Tag: California

Thousands of Pedophiles Released from California Prisons After Less than a Year: Report

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More than 7,000 pedophiles convicted of “lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age” were released from California prisons the same year they were convicted, according to the Daily Mail.

The crimes included child rape, continuous sexual abuse of a child, sodomy with a child under 16 and kidnapping a child under 14 “with intent to commit lewd or lascivious acts,” according to the Daily Mail. The outlet analyzed data on thousands of convicts in California’s Megan’s Law database and found that individuals convicted of sexually abusing children were serving only months in jail or prison; Megan’s law requires that certain information about convicted sex offenders be made public.

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California to Face Budget Shortfall Amid Mass Exodus of Business Owners

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The state of California is facing a budget deficit of $25 billion going into 2023, the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) reports.

According to the Daily Caller, the LAO’s Wednesday report claimed that the primary reason for the deficit will be the shortcomings in the state’s tax revenue, which will ultimately be about $41 billion less than originally projected. Corporate tax revenue in the state is expected to drop by about $6 billion from fiscal year 2021-2022 to 2023-2024, and personal income tax revenue has also declined, from $135.9 billion in the prior fiscal year to an estimated $122.6 billion in the coming fiscal year.

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Commentary: To America’s Permissive Addiction ‘Fix,’ Critics Just Say No

RealClearWire

After nine years as a homeless drug addict in Los Angeles, Jared Klickstein finally checked himself into a drug treatment center. Unlike the program he had gone to six years before, which had hot tubs, acupuncture, and trips to the beach, this one, in North Hollywood, was deadly serious about personal responsibility. Clients kept a strict schedule. They did chores. They scrubbed toilets. “No hot tubs,” Klickstein said. 

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Early Returns Show Voters in Five States Defending Abortion-Related Measures

Susan Berry, PhD

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that returned the question of abortion limits back to the states, unofficial election results in five states show voters opted to codify abortion as a constitutional right, defend expanded access to abortion, and deny lifesaving care to infants born alive despite an abortion attempt.

More than 133,000 Vermont voters – about 72 percent – appear to have supported a ballot measure that made the state the first to enshrine abortion in its constitution. Nearly 42,000 voters, or about 22 percent, voted against the measure, while 9,000, or about 5 percent, left the ballot question blank, The Hill reported.

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Ahead in the Polls, Kari Lake Tests New Theme: Don’t Let America Become California

Just the News

Ahead in the polls and garnering national attention, Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake is teasing a new message that could catch on for conservatives in 2024: California is the evil empire for freedom-loving Americans.

“We’re not interested in those liberal, leftist California-style policies in Arizona,” Lake said on Friday during an interview on the “Just the News, No Noise” television show.

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Democratic Secretaries of State Warn ‘Independent State Legislature Theory’ Would Upend Elections

The Center Square

Thirteen Secretaries of State led by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in Moore v. Harper, a case that will have the court considering the “independent state legislature” theory.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Moore v. Harper in December, a case brought forth after the Republican-controlled North Carolina Legislature adopted a new congressional voting map based on 2020 Census results. A group of Democratic voters and nonprofit organizations alleged the map was a partisan gerrymander that violated the state constitution and challenged it in court, according to Ballotpedia.

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California’s Economy Hurting as Companies Flee in Droves

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California officials are sounding the alarm after recent statistics showed that fewer corporate and start-up activity in the state was leading to a decline in tax revenue, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

This year, just nine companies based in the state had held initial public offerings (IPOs), which is when a company first lists shares for sale on the stock market – considered a milestone in its growth after strong activity and high valuation, the report revealed. In 2021, California – whose start-up ecosystem in ‘Silicon Valley’ is considered the most prodigious in the world – saw 81 companies conduct IPOs, making 2022 a year of a nine-fold decrease.

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Center for Arizona Policy’s Cathi Herrod: Abortion Clinics Are Reportedly Getting Around Arizona’s Abortion Law

Rachel Alexander

After the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich declared that Arizona’s old law banning almost all abortions was back in effect. Some abortion doctors and clinics have been finding ways around it, even though legal challenges successfully got an injunction put in place temporarily halting the 1901 law last Friday. Arizona’s new law banning abortions after 16 weeks, which went into effect this month, has survived requests for injunctions.

Cathi Herrod, the president of the Center for Arizona Policy, posted a statement on the local conservative tipsheet Republican Briefs about what has been reported occurring. “At least one Arizona abortion ‘clinic’ is now reportedly giving pregnant women ultrasounds to determine gestational age, then facilitating a telehealth appointment with a California doctor, who then sends the abortion pills to a post office in a California/Arizona border town to be picked up by the expectant woman,” she said. “Another abortion ‘clinic’ reportedly has been referring women to a doctor in another country with the abortion pills then being mailed to an Arizona woman from India. Still, others are raising funds to pay for women to travel to other states for abortions. One abortionist sends women to his facility in Las Vegas for abortions.”

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Rob Schneider Moves from California to ‘Freer’ Arizona After Growing Tired of Democrat Rule

Neil Jones

Famed Actor and Comedian Rob Schneider shared Wednesday why he chose to move to Arizona in 2020 from his home in California, which he once thought would be the place he lived forever, because of the Democratic party.

“I don’t want the Democratic party trying to run my life, and there’s not one aspect of your life they don’t want to interfere with, so I had it with them. I got out of California and moved to the slightly freer state of Arizona,” Schneider said while speaking on “Fox & Friends.”

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Doctors File Lawsuit to Block California Law Threatening Physicians for Practicing Medicine Independent of Government Narrative

Susan Berry, PhD

Two California doctors filed a federal lawsuit that seeks to block a California law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) last week that threatens the free speech rights of physicians to provide full informed consent to their patients about the risks of COVID-19 mRNA shots and benefits of early treatment with off-label drugs.

The new law threatens to punish doctors who do not support the government’s established narrative, called the “scientific consensus,” on COVID-19 with revocation of their license, and livelihood.

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Gavin Newsom Signs Bill to Punish Doctors for Providing COVID-19 Vaccine Informed Consent Information Not Backed by Government and Big Pharma

Susan Berry, PhD

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Friday a bill that allows the medical boards of California to be used as government overseers as they discipline doctors who provide their patients with informed consent about the risks of the COVID-19 mRNA shots and the benefits of early treatment for COVID disease with off-label drugs.

Newman signed AB 2098, which labels as “unprofessional conduct,” a doctor’s discussion about the benefits of early treatment of COVID with effective, readily available, and inexpensive medications already in use for years.

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New York Will Ban Gas Car Sales by 2035, Copying California

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Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said Thursday that it will follow California’s lead by banning the sale of gasoline-powered cars and light trucks by 2035.

All passenger cars, pickup trucks and SUVs sold in the state will have to be classified as “zero-emissions vehicles” by no later than 2035, according to a press release. Hochul directed the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation to begin implementing the new rules that will also require 35% of state vehicle sales to consist of electric cars by 2026, rising to 68% by 2030.

“With sustained state and federal investments, our actions are incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles,” Hochul said.

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Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Making California Sanctuary State for Parents Seeking Child Transgender Surgery

Susan Berry, PhD

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill (SB-107) into law Thursday that makes his state a safe haven for parents who want their gender dysphoric children to be treated with drugs and surgeries when their own states have attempted to protect minors from such life-altering interventions.

“In California we believe in equality and acceptance,” Newsom said in his signing message. “We believe that no one should be prosecuted or persecuted for getting the care they need – including gender-affirming care.”

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Catholic Leader: Gov. Gavin Newsom Citing Scripture to Promote Taking Life of Unborn Baby ‘Demonic’

Susan Berry, PhD

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) decision to rent billboard space to use scripture to promote the abortion industry in his state amounts to “demonic behavior,” wrote Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League Tuesday.

Newsom rented billboards in pro-life states – which he refers to as “anti-freedom” states – for ads attacking their abortion restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

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California Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon

Just the News

California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Wednesday an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, claiming that the retail giant “stifled competition and caused increased prices” in the state. 

“Amazon coerces merchants into agreements that keep prices artificially high, knowing full well that they can’t afford to say no. With other e-commerce platforms unable to compete on price, consumers turn to Amazon as a one-stop shop for all their purchases,” Bonta said. “This perpetuates Amazon’s market dominance.” 

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Poll: Most Americans Would Rather Live in Florida than California

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American voters prefer Florida to California by a three to two margin, a new poll from WPA Intelligence found.

When asked where they would prefer to live, 61% of registered voters said they would rather live in Florida and 39% chose California, the poll, conducted Aug. 22-25, found. Independents and Republicans showed an even stronger preference for Florida, while Democrats preferred California.

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California Could Offer $1,000 Tax Incentives for Car-Free Life for Low-Income Residents

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California could soon offer a tax incentive to certain households that do not own cars under a bill awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s consideration.

Senate Bill 457, which passed the Legislature on the final day of session last week, would offer a $1,000 tax credit per household starting in January 2023 to certain low-income taxpayers who do not own a vehicle. The bill specifies that spouses jointly filing making $60,000 or less and individuals who make $40,000 or less would be qualified for the tax credit.

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Arizona Congressman Urges California to Cut Its Colorado River System Water Use

The Center Square

A U.S. Congressman has a request for California Gov. Gavin Newsom: reduce the state’s use of water from the Colorado River. 

U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, a Phoenix Democrat, penned a letter to Newsom telling him that because the Colorado River system faces becoming a deadpool, it needs every basin state to take action to prevent an economic catastrophe.

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California’s Clean Car Rules to Take Effect for Just One Model Year in Minnesota

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Because the state of California is amending its “clean car” emissions standards, Minnesota will be abiding by the old California standards it chose to adopt for only one model year.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) admitted as much in a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against them by the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association (MADA). The lawsuit argues the MPCA wrongfully outsourced its legal authority.

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Commentary: Nuclear Power Is Making a Big Comeback All Around the World

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The Wall Street Journal recently reported that California Gov. Gavin Newsom was spearheading an eleventh-hour effort to pass legislation to extend a lifeline to Diablo Canyon, a 2,250-megawatt nuclear plant that supplies some 8 percent of the energy produced in the Golden State.

Under pressure from lawmakers and environmental activists, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) agreed in 2016 to decommission Diablo when its operating licenses expire in 2024 and 2025. But in light of the recent energy policy environment, California lawmakers had second thoughts.

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Commentary: Mandating Kindergarten Is a Bad Idea

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This back-to-school season, many parents are eager to drop-off their kindergarteners to begin the 13-year journey toward high school graduation. It can be a joyful time, full of anticipation and excitement. But just because something may be desirable for many families doesn’t mean it should be mandatory for all.

California is the latest state to try to mandate kindergarten for all students, angling to become the 20th to do so. The California legislature recently passed a bill for compulsory kindergarten attendance that is now awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature.

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Tucson City Council Moves in Favor of Increased Electric Vehicle Readiness; Rising Costs a Concern

Neil Jones

The Tucson City Council recently approved an amendment to the Unified Development Code to ensure that new commercial development in Tucson is Electric Vehicle (EV) ready.

“These new regulations would require all new commercial development, multi-family, office, and retail to include EV stations or outlets, as well as conduit to support future expansion of EV capacity,” according to the city of Tucson. “These new requirements come after more than a year of stakeholder and public engagement, community input, and technical analysis to develop the proposal.”

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California Democrats Pass Bill That Could Pay Fast Food Workers Up to $22 an Hour

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Democratic legislators in California passed a bill on Monday that will create an unelected state-run board to impose minimum wage and working conditions standards on the state’s fast food restaurants.

The bill, known as A.B. 257, will establish a ten-member council, made up of state officials as well as worker and employer representatives, to set employees’ wages, hours and working conditions for California’s entire fast food industry. The bill stipulates that the council has the authority to issue health, safety and anti-discrimination regulations as well as set an industrywide minimum wage of up to $22 per hour, according to the bill’s text.

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California Social Media Bill Could Force Big Tech to Run Facial Scans on Children

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California legislators passed a bill Tuesday that, if signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, will require social media companies to consider the mental health of minors that use their products before releasing them to the public.

The legislation would require companies to bolster privacy and security measures for products likely to be used by children and to consider and address potential mental health risks they pose to children. The bill comes amid increasing pressure on companies like TikTok and Instagram following a 2021 report that Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, knew its products were harming teenage girls’ mental health but didn’t fix the issues.

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Commentary: California May Be Flooring It to the ‘Clean’ Energy Future, but Its Transmission Is Slipping Badly

RealClearWire

CALIFORNIA CITY — California’s precariously out-of-date hybrid power grid can’t handle the state’s growing amounts of solar and wind energy coming online, with system managers already forcing repeated cutbacks in renewables and a continued reliance on conventional energy to keep the grid stable, according to state data.

The shortcomings of the transmission grid, which energy consultants in this bellwether state have warned about for years, raise the prospect that marquee products of the growing battery economy such as electric vehicles – “emission free” on the road – will be recharged mainly from traditional electricity-generating power plants: energy from fossil fuels, some of it from out of state.

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Washington Will Ban Gas Cars, Copying California

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Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington announced Wednesday that his state would be following California’s lead in banning the purchase of all gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

Inslee touted California’s new rule, which was approved on Thursday, and stated that Washington was ready to adopt the rule to prohibit the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 at the end of 2022, according to a tweet he posted. The governor also said that his state already set an unenforced goal for all new car sales to be zero emissions vehicles by 2030, a move that would attempt to phase out cars powered by an internal combustion engine.

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California to Ban Any New Gas-Powered Cars by 2035

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In perhaps the most radical push yet for so-called “green energy” alternatives, the state of California has announced plans to ban the sale of any new gas-fueled cars by the year 2035.

On Thursday, as reported by the New York Post, the California Air Resources Board is set to approve a resolution called the Advanced Clean Cars II act, which will initiate a phase-out of gas-powered vehicles across the state of California over the next 12 years.

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30 Months into the COVID-19 Pandemic, at Least a Dozen States Are Under ‘Emergency’ Orders

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In October 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court stripped Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of the unilateral powers she was using when she declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whitmer had been using a 1945 law – which was prompted by a three-day race riot in Detroit three years earlier – that had no sunset provision in it and didn’t require approval by the state legislature.

In May 2021, Whitmer told a news agency that if she still had that 1945 state-of-emergency law, she would use those powers, but not for anything related to a pandemic.

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Study: One in Five New Tennesseans from California

Peter D'Abrosca

As Tennessee experiences a massive influx of new residents from across the country, a study found that one state in particular is a popular feeder for the Volunteer State. 

“Our 2022 data shows that California is the largest contributor to Tennessee’s population increase,” according to a MoveBuddha study. “Nearly a quarter (22.14%) of all search queries for moves into Tennessee are from the Golden State.”

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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont Pitches State’s ‘Family-Friendly’ Pro-Abortion Stance to Businesses While Costs Soar Due to Diesel Tax Increase

Susan Berry, PhD

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s (D) recent video pitch encourages businesses to relocate to his “family friendly” state where women are welcome to end the lives of their unborn babies, but neglects to mention his now effective 23 percent tax increase in diesel fuel is crushing businesses and consumers already reeling from unprecedented inflation and high gas prices.

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California Adds Arizona, Other States, to No-Travel List

The Center Square

California is restricting state-funded travel to several states because its politicians disagree with political policies enacted by those states over the past several months.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the state is restricting state-funded travel to Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana and Utah because of what it refers to as “anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently enacted in each state.” Most states were added because they passed laws preventing biological males from competing in women’s sports.

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California ‘Equitable Math’ Program Postponed as New National Civics Curriculum Launched

The Center Square

Many California parents are celebrating wins this week after a controversial school district superintendent was fired for making comments about Asian students and the state’s proposed equitable math program has been postponed from being implemented.

At the same time, a new framework for civics was launched nationally. Advocates are praising the education reform initiatives that have already begun in Florida and Louisiana.

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Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Charged in Connection with DUI

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul was charged Thursday with two alcohol-related misdemeanors after a driving collision in May that led to his arrest, according to the Napa County District Attorney’s office.

Pelosi was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with injury and driving with a .08% blood alcohol level or higher causing injury, the district attorney’s office said Thursday in a press release. The lawmaker’s husband, a venture capitalist living in San Francisco, was arrested and taken to the Napa County Detention Center in late May.

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Ohio Group Joins Fight Against California’s Livestock Regulations

The Center Square

An Ohio group joined the fight against a California proposition that it believes imposes illegal regulations on the pork industry across the country.

The Buckeye Institute, a Columbus-based policy group, filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court recently in a case filed by the National Pork Producers Council that challenges California’s Proposition 12, saying it violates the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, which restricts states from regulating commerce outside their borders.

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Armed California Man Arrested Near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Home Allegedly Told Police He Wanted to Kill Kavanaugh

Susan Berry, PhD

An armed California man arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home Wednesday allegedly told police officers he wanted to kill Kavanaugh in the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion in the Mississippi abortion law case that could overturn Roe v. Wade.

Fox News has reported the suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske of Simi Valley, California, and had been carrying a gun, knife, and pepper spray when arrested in Montgomery County, Maryland.

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Arizona Gained 80,033 People, $4.8 Billion in Gross Income in 2020, Per IRS

The Center Square
Arizona Capitol

IRS migration data show Arizona gained 80,033 more people from tax-filing families than it lost – mostly from California – gaining billions of dollars in income in the process. 

The Internal Revenue Service tracks interstate migration using tax filings that had moved from one state to another and how many dependents they brought along. After subtracting the number of outgoing residents, the state gained 80,033 taxpayers and their dependents that filed in 2019 in another state but filed as an Arizona resident in 2020.

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