Tag: california

Sobriety for dollars: California lawmakers move to pay meth addicts to stay clean

California lawmakers are closer to sending Gov. Gavin Newsom legislation that would offer money for people addicted to methamphetamines to stay in treatment.

Senate Bill 110 would make contingency management, a therapy centered around positive reinforcement, a legal form of treatment in California that would be paid for by Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program.

In the case of people suffering from meth addictions, they would be given incentives to attend treatment or pass drug tests.

Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) said in June that President Joe Biden’s administration is seeking evidence-based solutions to the nation’s drug crisis.

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‘Violation of First Amendment’ – Judicial Watch YouTube Video Censored at Request of California Government Officials

The California Secretary of State’s office pressured YouTube to remove Judicial Watch’s videos on election integrity.Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch received 165 pages of new documents showing the California Secretary of State directly emailing YouTube to remove Tom Fitton’s videos on election integrity.

The video titled “ELECTION INTEGRITY CRISIS — Dirty Voter Rolls, Ballot Harvesting & Mail-in-Voting Risks!” was removed three days after California government officials made the request.

Judicial Watch had previously sued California over its dirty voter rolls and Los Angeles County agreed to remove 1.6 million inactive voters.

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Nanny State Bans Porsche from Selling New 911 with Manual Transmission

If you are a Porsche fan living in California and happened to order this year’s 911 GT3 six-speed manual option, your voluntary transaction has been nullified.

“The seven-speed PDK gearbox will be the only transmission offered in California with the 911 GT3,” Porsche announced in a news release, according to Car and Driver.

Its six-speed manual option is outlawed.

The prohibition stems from California’s drive-by noise test. While the automatic passes, the manual fails — but not because of the car’s inherent noise level. Instead, the state employs a flawed testing method.

California’s Code of Regulations stipulates that each vehicle must pass a test produced by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The testing methods are intricate, measuring a vehicle’s highest noise level by size, horsepower, peak acceleration rate and gearing.

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Appeals court puts hold on overturning California assault weapon ban

A U.S. federal appeals court on Monday put on hold a judge’s ruling this month to overturn California’s 32-year-old ban on assault weapons.

A three-judge panel in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez’s June 4 order, after California officials had appealed the federal judge’s decision to strike down the ban on assault-style weapons.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who had appealed against the decision to overturn the ban, said the state’s assault weapons laws would remain in effect while appellate proceedings continue.

“We won’t stop defending these life-saving laws,” Bonta said on Twitter.

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California Introduces COVID-19 Vaccine Verification System

California on Friday rolled out a new system that enables people to obtain proof of COVID-19 vaccination from the state’s health system and present it as proof of having gotten a jab.

“We’re better enabling California to verify their vaccination status to ensure our state is in a better position to encourage the best practices for reducing the spread of COVID-19,” California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan told reporters on a call.

The vaccine verification system, dubbed a “digital vaccine record,” will require people to enter several details like their name and date of birth to get a digital copy of their vaccination record. If their record is found, they will get a link that they can use to access their vaccination information, including the date or dates they received doses and a QR code confirming their record is authentic.

It’s the same information that people see on the paper card that many receive when they get a vaccine, but authorities are recommending the vaccinated keep their paper cards in a safe and secure location and use the digital pass instead.

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California offers $100 million to rescue its struggling legal marijuana industry

The California Legislature on Monday approved a $100-million plan to bolster California’s legal marijuana industry, which continues to struggle to compete with the large illicit pot market nearly five years after voters approved sales for recreational use.

Los Angeles will be the biggest beneficiary of the money, which was proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to be provided as grants to cities and counties to help cannabis businesses transition from provisional to regular licenses.

“California voters approved Proposition 64 five years ago and entrusted the Legislature with creating a legal, well-regulated cannabis market,” said Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), the chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. “We have yet to reach that goal.”

Many cannabis growers, retailers and manufacturers have struggled to make the transition from a provisional, temporary license to a permanent one renewed on an annual basis — a process that requires a costly, complicated and time-consuming review of the negative environmental effects involved in a business and a plan for reducing those harms.

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Governor Newsom Will Not Lift State of Emergency in California on June 15 as Promised

Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday announced he will not lift the state of emergency in California on June 15 as he previously promised.

California’s Covid restrictions will be lifted on June 15, however Newsom is hanging on to his broad powers by keeping the emergency in effect.

“The emergency remains in effect after June 15,” Newsom said on Friday during his vaccine lottery event.

“The one thing I am certain of is there’s uncertainty in the future,” Newsom said.

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California — a state that never practiced slavery — moves forward with slavery reparations plan

On Tuesday, a first-of-its-kind task force charged with studying the issue and developing proposals for redress convened for its inaugural meeting, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The task force is the result of a bill signed last year by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that required members to draft a formal apology to black Americans and come up with various financial remedies for the lingering effects of discriminatory practices in the country.

“As our country reckons with our painful legacy of racial injustice, California again is poised to lead the way towards a more equitable and inclusive future for all,” Newsom said at the meeting.

California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta added, “Although the horrors of slavery may have begun in the past, its harms are felt every single day by Black Americans in the present.”

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