California Governor Gavin Newsom is the poster child for the Democratic ticket. Filled with second and third chances for everyone he comes across, he has been the shining star for failed liberal policies. Based largely on the race card and claiming discrimination is everywhere, he fails the victims to praise the criminal.
In this latest example, violent criminal Jarad Nava has been released only a few years into a life sentence. To ensure his latest pet project gets the special help Newsom seems to think he deserves, Nava was given a job in the State Capitol. Working as an assistant for the Department of Public Safety is a horrible twist of irony, given the horrific shooting he committed.
Back in 2014, Nava was a member of the Pomona Don’t Care Krew, his crimes had gone from simply stealing small things to violently assaulting someone. One night while out riding with members of his “Krew,” they spotted a Lexus sedan they believed belonged to a rival gang. Suddenly swerving into the other lane after the car, Nava and others were after them.
Opening fire, Nava was actually shooting at four women: 16-year-old Yesenia Castro, her 15-year-old sister Marlene Castro, Jessila Suarez, 25, and Marlyn Reyes, who was 17 and nine months pregnant. While never confirmed if they were linked to the same people, the Castro sisters had a brother in the enemy gang, and the other ladies were reportedly dating gangbangers.
Allegedly, Nava was intoxicated and does not recall telling the girls that he was ready to kill them. Thanks to his (unsurprisingly) poor shooting, nobody died, but Yesenia remains paralyzed as a result of his bullets. On that day, though, Suarez dove over Reyes to try and protect the baby while Marlene received a wound to the leg. Yesenia, however, almost died as they raced to the hospital. Yesenia was paralyzed from the waist down because of a bullet hitting her spinal cord.
Nava’s brazen attack and leaning out of the window made it easy for the Castro sisters to pick him out from a photo lineup. Just six days after the shooting, police raided his apartment complex. He heard his name on the loudspeakers and stepped out as officers surrounded the building and lit it with a spotlight. He was then arrested.
At 17, Nava clearly knew right from wrong, but according to a piece from the LA Times, he seemed baffled that he was being charged with attempted murder. Astonished at the premise of being charged with a life sentence, he seemed relieved when he was told he would likely face sentencing as a kid.
When the DA finally filed charges, four counts of attempted murder, one count of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, and, following a search of the apartment, possession of a short-barreled shotgun were all levied against him. Unwilling to take a 30-year deal, he rightfully stood trial as an adult. After a rather quick trial, he received 40 years each for the attempted murder and two years for the shotgun.
The driver, Alex Sandoval, took the plea deal and got the same sentence Nava was offered. At his sentencing, he was allowed to speak to the victims. There, he apologized and asked Nava to be given a future since he was smart. His victims had forgiven and moved on, even Yesenia.
Once in jail and with little choice for much else to do, Nava decided that peace would be a good answer. He sought it by forgiving old enemies and getting his GED, then associates, as well as taking any course the jail would offer. In 2018, all this work got the attention of lawyers at the Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic thanks to film producer Scott Budnick, who started pushing for details on his case.
By the end of 2018, they had started pushing then-Gov. Jerry Brown to let Nava out sooner. They wanted to have his sentence dropped to 15 to life, and in March 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom dropped it to 10 years to life. Six months later, he got a parole hearing. Touting his accomplishments, he charmed his way into freedom despite the DA telling them that he needed to be punished further as he had not proven change.
Gavin Newsom brought this man out and gave him a government job. It’s something the governor would never do if the race card weren’t at play. It’s something the people of California should never stand for, yet here we are. Pathetic.