Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/673060
TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO California lawmakers have defeated a resolution intended to honor John Wayne af- ter opponents challenged what they say are racist statements by the late ac- tor. Republican State Assem- blyman Matthew Harper of Huntington Beach sought to declare May 26, 2016, as John Wayne Day to mark the day the actor was born. An Orange County air- port is already named af- ter him. The bill, ACR137, is the sort of resolution that lawmakers frequently pass. But this one triggered a 20-minute debate Thurs- day before failing, 35-20, to what Harper called "the orthodoxy of political cor- rectness." Others lined up to de- nounce what Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo of Watsonville called Wayne's disturbing views on race. Several Republicans say Wayne is remembered worldwide as an Amer- ican hero. They argued that lawmakers have hon- ored others despite con- troversies that eventually clouded their legacies. SACRAMENTO JohnWayneDayrejectedbylawmakers By Amanda Lee Myers The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Three peo- ple closely tied to the cou- ple responsible for the San Bernardino terror attack were arrested Thursday in an alleged marriage fraud scheme involving a pair of Russian sisters. The accused include Syed Raheel Farook. His brother and sister-in-law, Syed Riz- wan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, died in a shootout with police after killing 14 people and wounding 22 others on Dec. 2. Also arrested Thursday were Syed Raheel Farook's wife, Tatiana, and her sister, Mariya Chernykh. Prosecu- tors say Mariya's marriage to Enrique Marquez Jr., the only person charged in the shootings, was a sham de- signed to enable her to ob- tain legal status in the U.S. after overstaying her visitor visa in 2009. Marquez confessed to the green card scheme when authorities ques- tioned him about the shoot- ings, and acknowledged getting $200 a month to marry Chernykh, according to his criminal complaint, filed in December. According to an indict- ment unsealed Thursday, bank statements show that Chernykh was making $200 deposits into a joint bank account. Marquez remains the only person charged in connection with the terror attack. He's charged with conspiring to provide ma- terial support to terrorists by buying the assault rifles used in the massacre, mak- ing false statements about when he bought the weap- ons, and conspiring with Syed Rizwan Farook on a pair of previously planned attacks that were never car- ried out. The Farooks and Chernykh were expected to be arraigned Thursday in federal court in Riverside. If convicted of conspir- acy to make false state- ments on federal immi- gration documents, they could get up to five years in prison. Chernykh also is charged with fraud, mis- use of visas and other doc- uments, perjury and two counts of making material false statements to federal charges, which could mean up to 25 years in prison. The indictment says Syed Raheel and Tatiana Farook participated in the sham by acting as witnesses to the union of her sister and Mar- quez, and by creating a joint checking account along with a backdated lease to make it appear as if all four of them lived together. Tatiana Farook also ac- companied her sister to buy a $50 wedding ring, and Marquez and Chernykh posed in photographs that were staged to make the marriage appear real, pros- ecutors said. SAN BERNARDINO Brother, others related to shooters arrested By Janie Har The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Califor- nia officials say they will seek more than $90 million in firefighting costs from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. after finding that a deadly 2015 fire was sparked by a tree that came into contact with a power line. The amount is the larg- est recovery sought by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protec- tion, which released a re- port Thursday detailing the cause of the fire that scorched remote Calav- eras and Amador coun- ties, about 125 miles east of San Francisco. The blaze that started Sept. 9 burned for three weeks, killing two peo- ple and destroying more than 900 structures, in- cluding about 550 homes. The 110-square-mile fire caused an estimated $300 million in insured losses and is the seventh-most destructive wildfire in state history. Cal Fire said the state's largest utility and its con- tractors failed to provide proper maintenance af- ter removing two gray pine trees from a stand in January 2015, exposing a weaker, skinnier interior tree. DEADLY 2015 BLAZE California seeks $90M from utility over wildfire 525 Antelope Blvd, Red Bluff (530) 527-5272 Mon.–Fri.8am-5pm Saturday by appointment Locally owned & operated 365-7194 or 365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING FRIDAY,APRIL29,2016 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 5 A