically responsible branches of California’s government, but rather by the judiciary. Because it attempted to codify policy rather than merely regulate the practice of state courts, the rule exceeded the Judicial Council’s authority under the California Constitution. We are pleased not only that the Judicial Council has voted to rescind the rule, but also that the Council recognized, as the Chief Justice put it, that the ‘judicial branch cannot usurp the responsibility of the other two branches on a long-term basis to deal with the myriad impacts of the pandemic.’”
About Pacific Legal Foundation
Pacific Legal Foundation is a national nonprofit legal organization that defends Americans threatened by government overreach and abuse. Since our founding in 1973, we challenge the government when it violates individual liberty and constitutional rights. With active cases in 39 states plus Washington, D.C., PLF represents clients in state and federal courts, with 12 victories out of 14 cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court
Read MoreTemporary order defies L.A. County COVID-19 orders; full hearing on September 4; only applies to that church, for now
On Thursday, August 13, Thomas More Society Special Counsel Jenna Ellis and attorney Charles LiMandri filed suit in the Superior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeles on behalf of internationally known author and Pastor John MacArthur, and Grace Community Church against Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and other California and Los Angeles County public health officials. (See complaint)
On Friday, the California Court vindicated Pastor MacArthur and the church’s stance that church is essential by recognizing the constitutionally protected right of churches to remain open and hold indoor services in their sanctuary.
Hours after Grace Community Church filed suit to invalidate Los Angeles County’s unconstitutional restrictions on churches, the County filed for a temporary restraining order to force the church to stop holding indoor services and comply with every unreasonable and over-broad demand. At hearing today (Friday, August 14, 2020) in Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Chalfant denied almost all of the County’s requests, agreeing with Pastor MacArthur and the Church that it is the County’s burden to show why it should be permitted to infringe on the constitutionally protected rights of churches to freely exercise religion. The judge did also express concern for some safety protocols.
To address those concerns and after explaining that the County was being unreasonable in its demands, counsel for Grace Community Church offered to comply with mask wearing and social distancing indoors until the matter could be fully heard, rather than the County simply rushing to shut down the Church. The judge agreed this was reasonable, set the full hearing for September 4, 2020, and ordered the Church to have congregants wear masks and social distance between family groups indoors.
Pastor John MacArthur said of the ruling, “I am very grateful the Court has allowed us to meet inside and we are happy for a few weeks to comply and respect what the judge has asked of us because he is allowing us to meet. This vindicates our desire to stay open and serve our people. This also gives us an opportunity to show that we are not trying to be rebellious or unreasonable, but that we will stand firm to protect our church against unreasonable, unconstitutional restrictions.”
Attorney Ellis said, “This is a huge vindication for Pastor John and the Board of Elders at Grace Community Church, who have simply asked for their right to worship the Lord together in church to be acknowledged and protected. When I spoke with Pastor John after the hearing, he expressed sincere gratitude to the California Court and Judge Chalfant and said his congregation will be happy to comply with the judge’s temporary order. This is why John MacArthur is so deeply loved and respected by his congregation and all over the world. He is a gracious and firm leader, and his biblical stand for church being essential has now been rightly validated. We look forward to continuing to advocate on his behalf in asking the Court to protect the fundamental rights of churches.”
Legal counsel LiMandri said, “This result is indeed a great victory for all citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of religion. Pastor MacArthur’s love of God and country motivated him and all the GCC church elders to resist the unjust government shut-down orders targeting people of faith. Their devotion and patriotism has brought about a result that respects the legitimate interests of both the church and state. This result makes it possible for the thousands of congregants of GCC to continue to gather together in their church to worship, while at the same time honoring the court’s requirement that reasonable and temporary safety measures be observed. This court ruling should stay in effect at least until there can be a full court hearing in this case on September 4, 2020. Please continue to pray that the courts allow this enlightened judge’s decision to stand so that all Californians can soon resume the worship of God in their respective churches.”
“We are simply continuing to do today what we have done for the past 63 years, that Grace Community Church has been open to welcome the Los Angeles community and serve their spiritual needs,” the pastor said in a statement. “We will remain open and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who decide they want to come worship with us.”
The suit seeks to prohibit California from enforcing its unconstitutional and onerous coronavirus pandemic regulations against Grace Community Church and seeks a judgment that the health orders violate the California Constitution.
“Having irreparably damaged the confidence of Americans—and Californians especially—who now realize that the pandemic restrictions are neither necessary nor good, on Sunday, July 26, 2020, Grace Community Church decided to resume worship services—joining millions of Americans in deciding that enough is enough. With deaths from the ‘COVID-19 suicide pandemic’ exceeding those from the actual coronavirus pandemic, Grace Community Church decided that it would no longer sit by and watch its congregants and their children suffer from an absence of religious worship and instruction. Perhaps unsurprisingly—perhaps not—this led the County of Los Angeles to submit a demand letter to Grace Community Church, ordering it to comply with the restrictions that Los Angeles County deems unnecessary to enforce against so many others. Grace Community Church does not intend to comply.”
According to attorneys for the church, it is time for California to recognize that Christians are not second-class citizens, and the court must step in to do its job in applying the protections that the U.S. and California State constitutions provide to every individual equally and to churches in particular.
Pastor MacArthur opened the Sunday morning service on August 9, welcoming worshippers to “the Grace Community Church peaceful protest.” He was met with a standing ovation and extended applause from the congregation. Pastor MacArthur said of the lawsuit, “We are simply continuing to do today what we have done for the past 63 years, that Grace Community Church has been open to welcome the Los Angeles community and serve their spiritual needs. We will remain open and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who decide they want to come worship with us.”
Ellis said, “We hoped that Los Angeles County would see its error on its own, but after attempted negotiations with their counsel, California is still intent on targeting churches—specifically, Grace Community Church. Pastor MacArthur and the Board of Elders will stand firm in their leadership and resolve that church is essential, and California has no legitimate power to enforce such onerous and unconstitutional restrictions against the fundamentally protected right to freely participate in church. After Grace Community Church voluntarily complied with state orders for nearly six months, California’s edicts demanding an indefinite shut down have gone now far past rational or reasonable and are firmly in the territory of tyranny and discrimination. This isn’t about health. It’s about blatantly targeting churches.”
LiMandri stated, “It is unconstitutional for Governor Newsom and the State of California to discriminate against churches by treating them less favorably than other organizations and activities that are not protected by the First Amendment. Pastor MacArthur and his church, as well as all churches, are entitled to practice their religion without government interference. This is especially the case when the government has given free rein to protestors, and is not similarly restricting marijuana dispensaries, large retail outlets and factories, or abortion providers. The government orders are also unconstitutional because there is no compelling need for the onerous restrictions on the churches at this time. The hospitals are not overwhelmed and the percentage death rate from COVID-19 is now extremely small. It is time for Governor Newsom and Mayor Garcetti to recognize what President Trump has already proclaimed: churches are providing an ‘essential’ service to the people. Therefore, they must be allowed to serve the people in the manner in which God has called them.”
Read the Thomas More Society’s Complaint filed with the Superior Court for the State of California County of Los Angeles – in Grace Community Church and Pastor John MacArthur v. Gavin Newsome et al., on August 12, 2020, here.
Read the Demand Letter sent to Pastor John MacArthur by attorney Jason Tokoro, representing the County of Los Angeles in California, on July 29, 2020, here.
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