Tag: california

California Senators Approve Bill To Let Marijuana Growers Sell Directly To Consumers At Farmers Markets

California senators have advanced an Assembly-passed bill that would allow regulators to issue a new license allowing small marijuana growers to sell their products directly to consumers at state-organized farmers markets and other temporary events.

The legislation from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D) was unanimously approved in the Senate Appropriations Committee in a 4-0 vote on Thursday. Adults would also be able to consume cannabis on-site at approved events.

The bill cleared the Assembly in late May with nearly unanimous support before moving to the Senate, where it passed through two committees. It now heads to the floor.

If approved, it will still need to go back to the Assembly for concurrence on Senate amendments, including one stipulating that the licensee can only sell and allow on-site consumption at “state temporary events.” The original language was broader, permitting such activity at “specified temporary events.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee also amended the legislation to delay implementation until January 1, 2026.

Under the proposal, the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) would be authorized to issue “a state temporary event license to a licensee authorizing onsite cannabis sales to, and consumption by, persons 21 years of age or older at certain venues expressly approved by a local jurisdiction, as specified,” the bill text says.

Local jurisdictions would need to consent to allowing the events in order for a license to be granted.

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Kamala Harris Slammed as ‘Critical’ Supporter of California Law That Increased Crime

As the California legislature works to reform a decade-old law that politicians on both sides of the aisle predominantly oppose, claiming it has destroyed the Golden State, Vice President Kamala Harris is a “critical” supporter of the measure.

Fox News reported that the law, Proposition 47, was introduced in 2024 and reclassifies multiple felonies, such as retail and property theft, as misdemeanors.

The law classifies petty theft of goods valued below $950 as a misdemeanor. This classification also corresponds to multiple offenses.

Proposition 47 also converted a slew of felonies dealing with narcotics possession to misdemeanors.

In 2023, the California legislature worked together to introduce a bill to amend Proposition 47, called the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act.

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California Regulators Propose Gov’t Takeover Of Oil Refineries To Stave Off Energy Crisis

California regulators have proposed a variety of government intrusions into the petroleum industry in order to combat future energy price surges, according to a report released Thursday by the California Energy Commission (CEC).

As the Golden State continues to pursue its green agenda, the CEC expects some of California’s nine oil refineries to be shuttered due to falling demand, which would give the remaining refineries increased pricing power and raise the possibility of a surge in gas prices, the study concluded. To solve this problem, the commission proposed a variety of government interventions, including expanded regulation on private refineries, the establishment of state-owned refineries and an increase in imports. (RELATED: Chevron Leaving California Behind After Years Of ‘Adversarial’ Dem Policies)

“The deployment of ZEVs [zero-emission vehicles] and a robust mass transit system are critical for achieving the state’s climate goals, reducing local air pollution, and eventually eliminating dependence on the volatile global petroleum markets. As demand for gasoline shrinks, refineries may close or convert to processing clean transportation fuels,” the report states. “This will lead to fewer gasoline refineries, with increased market concentration and associated market problems that often accompany it.”

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Newsom issues executive order for removal of homeless encampments in California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday to direct state agencies on how to remove homeless encampments, a month after a Supreme Court ruling allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces.

Newsom’s order is aimed at the thousands of tents and makeshift shelters across the state that line freeways, clutter shopping center parking lots and fill city parks. The order makes clear that the decision to remove the encampments remains in local hands.

The order comes after a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this summer allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces. The case was the most significant on the issue to come before the high court in decades and comes as cities across the country have wrestled with the politically complicated issue of how to deal with a rising number of people without a permanent place to live and public frustration over related health and safety issues.

“There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part,” Newsom said in a statement.

While Newsom cannot order local authorities to act, his administration can apply pressure by withholding money for counties and cities.

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California pushing radical “LGBTQ+” propaganda on state employees, reveals mental health professional

More than 250,000 people work for the state of California, meaning “We the People of the Golden State.” And from now on, all of them are required to undergo “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) propaganda courses showcasing LGBTQ+ perversion in order to remain employed.

Elizabeth Jones, an employee for the California Department of State Hospitals (DSH), wrote an article for LifeSiteNews that explains what the forced indoctrination classes entail.

DSH employs about 13,000 people whose job it is to provide mental health services to around 6,500 patients at five state-run hospitals: Atascadero, Coalinga, Metropolitan (in Los Angeles County), Napa and Patton.

Jones spent about two hours clicking through a mandatory course within DSH called “DSH LGBTQ+ Training 2024” that instructs employees about what so-called “LGBTQ affirming care is, how to deliver it and why it matters.”

The beginning of the course features a psychologist and social worker at Napa State Hospital breaking down the difference between “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”

“I was informed that ‘sexual orientations’ include ‘heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual and pansexual,'” Jones writes. “Pansexual, according to my notes, ‘means that the person’s sexual behavior and attraction is rooted in connection with the other person, rather than the gender the other person chooses to adopt’ – denying our bodily reality.”

“‘Gender identities,’ on the other hand, describe ‘the labels we put on ourselves regardless of our sexual orientation’ and include woman, man, ‘trans-man, trans-woman, cisgender, transgender, gender non-binary, gender fluid and gender queer,'” added Jones.

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California Bill Making Child Prostitution a Felony Gets Watered Down After Woke Activists Claim it Will Harm LGBTQ Community

A California bill aimed at increasing penalties for those who engage in commercial sex acts with minors has sparked controversy and opposition from activists. 

The activists expressed particular worry about the legislation’s effect on marginalized communities, especially members of the LGBTQ community.

Senate Bill 1414, initially proposed to crack down on child exploitation, has found itself at the center of a heated debate that has conservatives dropping their jaws.

The legislation, introduced by State Sen. Shannon Grove, originally sought to make it a felony to solicit teenagers 17 and younger for sex. 

The bill, however, has undergone significant modifications during its journey through the legislative process, The Post Millennial (TPM) reported.

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Sacramento City Attorney Threatens Target with Criminal Charges if They Continue to Call Police For Theft Incidents

Meanwhile in the Democrat hellhole of California…

The Sacramento City Attorney’s office threatened Target with public nuisance criminal charges and fines if they continued to call the police for theft incidents, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The Sac Bee reported that the City Attorney threatened the Target retail store at 2505 Riverside Blvd. in Land Park this year.

Democrat state lawmakers shockingly added an amendment to a retail theft bill that bars prosecutors from making these types of threats to businesses.

Fox News reported:

The City of Sacramento, California’s legal department threatened to fine a popular retail store for public nuisance over numerous calls to police after thieves stole from its Land Park location multiple times, according to a report.

The Sacramento Bee reported that a person with knowledge of the warning, who wanted to remain anonymous out of fear they could be retaliated against, said Sacramento officials warned they would issue an administrative fine to the Target at 2505 Riverside Blvd. in Land Park, during the past year.

A police spokesperson confirmed the location to the publication after being asked about the alleged warning.

After learning about the city’s warning and comparable actions across the state, state lawmakers added an amendment to a retail theft bill, outlawing these types of threats toward businesses from authorities.

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Retired 2-Star General Found Dead at California Base

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is investigating the death of a retired 2-star general whose body was discovered at the Twentynine Palms Marine base in California.

San Bernardino County coroner’s records revealed Major General William Mullen, 59, was found dead at the Twentynine Palms military base on Saturday.

Mara Rodriguez, who serves as the San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokesperson, shared the NCIS is investigating Mullen’s death at the base.

The Marine Corps Times reported Mullen’s body was discovered in Building 1651, which is part of the Marine Corps Communication–Electronics School.

Mullens was at the base to attend the Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group change of command event.

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California Reveals All Job Gains In 2023 Were Fake

In the past year we have discussed on multiple occasions that US labor market data has been repeatedly doctored to artificially appear better than it really is (see “Here Is The “Unexpected” Reason Why The Fed Will Rush To Cut Rates As Soon As Possible“, “Philadelphia Fed Admits US Payrolls Overstated By At Least 800,000” and “Here Comes The Job Shock: Philadelphia Fed Admits US Jobs “Overstated” By At Least 1.1 Million“), although thanks to a quirk of BLS data revision reporting, we won’t have definitive proof of just how ugly the real job market has been in recent years until some time in 2025, well into Trump’s second administration.

However, while the BLS will be able to maintain the facade of “strong job gains” lies into early 2025, the dismal reality has already made an appearance in America’s largest labor market.

According to the latest report published by the non-partisan California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) which is an agency of the California government, is overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee of the California State Legislature, and performs and publishes extensive analyses of the state’s budget in addition to providing fiscal and policy advice to the California Legislature, contrary to prior reports of over substantial job gains in the deep blue state in 2023, the reality was far uglier.

In a report titled “Newest Early Jobs Revision Shows No Net Job Growth During 2023” we learn just that: the Early Revisions to state-level data flagged here previously, suggests that California actually lost jobs during the fourth quarter of last year. As the report details, “based on the most recent release of the early benchmarks, payroll jobs declined by 32,000 from September 2023 through December 2023. On the contrary, the preliminary monthly reports showed a solid increase in job growth (+117,000 jobs) at the time.”

This, according to the LAO, means that “with the fourth quarter revision, calendar year 2023 saw essentially no net job growth (+9,000 jobs overall).“

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California Lawmakers Kill World’s Most Marginal Psychedelics Reform

The world’s most modest psychedelics reform has failed in the California Legislature once again.

Yesterday, the sponsors of a bill that would have allowed three California counties to run temporary pilot programs through which veterans and first responders could be administered psilocybin (the “magic” chemical in magic mushrooms) under medical supervision pulled their legislation, reports KQED.

The bill’s authors cited a certain “no” vote in a coming Assembly Health Committee hearing as the reason for axing their own legislation.

This is the latest failure of legislation aimed at liberalizing laws surrounding psychedelic use in the Golden State.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have decriminalized the personal possession and use of various plant-based psychedelics, saying he might support narrower legalization of these substances for therapeutic uses.

In May, a broader measure that would have established a statewide system for licensing and regulating psychedelic use, including the use of MDMA, mescaline, and psilocybin, in private therapeutic settings stalled in the state Senate.

The bill that failed this week was narrower still. It would have authorized the public health officers of San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Cruz to license up to five facilities where licensed medical professionals could administer psilocybin and psilocin (both psychoactive substances found in so-called magic mushrooms) to screened military veterans and first responders. The program would sunset after three years.

California’s latest, failed reform efforts were modeled off new programs set up by Oregon and Colorado that likewise legalize psychedelic use in tightly regulated, state-licensed therapy-like settings.

Some local jurisdictions, including several California cities and Washington, D.C., have passed more modest “deprioritization” policies to classify enforcement of certain psychedelic laws as the lowest law enforcement priority.

In D.C., at least, that’s created a thriving gray-black market for psychedelic mushrooms. With the modest assurance that they won’t face legal penalties, many of the city’s pre-existing, semi-legal cannabis businesses have started selling mushrooms as well.

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