Man jailed for arguing with girlfriend at work
Morgan Hill
A Gilroy man was booked into Santa Clara County Jail Thursday following an argument with his girlfriend while the two were working at AndPak-EMA, Inc. on Jarvis Drive as contract workers.
Edgar Espinoza, 25, was arrested without incident for false imprisonment and domestic battery on Butterfield Boulevard south of Jarvis Drive. According to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing, Espinoza and his girlfriend began arguing inside the business, then continued the argument outside.
Espinoza then allegedly blocked the path of his 18-year-old girlfriend when she tried to walk away, then enfolded her in what Swing described as a “bear hug.”
She then was either able to break away, or he loosened his hold, Swing said. “She left the business and began running down Butterfield, and he was following her.”
That’s where officers caught up with the couple, he said, and Espinoza was arrested. The girl returned to work and did not need medical treatment.
Deeper discounts on flood
insurance for unincorporated areas
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has raised Santa Clara County’s community rating system to a Class 7 — out of 10 — in the National Flood Insurance Program, meaning homeowners whose properties are within flooding-prone areas can receive a reduction of up to 15 percent in flood insurance premiums.
The county has had a rating of 8 since 2004, when it joined the system, qualifying owners for 10 percent discounts. More than 750 flood insurance policies were issued for the County’s unincorporated area and they cost anywhere between $200 and $3,000, depending on the region, according to a news release.
County officials encourage homeowners who live in unincorporated flood prone areas to contact their insurance carriers and notify them that their flood insurance rates should reflect the County’s improved rating which became effective on or after Oct. 1.
County employee receives national award
Norma Doctor Sparks, the director of the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services, was named one of the 100 most influential Filipina women in the U.S.
Sparks was honored for her work to make a difference in government policies and laws. A native of Hawaii, Sparks received the award from the Filipina Women’s Network during the 5th Annual Filipina Summit in Washington, D.C.
Sparks runs the operations of the 700-employee DFCS and is credited with initating programs for improving child welfare services. She previously worked at the American Management Systems and was an administrator with a number of state agencies in Hawaii.
County to get $43 million in federal funds
Some 30 projects and initiatives across the county’s various departments will receive more than $43 million in federal funding, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Mike Honda said Thursday.
Honda, a Democrat and member of the House Committee on Appropriations, lobbied for the funding to be included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill that passed the House and the Senate this week.
President Bush is expected to sign H.R. 2764, which will dole out $1.2 million to the Santa Clara County Crime lab to upgrade its DNA testing equipment, and $1.7 million for the Guadalupe River Flood Protection.
For a detailed list of the funded projects go to: http://honda.house.gov/issues/fundingrequests.shtml#cjs.
