How Gavin Newsom Is At The Center of a Judicial Crisis in Los Angeles County

📰 California’s Two-Faced Justice: While Gov. Gavin Newsom Virtue Signals, His Appointees Bury Constitutional Violations in Mental Health Court

By ThaWilsonBlock Magazine – Investigative Editorial

While Governor Gavin Newsom tours the state championing social justice, mental health reform, and equity for marginalized communities, a quiet legal disaster is unfolding in his own backyard — one that exposes a stunning contradiction between his public virtue signaling and the authoritarian machinery operating under his watch.

This isn’t theory. It’s happening now — and it's personal.

🎭 Newsom’s Public Face: A Progressive Reformer

Governor Newsom often speaks of justice reform, touts California as a sanctuary of compassion, and markets mental health as a “21st-century civil right.” With his CARE Court initiative and massive budget allocations to Department of State Hospitals (DSH), he paints a picture of moral leadership.

But while Newsom tweets about Trump's lawful immigration enforcement, constitutional rights are being violated in courtrooms that he empowers through judicial appointments and agency leadership.

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🧨 The Case That Breaks the Façade

In People v. Michael Taylor (Case No. GA111132 / XNEGA111132), a Los Angeles County defendant was railroaded into a psychiatric diversion system without informed consent, without proper court orders, and without the ability to access or challenge the psychiatric reports used to suspend his trial rights.

It was a quiet lynching dressed as mental health help.

The public defenders—Danielle Daroca-Bell and Vernon Patterson—knowingly withheld documents, misrepresented the defendant’s legal position, and ignored his constitutional challenges. The courts—overseen by Governor Newsom's appointees—stood by silently, or worse, enabled the abuses.

⚖️ Judge Ronald Owen Kaye — Newsom’s Judicial Legacy?

Appointed by Gavin Newsom, Judge Ronald Owen Kaye played a pivotal role in the continued prosecution and mental health-based confinement of Taylor. Kaye oversaw proceedings riddled with procedural contradictions, missing court orders, and sealed evidence—yet took no action when those abuses were raised.

Is this the justice system Newsom is proud of?

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🧠 The DSH Trap: Committed Without Cause

In a particularly chilling chapter, Taylor was committed to Metropolitan State Hospital — against his will and under dubious legal pretenses.

The state hospital is managed by the Department of State Hospitals (DSH), under the direction of Stephanie Clendenin, appointed by Newsom. Clendenin’s DSH accepted Taylor’s commitment without validating the missing or sealed PC 730 court order used to justify the commitment.

Michael Barsom, the Southern Regional Administrator for DSH Metropolitan, also received correspondence about the lack of valid court authority — and did nothing.

That means DSH effectively colluded in holding an individual without lawful due process — violating the same constitutional protections Newsom claims to uphold.

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💬 Public Defender Vernon Patterson: 30 Years of Complicity?

Emails and texts show Patterson:

>Admitted he couldn't locate the court order that committed his client.

>Repeatedly gaslit the defendant when challenged.

>Tried to suppress already-filed evaluations by misleading statements like:

“The court and Dr. Tumu do not have the report... I’d like to keep it that way.”

— despite the report being publicly filed weeks earlier.

This isn’t representation. It’s a cover-up.

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🧾 A Pattern, Not a Fluke

This case doesn’t stand alone. It reflects the broader institutional posture of:

>Deflecting legitimate challenges by indigent defendants.

>Exploiting mental health statutes like PC 1001.36 and 1368 to circumvent trial and rights.

>Sealing, suppressing, or falsifying documents to maintain control over the defendant.

And it’s all happening under Newsom’s chain of command.

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🛑 So While Newsom Says...

>“Mental health is not a crime.”

>“California will lead with compassion.”

>“We must reform the criminal justice system.”

The institutions he controls are:

>Committing individuals without valid orders,

>Enabling fraud on the court,

>And silencing those who catch them red-handed.

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🧩 Why This Case Matters

This isn’t just a story about a man wrongly committed.

It’s a warning: If this can happen to Michael Taylor — a person who carefully documented the misconduct, preserved email chains, and cited case law better than most attorneys — it can happen to anyone.

Governor Newsom can no longer wash his hands of this. His appointees — Ronald Owen Kaye, Stephanie Clendenin, and Michael Barsom — are complicit in denying due process, violating constitutional rights, and betraying the very reforms Newsom claims to fight for.

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🧱 The Reckoning Begins

The court transcripts, psychiatric evaluations, and communications now forming part of a dossier compiled by the defendant are being prepared for public review, media exposure, and possible federal scrutiny. The goal isn’t revenge — it’s accountability.

This is a battle between narrative and evidence.

And for once, the evidence is airtight.