A California judge accused of killing his wife is still raking in his nearly $250,000 salary, despite being held behind bars.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, allegedly killed his wife last year in Anaheim Hills, according to KTLA. He was charged with multiple felonies in connection with the Aug. 3, 2023, fatal shooting of 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson. He is being held in Los Angeles County at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility.

Ferguson, who was a prosecutor before he became a judge in 2015, was initially released on $1 million bail but is now back in jail after he allegedly lied about drinking alcohol while awaiting trial.

The judge made more than $220,000 in salary in 2023, with an additional $22,000 in benefits, according to The Orange County Register. The $242,000 compensation continued to be paid to him even after he allegedly shot and killed his wife.

He faces a felony murder charge with two felony enhancements for personal use of a firearm and discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death. If convicted on all counts, he could face 40 years to life in prison.

Ferguson has pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors said he confessed to the killing when texting with his court clerk and bailiff.

“I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry,” Ferguson allegedly wrote.

After Ferguson and his wife had an argument at a restaurant, the two returned home and continued the argument before he pulled a pistol from his ankle holster and shot her in the chest, according to prosecutors. The couple’s adult son claimed his father was drunk at the time.

The judge continues to receive his salary because the California Constitution states that a judge facing felony charges is disqualified from acting as a judge but that the change in his judicial status does not include loss of salary, the Orange County Register reported.

A judge would only be suspended without pay after a felony conviction.

NAPA, Calif. — If California is going to build itself out of the housing crisis it’s going to need a lot of money.

A report released this summer by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and Enterprise Community Partners identified 433 housing projects stuck in predevelopment because they lack $9.7 billion in public funds to move forward.

Proposition 5 in the November ballot could help unlock some of that money.

While the statewide measure is not a housing bond, it would lower the threshold to approve affordable housing bonds from two-thirds to just 55%.

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Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos says Proposition 5 allows cities and counties to raise revenue for affordable housing.

“It’s great to be able to zone for them, but if you can’t afford to actually build the project you still have the same problem and all you have is a plan with nothing to back it up,” said Ramos.

Recently, she visited the 24-apartment unit Valle Verde project, which is set to open for tenants soon after eight years of planning and construction.

“Everyone is identifying housing, the affordability of housing, the supply of housing. Those are very real concerns,” said Ramos, who is also the president of the Association of Bay Area Governments.

While housing continues to be a top concern for California residents, support for Proposition 5 is not overwhelming.

A Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll in September indicated only 49% of likely voters supported the measure.

“If Proposition 5 were to pass, you would see higher property taxes after every election because of all the different entities that can put bonds on the ballot,” said Susan Shelley of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Shelley says the two-thirds threshold keeps local governments from incurring too much debt.

An analysis of 151 bond measures put before voters since 2002 found that about half passed with a two-thirds majority. If the threshold had been lowered to 55%, the approval rate would have skyrocketed to 86%.

In 2000, California voters approved Proposition 39, which lowered the approval threshold for school district bonds from 66.67% to 55%.

“We currently have a 55% threshold to pass school bonds, but that’s very narrow. Prop 5 is not narrow. Prop 5 is anything that qualifies as public infrastructure, which is everything that the government does,” said Shelley.

Proposition 5 would apply to bonds that would help finance affordable housing and public infrastructure projects.

Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley president Janice Jensen is in favor of lowering the threshold.

“Prop 5 is a wonderful tool in the tool chest when you are building affordable housing,” said Jensen during a visit to Esperanza Place, a housing development with 42 affordable townhomes in Walnut Creek.

Jensen said Habitat for Humanity would not have been able to build the complex without public funds.

“Affordable housing is always a public-private partnership. This is a very expensive development,” added Jensen.

If Proposition 5 is approved, the lower threshold would apply not just to future affordable housing bonds in the future, but also to any local housing bonds on this year’s ballot.

The Association of Bay Area Governments had planned to include a $20 billion housing bond this year to help pay for those stalled 433 housing projects but decided to withdraw it at the last minute to focus on the passage of Proposition 5.

If that measure is placed on a future ballot and approved, it would increase property taxes on a $500,000 home by $100 a year.

“We haven’t kept up with the need for housing. You can’t ask to do more with the same amount of funds. What we are doing by lowering the threshold is to meet the will of the people,” said Ramos.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Southern California’s Santa Monica College is closed Tuesday as police investigate a campus shooting that wounded an employee in what officials said was a “workplace violence incident.” No arrests have been made.

The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. Monday at the school’s Center for Media and Design on a satellite campus that’s also home to the public radio station KCRW, the community college said in a statement.

The victim, who was not identified, was hospitalized in critical condition, the college statement said. The shooter remains at large.

“This was a workplace violence incident, not a random act,” the statement said. “The College is fully cooperating with authorities, and all Santa Monica College campuses will be closed on Tuesday to prioritize the safety and well-being of our community.”

The Santa Monica Police Department, which is leading the investigation, did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking additional details.

The school, with a series of satellite campuses in the beachside city, enrolls about 30,000 full- and part-time students.