A GARDEN GROVE man was sentenced to 36 years to life in state prison for the 2015 murder of an Anaheim man (Shutterstock).

A sentence of 36 years to life was handed down Friday to a Garden Grove man in the March 2015 stabbing death of a man in Anaheim.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s office, James Robertson, 37, had been convicted of second degree murder on Sept. 9, 2019 of the killing of Pedro Francisco Toro, 26.

Audio of the stabbing was captured on a phone’s voice mail. 

The defendant had previous convictions and a sentencing enhancement was added for the personal use of a deadly weapon.

Diedre Nguyen increases her lead

Garden Grove city council member Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen is increasing her lead over incumbent Tyler Diep in the race for second place in the 72nd District Assembly District.

Former state senator Janet Nguyen is comfortably in first with 39,684 votes (33.83 percent), but the top two vote-getters will meet in the general election in November.

The latest figures from the Orange County Register of Voters on Saturday have Diedre Nguyen with 29,919 votes (25.50 percent), compared to Diep’s 29,092 (24.80 percent), a lead of 827 votes. That’s up from her 778-vote margin from Friday.

In the Orange County First Supervisorial District, incumbent Andrew Do held a comfortable lead in first with 40,765 votes (42.33 percent). Westminster city council member Sergio Contreras remains in second place with 21,609 votes (22.44), leading Santa Ana’s Miguel Pulido (19,465, 20.21 percent).

The top two meet in the general election in November.

Gateway Project is moving forward

Building permits have been issued for two buildings for the Huntington Gateway Business Park planned for the former Boeing property at Bolsa Avenue and Bolsa Chica Road.

The Huntington Beach Community Development Department issued a total of six permits for the construction of:

• a 166,181-square foot shell building at 5121 Bolsa Ave. and
• a 184,333-square foot shell building at 5241 Bolsa Ave.

The issuance of permits for the third building – a 258,343-square foot shell building at 14952 Bolsa Chica – is expected in the next few weeks.