Wide swath of south Delta closed to boating

STOCKTON — The southern Delta is effectively off limits to recreational boaters after emergency officials decided over the weekend that an ongoing prohibition should extend beyond the flooded San Joaquin River itself.

The new closure covers many miles of waterways, from Old River in the Discovery Bay area to the San Joaquin River upstream of the Port of Stockton.

Stockton boaters still can use the river downstream from the port area. The closure likely impacts Discovery Bay boaters more, since they cannot use Old River to access much of the Delta.

Michael Cockrell, director of the county Office of Emergency Services, cited several reasons for enlarging the closure area.

A boat could be swept away if a levee breaks. Boaters could get in the way of search and rescue operations or levee repair crews. And boats may create waves that could damage already stressed levees. Also, the amount of debris floating in the water could be hazardous to boats. — Stockton Record

Angels Camp student wins national VFW essay contest

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and its Auxiliary announced Angels Camp student Savannah Wittman as the national winner of its annual Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen youth scholarship competitions.

The Voice of Democracy program was enacted in 1947. This year, the program’s theme asked students to describe “My Responsibility to America.” Wittman wrote about the impact her grandfather’s military service had on her, and the responsibility of every American to have a servant’s heart.

Wittman, who was sponsored by VFW Post 12118 and its Auxiliary in Copperopolis, received an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where she was presented with the T.C. Selman Memorial Scholarship award in the amount of $30,000.

To read about Wittman and the other winners of the Voice of Democracy and the Patriot’s Pen contests, or to read the first place essays, visit — Special to the News-Sentinel

Los Angeles County sues state over political boundaries law

SACRAMENTO — Los Angeles County is suing over a new state law it says discriminates against more than 1 million voters while taking away the power of the Board of Supervisors to draw its own political boundaries.

The lawsuit aims to block the 2016 law that creates a 14member commission to draw boundaries for county supervisor districts after the 2020 census.

Commission members would be chosen from political parties, the lawsuit says, unfairly excluding about a quarter of county voters who register with no party preference and comprise the fastestgrowing portion of newly registered voters.

Aides to state Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Los Angeles, who wrote the law, said Tuesday that the intent of SB958 is to include those independent voters on the commission.

“If the citizens redistricting commission is good enough for the state Legislature and Congress, it should be good enough for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,” Lara said in a statement.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court says the law illegally takes away local control, unfairly applies only to Los Angeles County and makes the process more political. Based on current registration, 70 percent of commissioners would be Democrats, 25 percent Republicans and 5 percent from smaller political parties, the lawsuit states. — Associated Press

Body found in Bay Area creek identified as missing 18-year-old

FREMONT — Authorities in the San Francisco Bay Area have identified a body found in a creek as that of an 18-year-old woman missing since last month after her car crashed into the water.

The Mercury News reports that Jayda Jenkins of Tracy was found dead along Alameda Creek on Thursday by a man walking his dogs.

An autopsy will determine her cause of death.

Last month, Jenkins’ overturned car was pulled from the creek after she lost control during a heavy rainstorm and went into the water.

She had been driving from Tracy to the Bay Area to visit relatives when the accident happened.

Rescue workers searched the creek for more than a week but were unable to locate her body. — Associated Press