artIst profIle: kevIN rOberT wINger

By Patric Stillman

“In my late twenties, I was in school studying environmental science and I decided to take a painting class. I had some old paints at home and a palette knife. No brushes. So I used the tools I had on hand and I really liked what happened. My professor liked my work so much that he placed two of them in an exhibition at San Diego Mesa College. They were priced at what I thought were ridiculous prices at the time, but both sold to professors at the college. That summer, I decided to change my major to Fine Arts.” jai has long been known as fertile ground for the arts. When the “Mama of Dada” artist Beatrice Wood settled in the town in the late 40’s, she inspired many artists, writers and other creatives to follow.

As he was about to graduate with Associates of Arts in 2010, he had the opportunity to open up a small gallery in Liberty Station. For a decade, he was able to establish himself as an emerging artist and gallery owner. Working only using thick oil paint and palette knifes, Winger takes a sculptural approach to painting. The application is so heavy that it can take up to a year for the paint to dry. He expresses philosophical ideas through a number of abstract series that visually imply florals (Floraform Series), landscapes (Chromascapes series) and geometric shapes (Untitled).

For Kevin Robert Winger, Ojai was an inspirational place to grow up. Born in 1977, Winger was the middle child of a plumber and a bus driver. His mother, who would later come out to the family as Lesbian, encouraged his own creativity by enrolling him into painting classes. For many years, he studied under Sharon Butler exploring traditional, representative painting using brushes.

Understanding that he liked boys at a very young age, he came out to his mother at 12 years old. By the time he made it to high school, he was attempting to reconcile his spirituality with his sexuality. Depression and suicidal thoughts persuaded him to seek advice from a teacher and a preacher, who he feels to this day saved his life.

Publicly coming out in high school was not an easy transition. At the time, there were no support systems for queer youth. Winger was brutally assaulted by a fellow classmate and was hospitalized. It created such a stir that it was covered by the Los Angeles Times giving Winger more attention than he wished for.

“It turned out to have a positive result. Along with my best friend who came out as Bisexual, I helped to found a Gay-Straight Alliance at the school. This led to years of advocacy, establishing numerous Alliances in other County schools, lobbying for Anti-Bullying laws and LGBT activism across the state,” said Winger, who has received state proclamations from the California House and Senate and a GCBAPA (Gold Coast Business and Professional Alliance) Tri-Counties Excellence Award for his work in community service.

While painting took a back seat, Winger’s creativity did not. He found a fascination for photography and music. He played lead guitar and wrote songs for the folkrock band Rain on You, which found moderate success touring the West Coast.

Thirty artworks make up his Assortment series which reveals basic forms floating above a textural grid. While the concept appears visually simple, this series is a meditation on the choices we make in our lives to better ourselves.

“My art is informed by identity within and outside of the gay community. It can be seen as a puzzle. By recognizing the positive and negative, I’m seeking to reveal balance. I want people to see my work and think about finding their own balance by seeing through the noise of modern technology, temptation and the experience of living openly in our world. The works almost act like a form of therapy through composition, form, scale of shapes and color choices.”

“Even through my process of creating art, I am mindful of each mark I make on the surface of the painting. Every mark changes its relationship to all of the other marks. This mirrors what I am trying to express through my art. In life, every decision and action we take reshapes our engagement with the world around us.”

His previous series Intersect was similar to Assortment but the forms were not floating above the grid. Instead, they were woven into the grid like a tapestry. The series, which is almost entirely sold out, had to do with the conflict in our lives as expressed through shape and color.

As Winger looks to the future, he is currently completing a Bachelor’s in Art History from Lindenwood University. He plans to follow that up with a Masters in the Arts and Humanities side of Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He sees his education as a way to enrich himself and build upon the conceptual components of his artwork.

“I enjoy the evolution of my art practice. I hope that my art can shine a light on what brings us together as well as teach us how to treat each other with more compassion.”

Patric Stillman is a visual artist and gallery owner of The Studio Door. If you are an artist in San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community and would like to be featured in an artist profile, please contact Patric for consideration at patric@thestudiodoor.com.

CITY aTTOrNeY News

Mara w. elliott

—Mara W. Elliott was elected City Attorney of San Diego in 2016 after serving as the chief deputy attorney for the Office’s Public Services Section and legal adviser to the city’s Independent Audit Committee and Environment Committee. Elliott and the lawyers in her section held polluters accountable, reformed city contracting, cut administrative red tape, and strengthened the city’s living wage and non-discrimination in contracting ordinances.

Aided by technologies that make it easy to track victims online and in real life, stalking is a growing and often deadly crime that largely targets young people.

Thirty years ago, the term “stalker” was hardly known. Today, more than 1 million victims are stalked every year, most of them women and most of them under 25. Their stalkers are usually someone they know – an ex-boyfriend, a date, or someone at work – and 80 to 90 percent of stalkers are male.

Parents need to be especially vigilant. Children may not rec-

asseMblYMaN ward News Chris

ward

—Assemblymember Chris Ward is a parent of two young children who motivate him every day to make the world a better place.

Chris was elected to serve the 78th Assembly District in November 2020, and quickly got to work on legislative action and constituent services to help state resources reach residents in need. He was appointed as Speaker Pro Tempore in December 2022 and to critical committees important to the priorities of the 78th District.

Hello, Assembly District 78!

My legislative package for this year has been finalized and my bills are starting to move through the legislative process. I wanted to take a minute this month to outline the lifecycle of a bill, so you have an understanding how state bills do or don’t become laws in Sacramento, and how you can provide your feedback at the right times.

The first step for Assemblymembers and Senators is to send their policy idea to the Legislative Counsel where state code language is drafted that specifies how the policy would be implemented. After that, the bill is ready for introduction. When the lawmaker is ready, he or she delivers it to the Chief Clerk or Sec- ognize the point when a romantic interest in them becomes an obsession, or an unrequited crush leads to a desire to control and harm.

Stalking can occur in many ways, but here are some commonly identified tactics:

• Following and watching the victim;

• Showing up uninvited in places such as the victim’s home, workplace, or school;

• Repeatedly seeking information from friends and family;

• Sneaking into the victim’s home or car to scare the victim or let the victim know he’d been there;

• Making repeated phone calls, including hang-ups and voice messages; and

• Sending unwanted texts, emails, social media messages, cards, letters, flowers, or presents.

Advances in technology are adding more tools to a stalker’s toolbox.

Stalkers use social media profiles to monitor the habits, preferences, and likely whereabouts of their victims. They use hidden cameras and recorders to spy on victims and the Internet to post threats or virtually harass them.

Global positioning system (GPS) technology allows stalkers to track a victim’s location. Small GPS devices, like Apple AirTags, can be dropped into a purse or a car window.

My Office prosecuted one stalker who’d attached a GPS device to the bottom of his victim’s car. He was caught on a home surveillance camera as he checked on the device while the car sat in the victim’s driveway.

In another case, the victim got aggressive and threatening texts from her ex, including photos of her damaged car with messages like “this is just the start.”

As with many stalking victims, she changed her phone number. The stalker, consistently persistent, found her new number and contact her 400 times in one day, threatening violence against her, her son, and her ex-husband.

When a restraining order failed to stop the conduct, my Office filed a criminal complaint alleging stalking, annoying or harassing communications, and vandalism. The defendant pleaded guilty to the stalking charge. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, three years of probation, and a 52-week counseling class, and is the subject of a 10-year Criminal Protective Order.

In 1991, California became the first state to make stalking illegal, though the law primarily referred to obsessively pursuing celebrities. It was later expand- ed, and today, every state has stalking laws. tion Commission to study the relationship between vehicle weight and injuries to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, as well as the costs and benefits of imposing a passenger vehicle weight fee to fund road safety features. A wealth of research is linking the increased injuries we see to vehicle weight, and California could join 14 other states in using a weight fee to support infrastructure and reduce accidents. retary who then assigns the policy a bill number – say, AB 123.

Stalking may be charged as a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the facts. My Office handles misdemeanors, and we take all such incidents seriously. We recognize that victims can experience psychological distress, including post-traumatic stress and an increase in suicidal thoughts.

Before we can prosecute, however, we must hear from the victim. Most stalking incidents are not reported out of fear, embarrassment, or a failure to recognize that the behavior is a crime.

If you are a victim or hear about repeated incidents of stalking behavior, please report it to the police. They can investigate, identify the stalker, and take steps to keep you safe. This could include seeking restraining orders, arresting the stalker, or adding patrols to your home or workplace. In some cases, police officers may recommend counseling or other support services to help the victim.

As with any behavior where someone tries to assert power over you, being stalked is a terrifying experience that can take a huge emotional toll – or prove lethal. Calling 911 is not an overreaction.

In addition, my Office’s Your Safe Place – A Family Justice Center offers a safe, supportive environment for victims of stalkers who also experience domestic violence, family violence, or sexual assault. You can find out more at 619-533-6000.

Now, Assembly bills are assigned to one or more policy committees in the Assembly depending on the issue areas covered. Senate bills start in the Senate. Committees typically have several members who vet each bill for merits and potential issues and hear from the bill’s author on why the legislation is needed. The members can also suggest changes to the bill the author can accept or reject. The committee then votes on whether to move the bill forward.

These committee meetings are crucial steps in the legislative process and where your input is valued. Public feedback is important –– not just for those who oppose a bill, but also for those who support it.

Now this is important: You can provide your voice in-person in Sacramento, or by emailing or calling my district office where we will log your position which is sent to me by my staff ahead of votes. There is a portal on my website you can provide comment on any bill.

Incidentally, we have 33 policy committee areas across the Assembly and each member is typically assigned to sit on about five of those. My assignments are Housing and Community Development; Transportation; Labor and Employment; Water, Parks and Wildlife; and the Natural Resources committees. If a bill goes through any other committee, I don’t have a chance to weigh in until a floor vote – if it makes it there at all.

Once it passes out of all committees, it will then go on to the full house for a vote to move forward. As a personal rule, I do not take premature positions on any legislation until it comes time for me to vote. That way, I have all the time necessary to weigh public input and look for possible improvements a bill might receive along the way.

Once a bill is approved by the full Assembly, or Senate, it then moves to the opposite house to go through the same process all over again during the summer months. In the fall, if it passes both houses, the bill is ready to head to the governor’s desk for a signature where he or she has 30 days to sign it into law or veto it.

Legislative Update

Now – with my legislation introduced, I wanted to take second to highlight a few of my bills up for debate: AB 251 would direct the California Transporta-

To address the housing crisis, I’ve introduced three bills that aim to make it easier to build homes. AB 671 will allow a community land trust to purchase residential property and construct accessory dwelling units to provide more affordable housing properties. AB 515 allows refinancing or sales of HCD financed projects to turn loan repayments into affordable housing opportunities. And AB 84 allows property owners to receive the welfare property tax exemption at the time of purchase for land developed and used for low-income housing.

As always, I want to thank you for your support. I’m grateful to be your representative and work on these issues and more. One of the best ways to stay informed is to follow my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where you can know in real time what developments are happening or what I’m working on every day.

And if you need assistance, please know that my district office staff is available and ready to serve or answer any questions I wish you, your family and your neighbors all the best.

After hearing evidence that a former sailor’s DNA was found at a 1990 fatal stabbing scene amid clothing of a gay sailor, a judge ordered the former sailor to stand trial for murder.

Brian Scott Koehl, now 52 and from Tennessee, was 19 years old in San Diego when he allegedly killed Larry Joe Breen, 32, who was stationed aboard the USS Fox CG-33 at the time.

Additionally, Koehl’s bare footprint was found and preserved from the shower where Breen lived in Point Loma at the time, according to testimony. There was a lot of blood in the residence and the killer may have used the shower to rinse off.

After hearing testimony for 1 1/2 days in a March preliminary hearing, San Diego Superior Court Judge Aaron Katz found there was enough evidence to justify a murder trial and set it for July 11. Koehl pleaded not guilty.

A surprise witness included the best man at Koehl’s wedding who said that Koehl confessed to him in 1992 to killing a gay sailor “who came on to me.” The witness, Douglas Jones, testified “he said he stabbed him 19 times... (and) made sure he was dead.”

“Half of me was shocked. Half of me didn’t want to believe it,” said Jones, who added that Koehl told him he wiped his fingerprints off everything before stealing the dead sailor’s car.

Jones said Koehl brought up the subject by saying “I killed somebody” while they were both drinking at a bar and were outside at the time.

“He came out naked and started rubbing me,” Jones quoted Koehl as telling him. “A little faggot came on to me,” Jones said Koehl said. He described Koehl as “homophobic.”

Criminal proceedings resumed March 30 for a man suspected of felony vandalism at the Metropolitan Community Church after a judge determined he was mentally competent to understand court proceedings.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Cindy Davis said she read the psychiatric evaluation of Richard Meza, 28, which was conducted in jail.

A preliminary hearing was set for April 13. Neither Meza’s attorney nor the prosecutor presented any argument. The psychiatric evaluation is not public record, but it is presumed the psychiatrist believed Meza was mentally competent to stand trial.

He is charged with vandalizing a house of worship and committing $4,272 damages in vandalism at the church at 2633 Denver Street. Meza appeared in court March 30 in blue jail clothes.

MCC security cameras captured images of a man throwing a cinderblock, rocks, and a soda bottle at two windows and a glass door at 4 a.m. on January 10. The church sent the images to San Diego Police and Meza was arrested.

The damages have already been fixed after donations and other funds came to $4,074, according to the church’s GoFundMe page and Senior Pastor Dan Koeshall. The glass door on the first door was shattered as well as two windows were broken.

Davis changed Meza’s no bail

ex-saIlOr Ordered TO sTaNd TrIal In GaY murder 33 Years aGo

By Neal Putnam

“He said the blood was slippery and the knife cut his hand,” said Jones, who added that Koehl said he had a scar from the wound.

Jones said he eventually told his wife at the time, and they attempted to report the homicide, which Jones thought occurred in San Francisco.

Jones testified he only learned of the prosecution in this case when Breen’s sister contacted Jones’ wife and was seeking a character letter from him to send to a judge about bail. Jones added he declined to send such a letter.

Breen was found without clothing and deceased in the backyard of a home at the corner of Nimitz Boulevard and Locust Street on May 25, 1990. He was stabbed twice in the neck and lost a lot of blood.

Investigators in the case got a hit using genetic genealogy in which forensic genealogists matched DNA from the crime scene to relatives of Koehl who uploaded their DNA into public databases.

Testimony showed that NCIS agents watched Koehl in Tenn.

and retrieved an Arby’s soda container that he drank out of and discarded. His DNA was confirmed in the lab as matching that of the killer, according to criminalist David Cornacchia.

A retired pathologist for San Diego County, Dr. Leena Jariwala, testified from a wheelchair and she also looked at her report that she wrote in 1990 after she conducted the autopsy.

Jariwala said the two neck wounds caused Breen’s death and said, “the death would be very quick” because of the “extensive injury to the blood vessels.”

She told attorneys she remembered the case, adding “I went to the scene.” Someone asked her age and she replied, “75 plus.”

Jariwala said Breen had a blood/alcohol level of .15 at the time of his death, which meant he was intoxicated. His jugular vein was severed, and he had wounds on his legs and arms, she said.

Cornacchia testified Koehl’s DNA was found on empty beer bottles in Breen’s home along with a blood stain on the wall. Also, Koehl’s DNA was found on the inside of Breen’s jeans, a sock, and a white T-shirt at the scene, said Cornacchia.

Detective Lori Adams testified a bare footprint preserved in Breen’s shower was saved and it matches the left foot of Koehl that was taken after he was arrested in Knoxville, Tenn.

Adams also said other suspects were eliminated over the years in DNA tests.

“Mr. Breen was running for his life,” said Deputy District Attorney Lisa Fox as she summed up the case. “There were numerous wounds all over his body. The DNA links this defendant to this crime.”

Koehl’s attorney, Alicia Freeze, told the judge “There is no one who independently can say what happened 33 years ago.” She described the “shoddy investigation in 1990” by police doesn’t show who the killer is, adding her client’s fingerprints were not found at the crime scene.

“The court feels the evidence presented far exceeds the burden (by the prosecutor),” said Katz, who added that Jones was “a very compelling witness.”

After Koehl was ordered to stand trial, the prosecutor asked the judge to remand him to jail without bail, saying the $500,000 bond he is on is insufficient.

“He has been 33 years on the run. There is no greater flight risk than that,” said Fox.

Freeze asked the judge to allow Koehl to remain free on bond, saying he has made all his court appearances, was cooperative and has “a life in Knoxville” where he lives with his wife.

Katz agreed that Koehl should remain free on $500,000 bond but ordered Koehl to have no contact with Jones.

Koehl waived his right to have a speedy trial.

By Neal Putnam

status to $25,000, but his attorney docketed a bail review for April 5 in hopes another judge would lower it further. Meza remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility.

Koeshall said the church has a $2,500 deductible in the insurance policy, and they decided not to make a claim. Another church donated funds along with a local judge and many others, some from out of state contributed to the GoFundMe page.

Koeshall said the congregation has prayed for the vandal, but that he needs to be held accountable.

“I would want him to get help and then also to prevent that anger from coming out on another innocent person or innocent place,” said Koeshall in an interview with KGTV Channel 10.

The GoFundMe request says MCC “serves a very diverse community where everyone is welcome--regardless of faith, background, race, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”