Tag: los angeles

Los Angeles Times Columnist Says if a Republican Wins the Race for Governor of California, ‘A Recall Would Begin Immediately’

In 2017, on the same day that Donald Trump was first sworn in as president, the Washington Post ran a story with the headline “The Campaign to Impeach President Trump has begun.”

That’s right, the people on the left who have been telling all of us for years that Trump doesn’t respect our democracy or accept election results are dealing purely in projection. That headline, coupled with their behavior ever since proves it.

Now, they might prove it to us all over again in California.

A columnist for the Los Angeles Times named Steve Lopez is promising that if a Republican wins the race for governor in California (GASP), that an effort to recall that person will begin immediately.

These people are not even waiting to lose elections anymore. They’re just telling us that they will never, ever accept Republican leaders, even if the voters choose them.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Yes, a Republican could be California’s next governor. And a recall would begin immediately

Once upon a time in California, I went to the Orange County fairgrounds to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger give the signal for a wrecking ball to drop onto a vehicle.

The audience went wild, and Schwarzenegger went on to become governor and deliver on his promise to roll back a car tax increase, thereby blowing a $4-billion hole in the state budget.

I think it’s fair to say that in the current gubernatorial campaign season, the excitement level is several decibels below what we experienced in 2003. But once again, it’s fair to say we’ve not seen anything quite like this year’s derby…

To break that down, eight Democrats and two Republicans are running in the primary, and here’s the craziest thing about that:

The two Republicans could be the top two vote-getters because the Democrats have arranged themselves into a circular firing squad. While the Dems scramble for votes in the June 2 primary, the two Republicans lead in the polls because they’re splitting the GOP vote, and under the rules of the top-two primary, they could face off in the November election.

Lopez fantasizes about how the recall effort would take shape, should a Republican win:

A wealthy Democratic donor could bankroll the recall campaign, Stutzman said. Or public employee unions might put up the money, given that a Republican winner is likely to create a state version of Elon Musk’s ham-handed attempt to fire nearly everyone on the federal payroll.

“The pitch,” Stutzman said of the recall strategy in an email, would be that “Trump still looms and CA must resist, and a GOP gov is a fluke of weird election law. Difficult to imagine it wouldn’t succeed.”

The most amazing thing about this column is that it barely even touches on why a Republican could win the election. California is losing population for the first time in history. The state has the highest taxes in the country. People are still struggling to rebuild their homes from wildfires that happened more than a year ago. Even the entertainment industry is deserting California.

Instead of focusing on this, the columnist’s entire premise boils down to: Here’s how we can make sure a Democrat wins and how we can sabotage the winning Republican if it comes down to that.

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Jury in Los Angeles finds Meta, YouTube negligent in social media addiction trial

A jury in Los Angeles determined on Wednesday that Meta and Google’s YouTube were negligent and failed to warn users of the dangers associated with using their platforms, in a case that could have repercussions across the social media and the broader technology market.

The personal injury trial commenced in late January in Los Angeles Superior Court. A young woman identified as K.G.M., or Kaley, alleged that she became addicted to apps like Instagram and YouTube as a child. Deliberations began Friday, March 13.

Jurors ultimately ruled in favor of the plaintiff, who claimed that Meta and YouTube’s negligence played a “substantial factor” in causing mental health-related harms. Compensatory damages were assessed at $3 million, with Meta on the hook for 70% and YouTube the remaining 30%. The next phase of the trial will determine punitive damages.

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

It’s one of several trials taking place this year that experts have characterized as the social media industry’s “Big Tobacco” moment, comparing it the 1990s, when tobacco companies were forced to pay billions of dollars for lying to the public about the safety and potential harms of their products.

On Tuesday, jurors in Santa Fe, New Mexico found that Meta willfully violated the state’s unfair practices after Attorney General Raúl Torrez alleged that the company failed to properly safeguard its apps from online predators targeting children. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in damages based on the number of violations. The company said that it would appeal the case.

The New Mexico case is separate from other social media lawsuits that state attorneys general have brought against companies including Meta and TikTok.

During the six-week trial in L.A., jury members were tasked with determining whether Meta and YouTube implemented certain design features in their apps like recommendation algorithms and auto-play that contributed to K.G.M.’s crippling, mental distress. The 20-year-old woman alleged that she suffered from severe body dysmorphia, depression and suicidal thoughts due to her near-constant use of the apps and the constant notifications that made it difficult for her to stop.

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James O’Keefe and OMG Team Violently Assaulted on Skid Row After Catching Petitioners in a Cash For Ballots Scheme

James O’Keefe, members of the O’Keefe Media Group and other journalists were violently attacked on Skid Row on Friday.

O’Keefe and other journalists confronted petitioners who were engaging in a cash for ballots scheme when all hell broke loose.

A cameraman was punched in the face and others were pepper-sprayed.

“My team, myself & @camhigby were just violently assaulted on Skid Row, my camera crew were punched in the neck and face, we were pepper sprayed, but thankfully just escaped. Some members of our team had to run 10 blocks to get out,” James O’Keefe said.

“We were in the heart of Skid Row confronting the petitioners who @Savsays and my team caught on tape illegally offering drugs for ballot signatures,” O’Keefe said.

The O’Keefe Media Group on Tuesday released part one of its investigation into a California elections fraud cash for ballots scheme.

James O’Keefe and his team of journalists went undercover on Skid Row in Los Angeles posing as homeless people.

‘Petitioners’ told the undercover journalists that they are paid between $7-$10 per signature. Some of them earn up to $1,000 per day.

“California NGOs Encourage Fake Addresses To Homeless People To Sign Petitions & Register Voters, A State & Federal Felony. Footage Shows 28 Instances Of Cash Changing Hands For Ballot Signatures & Voter Registration Forms,” they said.

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11 Arrested in $6M Scheme Targeting Elderly Homeowners in Los Angeles

Eleven defendants – including two foreign nationals – were arrested today on a 15-count federal indictment charging them with executing a scheme in which they allegedly stole the identities of elderly victims, used that information to obtain title reports for residential properties, then solicited millions of dollars in hard money loans from private lenders by falsely representing the loans as being secured by the elderly victims’ properties.

The criminals allegedly tried to take $17.4 million, but the total actual loss is about $6 million.

The following defendants were arrested this morning and all but two of them are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles:

  • Nazaret Chakrian, 65, a.k.a. “Niko,” of Hollywood;
  • Arnold Moradians, 57, a.k.a. “Julian,” of Hollywood, an Iranian national who has an outstanding warrant for removal from the United States;
  • Avetis Hekimyan, 38, a.k.a. “Chef Avo,” of North Hollywood;
  • Ross Tarkhan, 32, of Glendale;
  • Tigran Hovanesian, 56, of Glendale;
  • Armen Vardevaryan, 55, a.k.a. “Gonch,” of North Hollywood;
  • Craig Higdon, 66, of Naples, Florida, who will make his initial appearance in the Middle District of Florida;
  • Helen Spangler, 62, of Oakdale, California, who will make her initial appearance in the Eastern District of California;
  • Victor Lossi, 43, of Thousand Oaks; and
  • Marine Sarkisian, 49, of Hollywood, an Azerbaijani national and green card holder.

The following defendant arrested today is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in Los Angeles federal court:

  • Cynthia Borjas, 51, of Koreatown.

All defendants except Hovanesian are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. Chakrian, Moradians, Borjas, Hekimyan, Tarkhan, Spangler, Lossi, and Sarkisian are charged with one count of aggravated identity theft. Chakrian, Moradians, Tarkhan, and Hovanesian are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Tarkhan is further charged with five counts of money laundering.

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CBS News Investigation Uncovers Massive Medicare Hospice Fraud In L.A. County

An investigation by CBS News has discovered massive Medicare fraud at more than 700 out of 1,800 licensed hospice providers in Los Angeles County

The scam utilizes stolen Medicare numbers to fraudulently enroll healthy seniors in hospice with fake terminal diagnoses, billing Medicare an average of $29,000 per patient without delivering care, to the tune of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.

About 31 percent of hospice and home health companies in the U.S. are registered in L.A. County but when investigators visited the addresses listed, they found no clinics, patients or healthcare workers.

Instead they found multiple red flags, including multiple hospices in one building, high rates of terminally ill patients later discharged alive, excessive billing, and staff shared across multiple companies.

The California state auditor had sounded the alarm three years ago, saying that Los Angeles County had seen the number of hospice companies increase more than six times the national average, relative to its elderly population.

Let’s put this in perspective.

The population of residents age 65 or over in California is estimated at 6.3 million while Florida estimates its population of 65+ residents at 4.9 million.

Public records show 2,279 Medicare-certified hospice organizations in California with just 208 such Medicare-certified organizations in Florida.

This raises serious questions as to why California would have more than 10 times the number of Medicare-certified hospice organizations than Florida when it has less than twice the population of 65+ residents.

According to CBS, in just one year, L.A. County hospices overbilled Medicare by $105 million, prompting the state to investigate and revoke the licenses of 280 hospices.

This latest revelation of potential Medicare fraud shows that the problem of scammers enriching themselves at taxpayer expense extends far beyond Minnesota, which has been under scrutiny for the past few months over the alleged theft of billions of taxpayer dollars via social services.

It also reveals the silver lining that a mainstream news organization is finally willing to do investigative reporting on suspected fraud rather than leaving the heavy lifting to citizen journalists like Nick Shirley, who blew the lid off taxpayer fraud in Minnesota and then turned his sights on California.

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LA awards $106M to nonprofit whose lawyers hinder city’s ability to clean up streets — and bill $1,025 an hour

Los Angeles just cut a whopping $106.6 million taxpayer check to a nonprofit law firm whose lawyers have spent years hindering the city’s ability to dismantle homeless camps and clean up city streets — with one attorney billing as much as $1,025 an hour for work tied to its activism.

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) was awarded the largest share of an eye-popping $177 million tenant rights funding package approved at City Hall this week, despite opposition from the City Attorney.

Under the deal, Los Angeles will funnel $106,572,543.69 over the next three years to LAFLA for eviction defense services, even as attorneys connected to the organization have repeatedly filed lawsuits that blocked the city from enforcing municipal codes aimed at keeping sidewalks clear of encampments and neighborhoods safe.

But the money flowing to the group is far larger than that. City records show the Stay Housed LA eviction defense program, a city initiative administered by LAFLA through a network of partner organizations, had already grown to a maximum contract value of about $90.8 million through a series of amendments approved by the City Council.

Put together, the contracts push the pipeline of taxpayer funding tied to the nonprofit to about $197 million. That number jumps off the page when compared to the organization’s own finances.

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We visited “ground zero” for hospice fraud: Los Angeles, California

At age 69, Lynn Ianni is a pickleball whiz, zipping from dinks to drives energetically. When she suffered an injury on the court two years ago, she sought physical therapy, and was surprised to learn her Medicare insurance wouldn’t cover it.

She was, according to Medicare records, dying and in hospice.

“They said, ‘you’re in hospice.’ And I said, ‘what? What are you talking about?” Ianni said. “‘Are you kidding me? Do I look like I’m in hospice?’”

Ianni’s Medicare number had been stolen, and used by a company to fraudulently enroll her in hospice – specialized, compassionate care for terminal patients nearing the end of their lives. It was another example of fraud in the hospice industry, long a nationwide problem. But her case arose well after officials had promised to stamp it out in California, where the problem has been especially acute.

Medicare is federally administered, and hospices must be certified for reimbursements. But the state issues the licenses for hospices to operate.

Three years ago, California’s state auditor sounded the alarm that Los Angeles County had seen a 1,500% increase in hospice companies since 2010 – more than six times the national average relative to its elderly population.

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LA schools superintendent raided by FBI illegally overstayed visa before gaining legal status

As attention has turned to Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent Albert Carvalho in the wake of an FBI raid at his residence and the school district’s headquarters, a clip has resurfaced showing Carvalho admitting that he was an “undocumented migrant” in the United States.

In April 2025, Carvalho said in a speech, “I would be a hypocrite if I did not fight for those who today are facing conditions that over 40 years I faced as an undocumented migrant to this country.”

He later added that he came to the US at the age of 17, saying, “Education made me and saved me. I became a teacher, a principal, a superintendent leading the nation’s largest districts, four times selected as national superintendent of the year. Do not underestimate the power of the immigrant child who may very well become an adult who does well and good by America.”

Per the New York Times, Carvalho grew up in Portugal, and described growing up in a “poor environment,” being raised alongside his five siblings, two of whom died young, by parents with education that did not extend past the third grade.

After graduating from high school in the country, Carvalho came to the US on a visitor visa, which he overstayed and became illegally present in the country. He first worked as a dishwasher in Manhattan and eventually ended up in Miami, where he worked at restaurants, farms, and construction sites.

“Back in the mid-’80s, it was not difficult to find a job without documents,” Carvalho said. “They worked you more hours for less pay.”

He spent two years in the country illegally but eventually secured a student visa. He also obtained a Social Security number and legal work authorization. Per Governing, he eventually became a US citizen.

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Accused Killer of Astrophysicist Arrested for Trespassing on Scientist’s Property With Loaded Rifle Two Months Before Killing — Newsom-Appointed Judge Dropped Charges

New details have emerged regarding the accused killer of Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, 67, was shot in his torso by a gunman who approached him on his porch on February 16.

Authorities have since arrested Freddy Snyder, 29, who has been charged with Grillmair’s murder and is being held on a $3 million bail.

New details obtained by the Los Angeles Times have revealed that Snyder was previously arrested two months earlier for trespassing on Grillmair’s property with a loaded, unregistered rifle.

Per The Los Angeles Times:

On Dec. 20, Lt. Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said, the scientist spotted someone possibly trespassing on his property and called law enforcement.

When deputies arrived and found Snyder in the area, Modica said, he was carrying a rifle and explained that he was on his way to the post office.

Grillmair’s home and the local post office are in opposite directions from Snyder’s home, property records show.

According to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, Snyder told deputies he was carrying the rifle just in case he ran into wild animals. But deputies noted that the rifle was loaded and not registered to Snyder, so they took him into custody.

In addition to one felony count of carrying a loaded firearm, the criminal complaint against Snyder charged him with trying to escape from the Palmdale station jail the day after he was arrested.

The New York Post further reported that Judge Osman Abbasi, appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom, dismissed Snyder’s felony gun charges.

Exclusive | Newsom-appointed judge gave suspect in Caltech genius’s slaying a slap on the wrist weeks before bloodbath https://t.co/WoJPp0m7ug pic.twitter.com/IJtk4VU0zR

— California Post (@californiapost) February 24, 2026

After dropping the felony gun charge, Judge Abbasi ordered Snyder to complete a gun safety course, and he was released from jail shortly thereafter.

Snyder was scheduled to appear in court again on February 5 regarding his case, but he did not show up for the hearing.

Despite not appearing, Snyder’s charges were dismissed under California Penal Code 1385, and just 11 days later, he allegedly murdered Grillmair.

Grillmair’s murder has rocked the astrophysicists’ community, considering he was a renowned researcher in the studies of Dark matter, Galactic structure, stellar populations, and exoplanets.

Grillmair was also notable in the community for finding water on a distant planet orbiting a star.

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DEVELOPING: FBI Raids Home of Far-Left Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent

The FBI executed a search warrant at the home of far-left Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

FBI agents also raided the school district headquarters.

“FBI LA confirms they are currently executing search warrants at two addresses, which a separate federal law enforcement source tells @FoxNews are the home and office of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. LAUSD is the 2nd biggest school district in the country,” Fox News reporter Bill Melugin said.

“We are told the underlying affidavit in support of the search warrant is under seal, so it’s unclear what potential wrongdoing Carvalho may be suspected of,” Melugin said.

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