California
Art therapy helps CA prisoners improve themselves and their community
CORCORAN, Calif. (KABC) — California is rethinking its prison system in an effort to reduce the recidivism rate which has averaged about 50% over the past 10 years.
At California State Prison Corcoran, Sean O’Brien is using art as therapy.
“Personally? It probably saved my life,” explains O’Brien who is now 34 and has been in prison since he was 16.
Along with other participating artists, O’Brien uses art as a way to explore emotions, reduce stress and improve self-esteem while in prison. Some say it’s using the time instead of just doing time.
“You look around in here, there’s not very much color. We’re surrounded by bricks and concrete and steel. And this is the color that we’re able to bring in here through our art,” says O’Brien as he looks at a wall mural he painted.
And now that art is having a positive impact outside of the prison walls as well.
Rodney Rodriguez of Fresno Skateboard Salvage gathers old skateboards that are trash to many and delivers them to prison artists around the state, who will use the boards as a canvas, creating art for others.
“They’re not just contributing from their talent. Because of where it’s coming from, it’s affecting them emotionally and mentally – and you can see it,” says Rodriguez.
The finished pieces are beautifully unique and auctioned to raise money so Fresno Skateboard Salvage can purchase new skateboards and safety gear for underprivileged kids in Fresno.
At the Boys and Girls club in Pinedale, dozens of kids were given new equipment and training, in part, because of the collaboration with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“I think for them it’s maybe a way of treatment, it’s a way of self-care, a way of mental health for them to cope with the past, the present and the future,” says Lt. Robert Clifton, public information officer at the Corcoran prison.
Artist Omar Cruz explains what the art, and the program means to him:
“You know I’ve done a lot of bad things in the community so I just wanted to make amends and give back to the community. But when Rodney told me why he did it, it changed my whole perspective because I remember he told me a story about – if it wasn’t for someone giving him a skateboard and he started hanging out with skaters and he changed his whole life around.”
Using skateboards to help kids make better life choices is the mission of Fresno Skateboard Salvage, but the art produced by incarcerated men and women has a deeper purpose as well. Studies show a significantly higher success rate of re-entry into society for prisoners who participate in art therapy than for those who do not.
Rodriguez can see why that’s possible.
“If you’re just the bunky (prison bunkmate) of the artist or the bunky’s bunky or a friend of the artist – the people in that community within this institution are being uplifted by colors on a beat-up old skateboard that will benefit a kid.”
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California traveled to Louisville, Ky., in search of a statement win against the No. 14 Louisville Cardinals (7-2, 4-2 ACC), and the Golden Bears (6-4, 3-3 ACC) pulled out all the stops Saturday evening to earn the upset, 29-26, in overtime.
On the first play of the game, California quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw a lateral to his slot receiver, Jacob de Jesus, who then connected with Trond Grizzell on a deep 27-yard pass. While the Golden Bears would not score on the drive, their fast and aggressive play early on silenced much of the 51,381 in attendance.
California out-gained Louisville in total yards and offensive plays throughout the entire game. The Golden Bears never once trailed the nationally ranked Cardinals by more than one score, despite entering the game as three-score underdogs, according to many sportsbooks’ odds.
Sagapolutele earned the game-winning touchdown in overtime with a nail-biting throw on fourth down. California’s first-year signal-caller found his favorite target of the evening, de Jesus, who brought in the three-yard reception to close out the game.
De Jesus had a game-high 157 receiving yards and hauled in 16 of 23 passes in which he was targeted. His 16 receptions tie Geoff McArthur’s school record for receptions by a receiver in a single game.
In his post-game press conference, Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm praised de Jesus, calling him California’s “best player.”
“… Even at the end, to allow their best player to be one-on-one for an easy throw in the corner… you know, we need to coach better; we need to play better,” Coach Brohm said.
Sagapolutele completed 30 out of 47 passes attempted and racked up 323 passing yards—both career highs. In addition to the game-decider, the quarterback threw his first touchdown of the game in the first quarter, a 20-yard bomb to tight end Landon Morris.
The last time California beat a nationally ranked, top-25 team was on Dec. 5, 2020, when the Golden Bears upset the No. 20 Oregon Ducks, 21-17, for their first win in the 2020 college football season.
With the win, California is now eligible for a post-season bowl bid.
CALIFORNIA (AZFamily) — The mother of a missing California girl has been arrested on charges unrelated to her daughter’s disappearance, but the child still has yet to be found.
FBI Los Angeles announced that 40-year-old Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody on Friday. However, the whereabouts of her daughter, 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, remain unknown.
Melodee and Ashlee reportedly went on a road trip as far as Nebraska in a rental white Chevrolet Malibu last month, detectives say. Federal authorities say Melodee and her mother may have passed through Interstate 15 in Littlefield, Arizona while on the drive.
Detectives say Ashlee was arrested for a recent incident where she allegedly prevented a victim from leaving against their will. Authorities say this crime is not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee.
“Although this arrest occurred during the course of the missing person investigation, it is not directly related to Melodee’s disappearance. Sheriff’s detectives remain fully focused on locating Melodee and confirming her safety,” FBI Los Angeles said in a statement.
Ashlee was booked for a felony charge of false imprisonment. She is being held at a jail in Santa Maria, California, with bail set at $100,000.
Melodee was photographed at a rental car agency on Oct. 7, wearing a wig and a hoodie.
The young girl has brown eyes and brown, curly hair that may be straightened or covered with a dark wig. She is between four and four-and-a-half feet tall, weighing between 60 and 100 pounds.
Anyone with information about Melodee is asked to contact detectives at (805) 681-4150 or submit an anonymous tip at (805) 681-4171.
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California
Home Ronald and Nancy Reagan commissioned as California Governor’s Mansion hits the market
A Carmichael home that was originally designed to be California’s official Governor’s Mansion is now up for sale.
The mid-century modern home, located at 2300 California Avenue, was built in 1975 after being commissioned by Ronald and Nancy Reagan to replace the aging governor’s mansion at 16th and H streets in Sacramento.
By the time construction was finished, Reagan had already left office. His successor, Jerry Brown, declined to move in – famously dismissing the Carmichael residence as the “Taj Mahal.”
No California governor ever called the mansion home, with the property being sold to a private citizen in 1983.
A time capsule installed at the property recognizes the home’s history. The capsule is scheduled to be opened on July 4, 2076.
Now, as of Oct. 16, the Carmichael home has hit the market with a list price of $7.5 million. The property spans 4.3 acres that overlook the American River, with the home featuring a total of 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, and 2 half bathrooms.
“You can really feel the history here,” said realtor Hattie Coleman in a statement.
The Carmichael home last sold in 2004 for $4.1 million.
The East Sacramento home Reagan lived in for much of his time as California governor was designated as a historic landmark in 2024.
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