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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.

California's citizens are busy collecting signatures and submitting ballot proposals so that they can change the laws created by the Democratic Party-dominated state legislature. Groups had been hard at work to repeal the onerous gas tax that has been in place since last November. They managed to collect enough signatures, which will mean the proposition to repeal will be on the ballot in time for the state's gubernatorial election this November.

Legal Insurrection readers may recall that my September 2017 post discussing that the North Korean mountain used as a test site was poised to collapse.
A mountain in North Korea believed to have served as the site of five of the rogue regime’s nuclear tests — including Sunday’s supposed hydrogen bomb explosion — is at risk of collapsing and leaking radiation into the region, a Chinese scientist said Monday.

The former cop accused of being the notorious “Golden State Killer” made a dramatic first court appearance on Friday afternoon in a wheelchair.
Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was shackled to the chair with handcuffs as he confirmed his name but did not enter a plea. The balding, unshaven alleged serial killer appeared weak and struggled to answer the judge's questions.

Assembly Bill 2943 is currently winding its way through California's state legislature, and many religious leaders and free speech advocates are sounding the alarm about the possible ramifications if it should pass. The proposed legislation is entitled "Unlawful Business Practices: Sexual Orientation Change Efforts". The bill adds “sexual orientation change efforts” to the state’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act.

Legal Insurrection readers may recall our report on Stockton, California, and its experiment with "universal basic income". The city's 27-year old mayor is planning to launch this program, where its citizens are paid simply for being citizens. Sometime in August 2018, at least 100 people of varying income levels getting $500 a month for three years.

Brace yourself: Green justice warriors will be out in force this Sunday. It's the 48th anniversary of Earth Day. Every year since 1970, we have been treated to self-righteous, humanity-deriding antics of environmental activists . . . who usually leave mountains of garbage behind after their celebrations of Earth conclude.

An exceptional new book has come out that features a vastly successful businessman targeted by several government agencies that are in collusion. In an intriguing twist, the main character is not President Trump. Scorched Worth: A True Story of Destruction, Deceit and Government Corruption, covers the hard fought legal battle between Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI), the second largest lumber producer in the nation, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and the United States Forest Service.

In the wake of San Diego County's formal support of the federal lawsuit against California's SB54, the "Sanctuary State" rules, another California city has voted to join the #CounterResistance.
The city council of Beaumont — a Riverside County city with a population of nearly 37,000 — voted 3-2 to approve a resolution that declares Senate Bill 54, the “California Values Act,” is incompatible with federal law and, therefore, illegitimate. The vote followed a lengthy debate and impassioned comments from the audience, which filled both chambers and an overflow room.

The new millennium is turning out to have a lot more in common with the 21st century B.C. than I would have originally forecast! It appears that not only are the streets of San Francisco laden with disease, but researchers have now found that 25 percent of the mice inhabiting New York City carry bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
Tests conducted by a team from Columbia University on 416 mice collected in seven New York City-area locations in just over a year revealed house mice are "carriers of several gastrointestinal disease-causing agents," including C. diff, E. coli and Salmonella, among others, according to a study published in the American Society for Microbiology on Tuesday.

The #CounterResistance gained an important, new member today when the San Diego County Board of Supervisors officially voted to support the US Department of Justice in its lawsuit against California SB54's "Sanctuary State" rules.
With the vote, San Diego County became California's most populous county to rebuke state policies aimed at protect select immigrants from deportation. The sanctuary state law, SB 54, limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is meeting with President Trump at in Mar-a-Lago, with trade and North Korea being two of the key topics the leaders will discuss.
Abe is set to arrive Tuesday at Trump’s winter resort in Palm Beach, Fla., for two days of meetings as concerns mount in Tokyo that Trump’s risky diplomatic gambit with Kim Jong Un could undermine Japan’s security. Abe also was blindsided by Trump’s decision not to grant Japan a waiver on new steel and aluminum tariffs, as he did for other U.S. allies and partners.

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.

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.

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.