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ByAmandaLeeMyers The Associated Press LOS ANGELES A federal judge on Monday rejected a plea agreement by for- mer Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, saying the maximum sentence of six months included in the deal for lying to authori- ties investigating jail beat- ings was too lenient for his "gross abuse of the public's trust." Judge Percy Anderson's surprise rejection came at the end of what was sup- posed to be Baca's sentenc- ing. Under the agreement reached earlier this year with prosecutors, Baca faced up to six months in prison and was eligible for probation. Anderson acknowledged that the 74-year-old Baca's early stage Alzheimer's di- agnosis and some of the good he has done in the community were factors to consider but were heav- ily outweighed by the harm caused by his conduct In the plea agreement, Baca acknowledged order- ing deputies to intimidate an FBI agent investigating his department and "do ev- erything but put handcuffs on her." The investigation uncovered inmate beatings and found that deputies tried to stifle the probe by hiding an inmate who was an FBI informant. Anderson said Baca's lies not only derailed the investigation, but "depu- ties were taught how to cover up abuses commit- ted by fellow deputies, how to look the other way, how to shield the department from embarrassment — all of which led to fostering an us-versus-them mentality and unwritten codes that taught deputies that when an inmate dared attempt to harm a deputy, deputies would respond with enough violence to send that in- mate to the hospital." To accept a sentencing range of zero to six months in prison would "trivialize" the rule of law and wouldn't address "the gross abuse of the public's trust," An- derson said, adding that it would also fail to restore the public's confidence in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Before Anderson re- jected the plea deal, Baca apologized in open court, saying he failed to be a leader. "I stand here today hum- bled and filled with remorse for my mistakes as the sher- iff of Los Angeles County," Baca told the judge, add- ing that the department and the public had trusted him. "I valued and honored that trust beyond measure. I took that task seriously ... It is my entire life's work." Baca asked Anderson to allow him to return to the community to "continue to give back" to Los Angeles. Baca left court immedi- ately after the hearing with- out speaking to reporters. His attorney Mike Zweiback defiantly told reporters that he can't accept more than a six-month sentence for Baca, given his client's Al- zheimer's. "Then it's trial," he said, adding that Baca has ex- planations about his be- havior that haven't come out. "We're going to have a fight." Zweiback said in his 25 years as an attorney he had never seen such a decision in a case that was so thor- oughly argued. "We were blindsided," he said. "To have this come out of the blue, for something that started as a very nor- mal type of proceeding, is frustrating and it causes a lot of confusion." Baca led the nation's larg- est sheriff's department for 15 years. Popular and me- dia-savvy, Baca used his platform as sheriff to travel the world touting progres- sive policing policies. He consistently dodged ques- tions about any connection to the corruption, even as other former underlings pleaded guilty or were con- victed. Baca suddenly an- nounced his retirement in 2014 as his depart- ment came under increas- ing scrutiny. Since then, 21 members of the sheriff's department have been con- victed of federal crimes that involve beating inmates and obstructing justice. Prosecutors argued that Baca's Alzheimer's didn't have any effect on his de- cision to lie to the govern- ment. SENTENCING Judgerejectspleadealofex-LosAngelesCountysheriff NICKUT—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca speaks at Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau in Monterey Park. By Olga R. Rodriguez The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco is getting an- other cultural treasure — a world-class museum to showcase the largest col- lection of Mexican and La- tino art in the nation. A dedication ceremony is set for Tuesday for the new Mexican Museum — the realization of a dream by Mexican-American art- ist Peter Rodriguez, who opened the city's first mu- seum for Latino art in a Mission District storefront in 1975. Rodriguez started a col- lection that now has more than 16,000 pre-Colum- bian, colonial and con- temporary works of Mex- ican and Latino art. Rodriguez, who died July 1 at 90, never lost hope the unique museum would be built, his family said. "My uncle worked tire- lessly, and with passion and drive, to personally demonstrate that, as a Mexican-American, we can achieve any dream by our- selves." said Irene Christo- pher, his niece. The 60,000-square-foot Mexican Museum will be the downtown home of the collection that includes 800 works of Mexican folk art donated by the family of Nelson Rockefeller and pieces by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera and painter Miguel Covarrubias. The new museum is set to open in the spring of 2019. Most of the art is now in storage, though some pieces are exhibited at the tiny current site in the Fort Mason area of San Francisco. The museum moved there after the Mission District storefront closed. With 39 percent of Cal- ifornia's population iden- tifying as Latino, the mu- seum will be a place where they can learn about their culture, said Andrew Kluger, who became chair- man of the museum board five years ago and helped raise $30 million needed for the building. "The new museum will allow us to educate sec- ond- and third-generation Chicano, Latino children about their heritage, which is quite important because many of them don't know about it," Kluger said. The four-story Mexican Museum will be housed at the bottom of a lux- ury condo tower in Yerba Buena Gardens, nestled be- tween historic St. Patrick's Church and the Contempo- rary Jewish Museum. One of 11 children, Ro- driguez was born in Stock- ton in 1926 and later moved to San Francisco, where he worked in the advertising and fashion industries. He was a self-taught art- ist who found his calling in abstract art and trav- eled to Mexico for the first time after he was invited to show his work there in the 1960s. Kluger said Rodriguez's vision will be reflected in the new museum. "We want to honor him always for his inspiration to start this museum 40 years ago," Kluger said. The Mexican Museum is an affiliate of the Smithso- nian Institution. One of its first exhibits will be "Frida and I," a children's exhibi- tion about the life of Frida Kahlo. ART World-class Mexican Museum being built in SF The Associated Press BAKERSFIELD Authorities blame a gang rivalry for a mass shooting at a central California house party for teenagers over the week- end that injured 14 peo- ple, officials said Monday. The party at a Bakers- field-area home grew to more than 150 people af- ter it was publicized on so- cial media. A fight broke out, prompting parents at the home to force three people to leave, authorities said. "We believe it is those in- dividualsthatreturnedand opened fire on the crowd," said Ray Pruitt of the Kern County Sheriff's Office. Two shooting victims were hospitalized in crit- ical condition and are ex- pected to survive. The re- maining 12 victims also suffered gunshot wounds but their injuries were less serious, Pruitt said. Detectives have deter- mined that a gang rivalry prompted the fight and are trying to identify the suspects who opened fire, Pruitt said. No one has been arrested. Investigators are con- sidering whether to cite the parents under a county social host ordinance be- cause alcohol was served, Pruitt said. Violations carry fines of up to $1,000, the county's website says. Alicia Wallace said Sun- day that her two teenage children begged to hold the party. The fight started at about 1 a.m. Saturday. The three ejected partygo- ers returned a short time later as the party was be- ing shut down, firing from the street on the crowd in the front of the home. The victims included a 13-year-old and Wallace's husband, Jessie, who was treated and released from the hospital. CENTRAL CALIFORNIA Officials blame gangs for shooting at house party The Associated Press SACRAMENTO The Cali- fornia Public Employees' Retirement System says its investment earnings were essentially flat in the last fiscal year, falling far short of the 7.5 percent target. The nation's largest pub- lic pension system on Mon- day reported earnings of 0.61 percent for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Thefundhad$295billionin assetsattheendoftheyear. CalPERS officials blame volatile financial markets and global economic con- ditions for the soft in- vestment gains. CalPERS Chief Investment Officer Ted Eliopoulos says in a statement that CalPERS is proud to have positive earnings during a year of turbulent markets. Its stock portfolio, which makes up half of the total assets, lost 3.4 percent. The losses were offset by gains in private equity, fixed income, real estate and infrastructure. CALIFORNIA Pension fund posts small gain but misses target PHOTOS BY ERIC RISBERG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Registrar Wendy Niles holds a Day of the Dead sculpture "La Soldadera" by Alvaro de la Cruz being stored in a vault at the Mexican Museum currently located at Fort Mason in San Francisco. An ink drawing of Jose Limon by Miguel Covarrubias is seen at the Mexican Museum currently located at Fort Mason in San Francisco. RANDAL S. ELLOWAY DDS IMPLANT DENTISTRY 2426 SO. MAIN ST., RED BLUFF 530-527-6777 Askyourselfthefollowingquestions: Are you missing one or more of your natural teeth? Do you have a complete or partial denture that is no longer completely comfortable? Have you ever been embarrassed by a denture or a bridge? If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, call us today at (530) 527-6777 to schedule an evaluation appointment. We would be pleased to evaluate your oral health and discuss treatment options with you. 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