Tag: california

Report: Gavin Newsom Cut $100 Million from Fire Prevention Budget in 2024

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) cut $100 million from the state’s fire prevention budget in 2024 before residents in the Los Angeles area were hit by wildfires, Newsweek reported.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) slashed almost $20 million from her city’s budget for fire services for the current fiscal year, Breitbart News reported on Wednesday.

Newsweek‘s article, published on Friday, continued:

The 2024-25 California state budget, which Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law in June 2024, slashed funding for wildfire and forest resilience by $101 million as part of a series of cutbacks according to an analysis by the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office.

However overall, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)’s wildfire protection budget has increased sharply from $1.1 billion in 2014 to $3 billion in 2023, much of which took place after Newsom became governor in 2019.

Speaking to Newsweek, a spokesperson for Newsom said that under the governor’s “leadership” the CAL FIRE budget had doubled from $2 billion in 2018-19 to $3.8 billion in 2024-25, whilst the department’s personnel went from 5,829 to 10,741 over the same period.

On Friday, a citizen affected by the California wildfires, which have claimed the lives of 10 people, confronted Newsom and asked him what he was going to do about the disaster, Breitbart News reported.

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Can California Afford Its Luxury Beliefs After This? Let’s Look at the Books.

California is undergoing a crisis of competence. Surrounded by ashen heaps of what used to be thousands of homes and businesses, voters finally may realize that luxury beliefs sound nice at cocktail parties and the gym, but somebody should make sure there’s water in the reservoirs and fire hydrants. 

We learn that a crucial reservoir was down for maintenance during Santa Ana season, which left the fire hydrants dry. The latest reservoir was finished in 1979. Planning for the next one started in the 1950s and may break ground sometime allegedly in 2026. Gavin Newsom has taken down dams and patted himself on the back. 

The man Newsom styled his look after, former Lakers Coach Pat Reilly, used to say, “The main thing is the main thing.” The hairstyle stuck, but not the message. L.A. is spending other peoples’ money on stupid things while pretending to do the main thing. 

We’re now up to $150 billion in losses so far in the 36,000-acre blaze that started Tuesday. The multiple fires have flattened Pacific Palisades, houses along the PCH in Malibu, and lovely old homes in Pasadena. 

The LAFD Chief makes more than $439,000 per year for not checking the fire hydrants. A fire captain makes more than $800,000 a year because of overtime, double time, and aggregated time off. 

The person in charge of DEI at the L.A. Fire Department makes $399,000 per year. 

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California Rings In The New Year With New Push To Block Voter Identification

In California, Democrats are ringing in the New Year with a new push against voter identification. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has been hammering Huntington Beach because the city recently amended its municipal laws to require basic voter identification.

While voters overwhelmingly support voter identification, Democrats in California recently passed a law making it a crime to ask for voter identification at polling places. Now, Bonta is asking for an appellate court to intervene to prevent Huntington Beach from asking for IDs before people vote.

After Huntington Beach passed Measure A requiring voter identification in 2026, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning voter identification requirements. Bonta then sued the city but the California Superior Court ruled it too soon for a lawsuit. California Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas wrote that “this matter is not ripe for adjudication, as [the change to] the City’s Charter is permissive and discretionary in character, and thus currently presents no conflict with state elections law.”

Bonta, however, wants a ruling to prevent voter identification before the 2026 elections.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber insisted that  California residents are already required to verify their identity when they register to vote, but the city argues that it does not mean that the person voting is that same person.

Democrats have continued to block voter identification laws and policies despite Gallop and other polling showing as much as 80 percent of Americans support voter identification laws across party lines. The Biden Administration was widely criticized for its effort to prevent Virginia from removing the names of people who previously stated that they were not U.S. citizens.

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Court Upholds $7.8 Million Verdict For Transit Workers Fired For Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine

A federal judge in California has rejected an effort by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to overturn a jury verdict that awarded $7.8 million to six former employees who were fired for refusing to comply with the agency’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds.

In a Dec. 30 order, Judge William A. Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California acknowledged minor “imperfections” in the jury trial—including flawed instructions to the jurors—and determined they were not severe enough to invalidate the jury’s October decision requiring BART to pay each of the six former workers between $1.2 million and $1.5 million.

Alsup denied BART’s post-trial motions to overturn the verdict and seek a new trial, saying that the agency failed to demonstrate that accommodating the employees’ religious objections would have posed an undue hardship.

“Simply put, on the instructions given and evidence received, a reasonable jury could have found that BART had not carried its burden of proving its affirmative defense,” Alsup wrote, referring to the fact that, in order to prevail in the case, BART had to prove that granting accommodations such as masking, testing, or remote work in lieu of vaccination would have imposed an undue burden on the agency.

BART’s defense relied heavily on expert testimony to argue that no alternative measures were as effective as vaccination against COVID-19, with the judge noting that the agency claimed it had presented “‘unrebutted’ scientific expert testimony” to that effect. However, Alsup noted that the jury was entitled to weigh the credibility of the experts, particularly given their financial ties to the agency.

“In light of the large sums paid to the experts by BART, our jury was entitled to find that they were ‘bought and paid for,’ were merely parroting the ‘company line,’ and were not credible in light of their bias, common sense, and other evidence,” the judge wrote. “An expert witness is like any other witness, and it is up to the jury to decide how much weight their testimony deserves.”

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California Law Allowing Marijuana Cafes Takes Effect, With First Shops Already Expanding Services

A new California law allowing marijuana cafes officially took effect on Wednesday, authorizing local governments throughout the state to allow cannabis retailers to expand their services. And certain businesses are already leveraging the policy change.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill from Assemblymember Matt Haney (D) into law in September. But while local governments can now start the process of allowing the Amsterdam-like cafes, it’s expected to take months before most jurisdictions have rules in place to conform to the state law.

Overall, the legislation will allow on-site marijuana consumption at licensed businesses to also offer non-cannabis food and non-alcoholic drinks and host live events such as concerts if they get permission from their local government.

Newsom vetoed a prior version of Haney’s cannabis cafe bill, saying that while he appreciated that the intent was to “provide cannabis retailers with increased business opportunities and an avenue to attract new customers,” he felt “concerned this bill could undermine California’s long-standing smoke-free workplace protections.”

To that end, the measure as enacted contains changes to create separation between public consumption spaces and back rooms of businesses where food is prepared or stored in order to better protect the health of workers in line with the governor’s concerns.

“I commend the author for incorporating additional safeguards, such as expressly protecting employees discretion to wear a mask for respiration, paid for at the expense of the employer, and requiring employees to receive additional guidance on the risks of secondhand cannabis smoke,” Newsom said in a signing statement in September.

The law makes explicitly clear that hemp-based food items or drinks are not considered “non-cannabis” products that could be sold at the cafes. It also says that non-cannabis items “shall be stored and displayed separately and distinctly from all cannabis and cannabis products present on the premises.”

The legislation will also allow live musical or other performances on the premises of a cannabis retailer in areas where on-site consumption is allowed.

There have been examples of California businesses that have found workarounds to permit on-site consumption while making food available to guests—but they’ve operated in a grey area, partnering with separately licensed restaurants that receive the profits.

The expectation is that—because those cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have already established certain regulations around consumption lounges, including ventilation requirements—they may be quicker to the draw to open up the additional services.

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Suspected Chinese Spy Is Fiancé of California Councilwoman

A California councilwoman is the fiancée of a man accused of peddling political influence on behalf of the Chinese regime, court records show.

The man, Mike Sun, has allegedly worked with a recently sentenced Chinese agent to advance the Chinese regime’s political interests in Los Angeles. Court documents suggest the two have worked closely for years to align U.S. policy interests with Beijing on sensitive issues, with the Chinese agent Chen Jun telling Chinese officials that Sun—and the councilwoman—were part of a “basic team dedicated for us.”

Sun is also known as Sun Yaoning. Court records show that he is a former Chinese army member. He was the campaign manager for Eileen Wang in 2022, the year she won the city council seat for Arcadia in Los Angeles County with nearly two-thirds of the vote, prosecutors said.

Helping Wang win the midterm election, Sun said in a draft report to Chinese officials, was his proudest achievement as someone who “persist[s] in resisting any hostile forces that undermine the friendship of US-China relations, and Chinese secessionist forces,” according to federal prosecutors.

A review of the court records, public information, and business filings reveals the personal connections between Wang and Sun, who have engaged in several ventures together, including a U.S.-based media group, business entities, and multiple pro-Beijing organizations.

One of them is the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce, a Los Angeles nonprofit Wang founded in 2018 that purports to “promote communication of American southwest people of China,” according to business filings.

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Bird Flu ‘Emergency’ in California Is a Case of Psychological Bioterrorism

Sometimes I feel like a broken record when writing about infectious disease-based public health threats.

There are real threats, such as multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis, but these are rarely discussed. And then there is the psychological (eg. information) bioterrorism, the fear porn, a hyped narrative concerning an existential threat repeatedly injected into public discourse and then intentionally amplified to the point that it becomes a perverse and, in some cases, disabling obsession for many.

Psychological bioterrorism and fear porn

There are many who benefit from psychological (or information) bioterrorism. As discussed in 2017 by former Soviet-Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) intelligence officer Dr. Alexander Kouzminov:

Objects or target audience of an ‘active operation’ <of psychological bioterrorism> may be – governments, high-ranking military officials, secret services of the enemy, political parties, banks, companies, etc. as well as ordinary populations, where the aim is to cause some kind of an impact and effect….

Information (or psychological) bioterrorism – this is a form of global influence. It can be even more effective, from the view of consequences and harm, which it can cause. Firstly, info-bioterrorism, in comparison with an act of bioterror is not and does not apply for strategic or military applications, political assassination, and acts of sabotage – to disrupt local infrastructures, to harm the health of local population, animals, or disrupt the environment of a certain country. Secondly, its organisers and interested organizations, use the potential pandemic threat, in order to reach certain results…

Propaganda is the main weapon to influence people, especially if they are not well informed. An ordinary human being it appears only has a ‘surface’ knowledge about how real these kinds of threats are, and is used to rely on the opinions of mass media.

An AI-generated answer to Brave search query “Fearporn Definition” states the following:

Fear porn refers to mainstream media content that deliberately and enticingly plays on people’s fears about disaster, disease, and death. It is often used to describe sensationalized and exaggerated reports or stories that aim to provoke strong emotional reactions, such as fear, anxiety, or outrage. This type of content can be found in various forms of media, including news, social media, and online articles.

Some definitions of fear porn also include the idea that it is used to manipulate people’s emotions and attention, often for the purpose of increasing viewership, engagement, or clicks. Fear porn can be seen as a form of psychological manipulation, as it preys on people’s natural fear responses to create a sense of drama or excitement.

In some cases, fear porn can also be used to describe conspiracy theories or misinformation that is spread online, often with the intention of generating fear, anxiety, or outrage. This type of content can be particularly harmful, as it can spread misinformation and perpetuate harmful stereotypes or biases.

Overall, fear porn is a term used to describe a type of media content that uses fear and sensationalism to engage audiences and manipulate their emotions.

The bottom line here is that many national and global actors have long been known to exploit existential fear of infectious disease for political and economic benefit, and that there is a standard playbook for how this is performed. Therefore, the first thing that should come to your mind when you see this type of messaging being deployed and amplified in corporate media is the question, “Who and what is benefitting from this messaging?”

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Report: Gov. Newsom Scheming Ways To Shield Illegals from Trump Deportation Effort

Democrat Cali. Gov. Gavin Newsom will use taxpayer money to help illegal aliens circumvent President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation ahead of his inauguration next month, reports claim.

According to an internal memo obtained by Politico, the governor’s team and the California Department of Social Services are working on an “Immigrant Support Network Concept” that would create “hubs” to “connect at-risk individuals, their families, and communities with community systems — such as legal services, schools, labor unions, local governments, etc.”

The unpublished memo says hubs would collect “critical” intel on communities “in order to coordinate policies statewide,” with a final plan to be introduced mid-January.

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Why Is California an Autism Hotspot?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has surged in children in recent years, even among those who are just 4 years old.

According to data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, the overall prevalence of ASD in 2020 was 21.5 per 1,000 children aged 4. This marks a 26% increase from 2018, when the prevalence was 17 per 1,000.

The numbers are not uniform across all regions, with California reporting the highest rate at 46.4 per 1,000, while Utah saw the lowest at 12.7 per 1,000. Stark gender and racial disparities also exist in ASD diagnoses.

Boys are diagnosed with autism more frequently than girls, with a prevalence of 32.3 per 1,000 compared to 10.4 per 1,000 for girls, whose ASD symptoms often differ from their male counterparts.

Overall, however, in 2020, 1 in 30, or 3.49%, of children ages 3 to 17 were diagnosed with autism — that’s about 33 per 1,000 individuals.

Shifting demographics: Autism rates higher in certain groups

Recent data reveals a significant shift in autism prevalence among different racial and ethnic groups. For the first time, the ADDM Network reported that white children aged 8 years have a lower prevalence of autism compared to their Black, Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander peers.

Specifically, the prevalence was 24.3 per 1,000 among white children, while it was 29.3 among Black children, 31.6 among Hispanic children and 33.4 among Asian or Pacific Islander children.

Another compelling aspect of the latest autism statistics is the nuanced relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and autism prevalence. Unlike earlier years, where higher SES was strongly associated with increased autism diagnoses, the 2020 data shows a more complex picture.

In three out of the 11 ADDM Network sites — Arizona, New Jersey and Utah — children from lower-income households exhibited higher autism prevalence. When data from all sites were combined, there was a noticeable trend of lower autism prevalence in higher SES census tracts.

However, the differences across low, medium and high SES groups were relatively modest, ranging between 23 to 27.2 per 1,000 children.

Understanding when children are diagnosed with autism is important for ensuring they receive timely interventions. The 2020 ADDM Network data provides valuable insights into the age at which children receive their first autism diagnosis.

The median age of earliest known autism diagnosis was 49 months, with significant variations across states — from as early as 36 months in California to as late as 59 months in Minnesota.

Additionally, children diagnosed with ASD who also have an intellectual disability tend to receive their diagnoses earlier, with a median age of 43 months compared to 53 months for those without an intellectual disability.

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It Turns Out Fang Fang Wasn’t the Only Chi Com Spy in California Politics

California is fertile ground for what the Chinese Communist Party spies call “elite capture” of American politicians. It didn’t begin or end with California Congressman Eric Swalwell’s Fang Fang, either, not by a long shot. 

There’s Joe and Hunter Biden’s cozy relationship and payoffs from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-connected corporations; California Senator Dianne Feinstein’s 20-year-long relationship with her aide and chauffeur, the Chinese spy; California Congressman Eric Swalwell’s paramour and political advisor Fang Fang; a former anti-Second Amendment California state senator who brokered guns to the underworld; and now this. 

Now, a campaign manager for a 2022 California city council candidate is in the FBI crosshairs. 

The FBI reported that an unnamed city council member in an undesignated city won office in 2022 with the help of a Chinese spy. Reading the entrails left behind in the somewhat cryptic 24-page indictment, the effort shows the spying happened in San Bernardino’s Chino Hills —since the spy claimed to have lived with the council member. 

The unidentified Chino Hills 2022 City Council candidate, who was an apparent pawn of the Chi-Coms whether he knew it or not, was not indicted. The FBI says the investigation continues.

The council member’s campaign manager, who claimed to live at the candidate’s home, is Mr. Yaoning “Mike” Sun. Sun worked with his PRC handler in L.A., John Chen, and a “Big Boss” in the PRC and acted as unregistered foreign agents in the U.S. 

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