Tag: california

ExxonMobil Sues California Over Climate Regulations

Energy giant ExxonMobil filed a lawsuit on Oct. 24 against California officials—including Lauren Sanchez, chair of the California Air Resources Board, and Attorney General Robert A. Bonta—accusing the state’s climate disclosure regulations of harming the company.

The complaint, filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of California, is about two climate laws approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2023: SB 253 and SB 261.

SB 253 requires businesses with total annual revenues of more than $1 billion that operate in California to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, while SB 261 requires businesses with more than $500 million in annual revenues operating in the state to develop a report on their climate-related financial risks.

The bills are scheduled to come into effect in 2026.

“Both bills require ExxonMobil to espouse California’s preferred framing for issues of immense public concern,” the company said in its lawsuit.

The bills require the company to “serve as a mouthpiece for ideas with which it disagrees,” it said, while using frameworks that place “disproportionate blame” of emissions and climate risks on companies like ExxonMobil just for “being large.”

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Democrats Cry ‘Voter Intimidation’ as DOJ Deploys Election Monitors to California, New Jersey

The Department of Justice announced Friday it will send election monitors to polling locations across California and New Jersey for the upcoming November 4 general election, citing efforts to ensure transparency and compliance with federal voting laws.

According to a Justice Department press release, monitors from the Civil Rights Division will be present in six jurisdictions—Passaic County, New Jersey; and California’s Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the initiative is meant to “uphold the highest standards of election integrity” and guarantee that “the American people get the fair, free, and transparent elections they deserve.”

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated that “Transparent election processes and election monitoring are critical tools for safeguarding our elections and ensuring public trust in the integrity of our elections.” Acting U.S. Attorney  affirmed his office would “work tirelessly to uphold and protect the integrity of the election process,” while Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba added that “Election protection means making sure every eligible voter can participate freely and every lawful vote is counted.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sharply condemned the announcement in a video message, claiming the Trump administration had “no basis” to send monitors into California polling sites. “This is about voter intimidation. This is about voter suppression, period, full stop,” Newsom declared. He accused federal officials of creating “a chill” through the “federalization of the National Guard” and portrayed the move as similar to “masked men” from ICE or Border Patrol appearing near voting locations. “They do not believe in fair and free elections,” Newsom continued. “Our republic, our democracy, is on the line.”

In a series of posts on X, Newsom wrote, “Donald Trump’s puppet DOJ has no business screwing around with next month’s election,” and called the move “a deliberate attempt to scare off voters and undermine a fair election.” He also asserted, “Trump is sending the DOJ to California to ‘monitor’ the election. His intentions are clear — he wants to suppress the vote. And when we win, he will falsely lay claim to fraud. We will not be intimidated.”

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Ninth Circuit Hands President Trump Sweeping Win Over Gavin Newsom — Trump Can Federalize California National Guard to Enforce Federal Immigration Law

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has denied en banc rehearing in Newsom v. Trump, effectively upholding the earlier panel decision that sided with Trump and affirmed his authority to federalize the California National Guard to support federal immigration enforcement.

When California officials refused to cooperate with federal agents, Trump invoked § 12406(3), federalizing and deploying 4,000 members of the California National Guard to Los Angeles to secure ICE facilities and restore order.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and the State of California sued over President Trump’s order, claiming it was unconstitutional and violated state sovereignty.

Newsom wrote at the time:

“We are suing Donald Trump. This is a manufactured crisis. He is creating fear and terror to take over a state militia and violate the U.S. constitution. The illegal order he signed could allow him to send the military into ANY STATE HE WISHES. Every governor — red or blue — should reject this outrageous overreach. There’s a lot of hyperbole out there. This isn’t that. This is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism that threatens the foundation of our republic. We cannot let it stand.”

US District Judge Charles Breyer (brother of retired SCOTUS Breyer), a Clinton appointee, granted Newsom a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and said Trump’s decision to federalize the National Guard was illegal.

But the appellate panel ruled that the statute clearly empowers the President to act whenever he is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”

In practical terms, this means the Commander-in-Chief may call Guard troops into federal service when local or federal law-enforcement personnel cannot safely or effectively enforce the law.

After Senior Judge Marsha S. Berzon, joined by several liberal colleagues, requested a full-court rehearing, a vote of active Ninth Circuit judges failed to secure a majority, and rehearing en banc was denied on Wednesday. That denial makes the earlier Trump victory final within the circuit and binding precedent across nine Western states.

Judge Marsha Berzon’s 38-page dissent argued that the ruling “invited presidents, now and in the future, to deploy military troops… in response to commonplace, short-lived, domestic disturbances.”

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International Student from China Accused of Drugging and Raping Multiple Women on Campus

A Chinese national faces felony charges after he reportedly drugged and raped three women while enrolled at the University of Southern California.

Sizhe “Steven” Weng, 30, allegedly committed the crimes between 2021 and 2024 while pursuing his doctoral degree, according to a Wednesday news release published by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

He was arraigned Sept. 2 and pleaded not guilty to all felony charges: one count of forcible rape; two counts of sodomy by controlled substance or anesthesia; one count of rape by controlled substance; and four counts of sexual penetration by controlled substance or anesthesia, according to the release.

“No one should ever have to endure the trauma of being drugged, sexually assaulted and stripped of their ability to consent,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.

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Woke California Sheriff Who Gave Her Lover a Job and Demanded $10 Million for “Racial Discrimination” is Kicked Out of Office

A woke and corrupt California Sheriff from one of the state’s wealthiest counties made ignominious history last week, thanks to her actions. Not even crying racism could save her.

As the AP reported, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on October 14 to kick Sheriff Christina Corpus out of office. The vote was a unanimous 5-0 decision.

This is the first time in California history that a county sheriff has been removed from office.

Corpus was furious following the decision and slammed the board.

“You may remove me from office, but you will not erase the truth,” she stated at the meeting.

“I may lose my title, but I will never, ever lose my purpose,” Corpus added.

Corpus’s removal comes after retired Superior Court Judge James Emerson found cause to remove Corpus after a two-week trial. This trial uncovered evidence showing just how scandalous her two-plus years in office were.

From the AP:

Emerson found that Corpus had “a close personal relationship outside the boundaries of a professional working relationship” with a subordinate, unlawfully ordered the arrest of the president of the sheriff’s deputies’ union, and retaliated against a captain who refused to conduct the union president’s arrest because he believed it violated state law.

The Daily Mail notes that Judge LaDoria Cordell released a 408-page report showing that Corpus had a romantic relationship with Victor Aenlle, who was her chief of staff. He made more than $246,000 a year working for her.

A separate 59-page report compiled by the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters went into further detail. The firm discovered through its investigation that Corpus and Aenlle were seen kissing and that he gave her luxury boots and money for $12,000 earrings.

The report also confirmed Corpus refused to perform her duties, obstructed investigations, and coddled Aenlle, who had never bothered to complete deputy training.

Rather than accept responsibility, Corpus decided to cry racism and sue San Mateo County for $10 million for “racial discrimination.” She claimed they were targeting her for being a “Latinx” woman.

But San Mateo residents were not impressed. As The Daily Mail reported, a vote held in March found that 84% wanted her out of office.

The vote approved Proposition A, which gave the board of supervisors the authority to fire Corpus.

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Judge approves class action against California ‘gender secrecy’ amid debate on transgenderism

As debate rages on the frequency of transgender identification in youth, California’s pressure on public schools to hide students’ gender identity at odds with sex from their parents is facing a mortal blow.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez certified a class and four subclasses Wednesday to challenge The Golden State’s so-called gender secrecy practices, two and a half years after teachers Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West sued Escondido Unified School District to stop muzzling them so they could inform parents about their children’s in-school identities. 

The class covers all individuals who are “participating or will participate in California’s public education system, whether as employees or parents/guardians of students, without having to subject themselves to Parental Exclusion Policies.” 

The subclasses – “appropriate where class members have separate and discrete legal claims” – cover employees who object to the policies or “submit a request for a religious exemption or opt-out to complying” with them, and parents or guardians with children in school who object or seek an exemption or opt-out.

It’s the first such class certification on the subject in the nation, the plaintiffs’ lawyers at the Thomas More Society told Just the News.

The order comes a month before a summary judgment hearing where Benitez could rule, without a trial, against the practices as a violation of parents’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights “to direct their children’s upbringing” and teachers’ free speech and religious freedom rights, the public interest law firm said.

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California Court Blocks Trump Admin’s Access to SNAP Recipients’ Data

A San Francisco district court temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Oct. 15 from accessing information about food stamp recipients in several states.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit jointly with 20 other states against the USDA in July, alleging the agency violated several federal laws and the U.S. Constitution by asking for detailed information about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.

“The Trump Administration can try all it wants to strong arm states into illegally handing over data, but we know the rule of law is on our side,” Bonta said in a statement.

“We will continue to vigorously litigate this lawsuit and defend our communities, protect privacy, and ensure that remains a tool for fighting hunger—not a weapon for political targeting.”

The USDA has threatened to cut off some federal funding to states that don’t hand over SNAP data.

California receives more than $1 billion a year to administer the program.

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Scandalous past of Lake Tahoe mayor who resigned after stealing $300,000 from church while claiming she had depression

The former mayor of South Lake Tahoe who resigned after admitting to stealing $300,000 from a church was previously accused of defrauding an insurance company.

Tamara Wallace had served as mayor of the California city since December 2024, and for one year in 2022, but resigned on Monday after admitting to the theft.

The scandal-plagued mayor sent a confessional letter to several local news outlets, blaming her struggles with mental health for stealing from the Presbyterian Church over several years. 

But Wallace also previously faced a lawsuit from Federal Insurance Company, now a subsidiary of insurance firm Chubb, for ‘theft of funds’ totaling over $100,000, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The records reviewed by the outlet showed that Wallace agreed to repay the money after the alleged fraud was discovered in 2006, but then failed to repay the cash, prompting a second lawsuit from the firm in 2021. 

The lawsuits reportedly did not give details over how Wallace allegedly stole from the insurance company, however the first lawsuit was dismissed months after it was filed. 

The second lawsuit alleged that Wallace fraudulently received a payout of $122,193, but then failed to follow a payment plan that she had agreed to 15 years before when it was found to be erroneous. 

The company said Wallace agreed to pay just $200-a-month until the balance was paid off, but she stopped paying around February 2017, despite an agreement that she would be liable for the full amount if she ceased her payments. 

After Wallace was allegedly caught in 2006, she signed a promissory note acknowledging she owed the money and insisted she would pay it back, the company said. 

At the time she stopped paying, Wallace still owed more than $110,000, the Chronicle reported. 

In June 2022 Wallace was ordered by a judge to repay the company, and she signed a second promissory note agreeing to make $400 monthly payments, on top of a $2500 initial payment. 

The emergence of the alleged insurance fraud adds another layer to the political scandal which forced her to leave office earlier this month. 

Dana Tibbitts, a member of the El Dorado County Government Watch group, told the Chronicle after the scandal emerged, ‘the most important thing is that (the theft from the church) was not her first rodeo. 

‘She has been down this road a long time… and we probably don’t know the half of it.’ 

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California: 10 Teams Have Forfeited to Volleyball Team with Transgender Player

A total of 10 teams have now forfeited to the Jurupa Valley High School girls’ volleyball team in California due to the inclusion of a transgender athlete on its roster.

“Los Osos High School forfeited a tournament game against Jurupa Valley on Saturday, while Patriot High School forfeited its Monday varsity match, marking its second forfeit to JVHS this season. Patriot High School previously forfeited a Sept. 26 match to Jurupa Valley,” Fox News reported on Wednesday.

A California school board president familiar with the matter confirmed that only the Patriot High School varsity team forfeited to JVHS, while the JV and freshman teams did play.

No school has given an official reason for the forfeits. As many as two Jurupa Valley senior players, Alyssa McPherson and Hadeel Hazameh, quit the team this season in protest of sharing a court with a transgender athlete, which Jurupa Valley High School has continued to support.

“McPherson and Hazameh have also filed a lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District, citing their experience playing and sharing a locker room with Hernandez the previous three seasons. McPherson’s older sister and former JVHS girls’ volleyball player, Madison McPherson, is the third plaintiff in that lawsuit,” noted Fox News.

“Jurupa Valley is poised to play in the postseason, where forfeits may continue. Last season, a Christian high school girls’ volleyball team in northern California, Stone Ridge Christian, forfeited a playoff game to San Francisco Waldorf, which had a trans athlete on its team,” it added.

Jurupa Valley previously addressed the forfeits, saying that the school must comply with the law.

“We understand and acknowledge the disappointment of our Jurupa Valley High School athletes who are ready and prepared to play. Decisions to cancel matches were made by teams in other districts,” the statement read. “As a public school district in California, JUSD is compelled to follow the law, which protects students from discrimination based on gender identity and requires that students be permitted to participate on athletic teams that are consistent with their gender identity (California Education Code 221.5 (f)).”

“This is consistent with the guidance provided by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond,” it continued. “We are proud of our JVHS Jaguars and their willingness to play any team and represent their school and our district with pride. We are currently working to find additional matches to give them that opportunity.”

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Billionaires’ controversial plans for new California city are dealt humiliating blow as they unveil alternative

A group of billionaires have scrapped their plans to build a new California city from scratch and unveiled a new alternative. 

The real estate consortium, known as California Forever, initially planned to build a brand new metropolis in Solano County. 

They began buying up parcels of land under a pseudonym in 2023, but this raised suspicion among locals. 

Amid the controversy the group has now abandoned their original plans and revealed the project will be going forward as an annexation of an existing city.

California Forever CEO Jan Sramek, 38, said the group now intends to establish its development as an offshoot from nearby Suisan City, a small hub of around 30,000 residents.

Sramek unveiled a 40-year master plan to build the city on its new spot northeast of San Francisco. 

The project has drawn in high-profile backers, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, tech titan Marc Andreesen, and Steve Jobs’ widow and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs. 

The latest plans will see Suisan City expand by 22,873 acres, including a 5,700-acre security buffer zone near Travis Air Force Base, reports Realtor.com. 

The consortium have lauded the plans for their new megacity, and have designated at least 20 percent of the city to parks, trails, ecological habitats and community gardens. 

The city’s proximity to Travis Air Force Base sparked concern among some locals who feared the quiet purchase of the land could be related to a foreign plot, similarly to the Chinese government buying American farmland in recent years. 

But Sramek said that the land was bought covertly because the group did not want speculators to drive up land prices in the area. 

The latest plans have been signed off by military leaders at the air force base, who say that construction would not interfere with its military operations. 

Sramek has touted the proposed city as ‘the most walkable community in America’, and says it will feature an entertainment district, a new shipyard, and a tech-focused hub. 

He says the design will combine New York-style street grids, as well as city designs from Barcelona and Tokyo, to make the city easy to navigate. 

‘Like California’s fusion cuisine, we drew inspiration from the best designs from across the world to create something delightful,’ he said in an X post. 

He also says the city will be more affordable for many, and will utilize ‘a small parcel fabric where lots of people co-create a real city.’ 

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