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Author: Leslie Eastman

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Leslie Eastman

I am an Environmental Health and Safety Professional, as well as a science/technical writer for a variety of news and professional publications. I have been a citizen activist since 2009, and am one of the co-founders of the San Diego-based group, Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 17, 2018 12 Comments
The last time we checked on the California high-speed rail project, it had blasted through its budget and now may cost close to $100 billion. As it seems the only thing that is truly high speed about this train is the speed of government spending, the US Department of Transportation is now planning to audit grants that were given for the construction.
The inspector general’s audit, announced Thursday, will examine the Federal Railroad Administration’s oversight of nearly $3.5 billion in federal grant money awarded to the project.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 14, 2018 24 Comments
There are few traits Americans share more than our love of "the underdog". In fact, the science on the matter is quite settled!
Put simply, most of us are uncomfortable with inequality. We think it’s wrong for one team — or one person — to have too great an advantage. So we root for the less advantaged, in the hope that the scales of justice can be righted.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 13, 2018 5 Comments
Three more California cities have several other Golden State municipalities in the fight against Sacramento's "Sanctuary State" law (SB54). The City of Orange voted to not enforce the rules, and Newport Beach is joining the federal lawsuit against the state, as SB54 limits the ability of local law enforcement professionals from cooperating with federal immigration agents in the process of deporting criminal aliens.
In Newport Beach, the City Council voted unanimously during closed session to support a federal lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against California. The Newport Beach council also voted 7-0 for a resolution that says the city is publicly opposed to the law.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 10, 2018 16 Comments
A class action lawsuit against Facebook was filed in Los Angeles federal court Wednesday, and is one of several that have been filed around the country.
A Navy veteran has joined with two other Southern Californians to file a class-action lawsuit against Facebook and others in the wake of revelations that the personal data of an estimated 87 million users was exposed in an alleged effort to help steer the 2016 presidential campaign.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 08, 2018 34 Comments
In November 2016, New York City's Trump Tower became the focus of national attention as the unofficial transitional "White House" as President-Elect Donald Trump prepared to take the reins of power. This Saturday, Trump Tower was the epicenter of news again. A fire swept through the 50th floor and claimed one life.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 04, 2018 114 Comments
Last week I noted that U.S. District Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California is overseeing the lawsuit that the cities of Oakland and San Francisco filed last fall against six fossil fuel giants. The two cities are seeking to hold the oil companies liable for the cost of infrastructure upgrades and remediation expected as they deal with effects of rising sea levels.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 03, 2018 37 Comments
Last fall, we featured California reporter Katy Grimes' book, California's War Against Trump, which chronicled the regulatory and legal volleys that the state's politicians has lobbed against President Trump since the day of his historic election. Now President Trump is turning the tables on the Golden State #Resistance. This weekend, we noted that the EPA was looking to reverse directions Obama-era fuel economy standards for cars. One of the concerns about the new proposals is compliance with California's more stringent standards, based on green justice "science".

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 01, 2018 11 Comments
Happy Easter to our Legal Insurrection family. You may recall that we reviewed the ratings bonanza that was the Roseanne revival, which owed part of its success to airing something other than social justice pablum. However, the success should not have been a shock to ABC, as its programmers have always relied on the appeal of the biblical epic of Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 version of The Ten Commandments.
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