Tag: california

Netflix Co-Founder Reed Hastings and Wife Dump $2.5 MILLION Into Killing California Voter ID — Same Couple That Bankrolled Newsom and Kamala

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, have written seven-figure checks to stop California voters from requiring ID at the ballot box.

State campaign-finance records show Hastings gave $1 million on September 3 to a labor-backed committee fighting Proposition 39. Quillin separately dumped $1.5 million into an ACLU-tied anti-Prop 39 committee.

Combined, that is $2.5 million from one Silicon Valley household to keep California one of the last states where you can vote without showing a real government ID.

The New York Post first flagged the Hastings check this week. The Fair Political Practices Commission’s (FPPC) latest ballot-measure donor list confirms both gifts.

The FPPC’s top-contributor list shows Hastings gave $1 million to the committee “No on 39 – Block Election Rigging.”

Quillin contributed $1.5 million to “No on Prop. 39 – Californians for Voting Rights.” Together, their reported contributions total $2.5 million.

Proposition 39 is a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment on the November 3, 2026 ballot. It would require:

  • Government-issued identification for in-person voting
  • The last four digits of a designated government ID number on mail-ballot envelopes
  • Election officials to use “best efforts” and government data to verify that registered voters are U.S. citizens
  • Annual public reports on how much of each county’s roll has been citizenship-checked
  • A free state-issued voter ID card for anyone who asks for one

As The Gateway Pundit reported in July and August, Democrat Attorney General Rob Bonta rewrote the ballot language from “Establishes Additional Voter Identification and Citizenship Verification Requirements” into the all-caps smear “PROHIBITS CITIZENS FROM VOTING UNLESS THEY PRESENT GOVERNMENT-ISSUED IDENTIFICATION.”

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DOJ Sues San Jose, Alleging $1,600 Firearm Fee Is Unconstitutional

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the City of San Jose, California, alleging that its nearly $1,600 firearm licensing fee infringes the Second Amendment right to carry firearms for self-defense. The fee has risen by about $300 over three fiscal years to $1,591.

“San Jose is a national outlier when it comes to burdening the exercise of fundamental rights. Its fees are abusive and violate the Second Amendment,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in the Sept. 16 lawsuit.

The DOJ asked the court to issue permanent injunctive relief that would prevent defendants from imposing any “abusive licensing fees.” The San Jose Police Department is also a defendant in the case.

“The City’s law enforcement officers are charged with enforcing its abusive licensing scheme and are doing so. Such law enforcement misconduct is unlawful,” the DOJ added.

In Washington, the nation’s capital, a concealed carry license costs $75, while in New York, a handgun license costs $340. In Boston, the nonrenewable processing fee for a license to carry is $100. And in Philadelphia, a new license to carry firearms costs only $20.

Compared with other California locations, such as San Francisco, Berkeley, Santa Clara, and Alameda County, San Jose’s fees are still high, the DOJ said in the complaint.

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California high school grads score 4.0 GPAs but can’t do basic math, professors say

California high school students are scoring more straight A’s than ever – but it’s not necessarily because they’re getting smarter, according to data and education experts. 

The number of college applicants reporting flawless GPAs of 4.0 or higher has doubled over the past decade even as state testing shows a post-pandemic plunge in reading and math comprehension — revealing a grade-inflation crisis that’s sending students who can’t even do fractions into top universities.

Over the past decade, the number of students applying to the University of California system with straight A’s skyrocketed from 52,989 in 2015 to 103,138 for the class of 2025, with a notable jump during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022, according to UC data reviewed by The Post.

It’s part of a dangerous slide in grading standards as teachers are backhandedly encouraged to hand out inflated marks, according to critics like Glenn Sacks, who teaches social studies in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

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Calif.: Feds raid L.A. nonprofit figures in sweep over multi-million dollar homeless fraud scheme

In a dramatic sweep on Wednesday, federal agents reportedly dismantled a multi-million-dollar corruption network embedded within Los Angeles’ homelessness services sector.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tactical units in Kevlar vests, armed with rifles and bullhorns, descended on multiple South Los Angeles residences to arrest figures accused of skimming taxpayer funds meant to shelter the city’s homeless residents.

The operation targeted figures linked to contracts administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), revealing a deep web of kickbacks, “ghost” participants and lavish personal spending — funded by public aid.

Among those taken into custody during the morning raids was 48-year-old Lakiya Malone, an employee at Special Service for Groups (SSG), a nonprofit operating under LAHSA-funded programs.

Federal prosecutors say that Malone accepted over $180,000 in bribes and kickbacks to approve priority referrals and fabricate ghost participants — which are individuals who never actually received or resided in subsidized housing — to funnel millions in public funds into corrupt hands.

Malone was escorted out of her Westmont residence in handcuffs as First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and other law enforcement officers oversaw the arrest.

Simultaneously, federal agents also swarmed the Baldwin Hills residence of 46-year-old Michael Young, founder of the nonprofit Home At Last. Federal prosecutors charged Young with wire fraud, alleging that he misappropriated more than $7.5 million in public homelessness funds using a network of shell companies and fraudulent billing practices.

Rather than providing shelter, Young purportedly funneled the public cash into commercial real estate, a bingo hall, private vacations and over $1 million to build and operate a restaurant and nightclub called Six Seven Five Lounge in Inglewood.

The sweeps are tied to an expansive, ongoing federal probe into Southern California homeless service providers, which previously ensnared Alexander Soofer, the former executive director of the nonprofit Abundant Blessings.

Soofer, who was charged with orchestrating a $23 million fraud scheme to buy a $7 million Westwood home and finance luxury travel, agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and money laundering while admitting to his role in paying kickbacks to Malone.

Meanwhile, authorities are also searching for a third defendant in the new indictment, Donye Mitchell, 55, who faces federal charges for allegedly fraudulent grant applications exceeding $1.2 million.

Federal officials noted that the exploitation of homeless aid exemplifies a major breach of public trust, promising further action as investigations into L.A.’s homeless aid system continue.


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California Passes Insane New ‘GTFO’ Law Blacklisting Anyone Who Worked for ICE

If California were a person, they would most likely be diagnosed as clinically insane.

In their latest bid to give the finger to the federal government, legislators in late August passed a juvenile, punitive law that would prohibit the state from hiring any agents who worked on immigration enforcement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during Donald Trump’s second presidential term.

It’s called the GTFO Act, which stands for Get the Feds Out, but which could be interpreted in a different, vulgar way. That, I am quite sure, is not accidental. State Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez (CA-84) and Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-CA) were behind the discriminatory act.

Even for the formerly Golden State, this is fourth-rate banana republic stuff.

Now that it’s through the legislature, it’s headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, where he will almost certainly sign it into law to appease his left-wing base as he preps for an all-but-certain presidential campaign. He has until September 30 to make it law.

If he does, expect the measure to be challenged in court — posthaste.

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California Democrat Ex-Mayor Found Liable for Sexually Assaulting Seven Women — Jury Hits Him With $13 Million Bill After State AG Rob Bonta Refused to Charge Him

A Sonoma County jury on Friday delivered a unanimous civil verdict against former Windsor, California, Mayor Dominic Foppoli, finding him liable for sexually assaulting seven women and ordering him to pay more than $13 million in compensatory damages.

According to Fox News, the awards ranged from roughly $6,000 to $4.65 million per plaintiff. Jane Doe 7 received about $4.65 million. Jane Doe 1 received about $3.8 million.

The jury also found the Santa Rosa chapter of the all-male Active 20-30 Club liable in one of the cases and ordered an additional $2 million.

Punitive damages have not been decided. That phase was set to begin this week after jurors found clear and convincing evidence that Foppoli acted with oppression, fraud, or malice.

Foppoli, 44, has never been criminally charged. That is the part California’s political class would prefer you not dwell on.

The allegations first exploded in April 2021, when the San Francisco Chronicle published accounts from four women. By the end of that spring, 13 women had accused the Wine Country politician of sexual assault or misconduct spanning nearly two decades. Foppoli resigned as mayor in May 2021.

Seven of those women filed a joint civil lawsuit in 2022. The trial that just ended ran about eight weeks.

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DOJ Conducting Criminal Investigation Into Governor Newsom’s International Travel and Personal Spending

The Justice Department is investigating California Governor Gavin Newsom’s international travel and personal spending.

The US Attorney’s office issued subpoenas this month requesting testimony and communications with Newsom and others.

Prosecutors requested six years of records from the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit that has paid for Newsom’s international travel.

Newsom has directed millions of dollars in donations to the Protocol Foundation, according to records reviewed by the California Post.

“Since 2019, Newsom has directed more than $7.5 million in donations from outside groups to the Protocol Foundation, according to state records reviewed by The California Post. Roughly $5.1 million of that amount came from leftover inaugural funds,” the California Post reported.

The San Francisco Standard reported:

The federal government is conducting a criminal investigation related to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s international travel and its funding, according to subpoenas reviewed by The Standard.

The subpoenas — which were issued in early September and requested testimony and communications with the governor, among others — seek six years of records involving the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit that has paid for Newsom’s overseas travel, as well as communications with a circle of his current and former aides, advisers, and associates. Those aides include Rebecca Prowda, who oversees Newsom’s overseas travel as his chief protocol officer and is the wife of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

The documents provide the clearest picture yet of the scope of a federal investigation effort Newsom first disclosed in June(opens in new tab), which he said was focused on him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

“The records requested by this subpoena are for use in a criminal investigation pending in the Eastern District of California,” according to one of the subpoenas. It was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Anderson.

The records obtained via subpoena will be presented to a grand jury, a group of jurors that acts like a judge, reviewing evidence and testimony to decide if there’s sufficient grounds for an indictment.

In addition to investigating the Protocol Foundation, federal prosecutors are probing the taxes of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Seibel Newsom.

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Democrat-Appointed California Judge Charged With Sexually Assaulting Courthouse Staff and Cooking Up a Fake Motorcycle Alibi

A Democrat-appointed California judge sat on the Fresno County Superior Court for more than two decades.

Federal prosecutors now say that while he still wore the robe, he led a judicial assistant into a courthouse stairwell and sexually assaulted her, then lied to the FBI and tried to doctor records to cover a second incident involving another court employee found passed out in his chambers.

Adolfo M. Corona was put on the Fresno County Superior Court in 2003 by Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. A judicial profile listed his political affiliation as Democrat. He stayed on the bench until May 1, 2024.

According to ABC30 Fresno, no plea deal has been offered. A trial confirmation hearing is expected in July 2027, with a jury trial tentatively scheduled for August.

According to the news outlet:

Adolfo Corona faces five felony counts, including three counts of making false statements and a count of altering documents. The most serious count is deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in bodily Injury and including a non-consensual sexual act.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Erica P. Grosjean set the tentative trial date for 11 months from now, on Aug. 10. The attorneys in the case estimated the trial could last a month, including the time it takes to select a jury.

[…]

Corcoran and prosecutor Cody Chapple told the judge they had spoken informally about a plea deal. Chapple said his offer was “dead on arrival.”

He told the judge that prosecutors had turned over about 8,600 pages of evidence to Corona’s attorney.

If convicted, Corona could be sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexual assault and 20 years each for the obstruction charges.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice announcement, a federal grand jury indicted Corona on five counts in August 2025.

Prosecutors allege that on March 14, 2024, while Corona was still serving as a judge,he lured a judicial assistant into a courthouse stairwell, where he sexually assaulted her.

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California Is Building an Internet of Age Checks and Identity Gates

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two controversial age verification bills into law: AB 1709 and SB 1119.

Newsom was quoted as saying that Thursday was “a good day for our children,” but both laws will also impact adults by forcing online services to distinguish between users based on age.

AB 1709 deals with features on social media that are considered addictive, such as personalized feeds and autoplay, and prohibits these for California users under 16.

Before being allowed to use these features, users must be verified under the California Digital Age Assurance Act, or another statutory age-determination method. The Act in turn relies on age-bracket signals from operating systems and app stores, which are based on age or birthdate information provided by users. The law includes data-minimization and sharing restrictions, and does not require passports or face scans from all users.

AB 1709 will in effect mean that children will be able to use social media accounts, but without access to personalized feeds, which is how many people discover new content and information, and is a key component of how these platforms work.

But the law doesn’t only affect children; adults who want to use the covered features must also verify their age. In reality, this means that companies behind the platforms will have to act as arbiters of who can and cannot use what features.

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New California Bill Could Completely Disqualify Former ICE Agents from Public Employment

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom could sign a bill that would make former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents unemployable in the state’s public sector.

The legislation, which is called the “Get the Feds Out Act,” — or the “GTFO Act” — was passed by the California Senate at the end of August, per a report from Blaze Media.

The California Assembly already voted 53 to 21 in May to advance the legislation and concurred with Senate amendments in August.

Newsom has not said whether he would sign the bill.

The bill’s legislative findings assert that since President Donald Trump started his second term, ICE agents “have committed grave, inhumane, and horrific patterns of hate, abuse, violence, and even execution.”

They also claimed ICE agents are responsible for “an indiscriminate mass terror campaign against innocent men, women, and children across the nation.”

The bill cited examples of such purported abuses, including the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during altercations with ICE.

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