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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 September 17, 2017 13 Comments
In August, we covered a report that a statue of Father Junipero Serra in a park across from Mission San Fernando had been vandalized, as it was spray-painted red and the word “murder” written on the Serra in white. Now, Old Mission Santa Barbara's Serra statue has been beheaded and coated in red paint:
The towering statue of St. Junipero Serra had stood at the foot of a staircase leading into the Old Mission Santa Barbara for years.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 16, 2017 3 Comments
Israel's mission to New York reopened after being closed following an evacuation Friday in response to the discovery of a package containing white powder and a letter threatening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli Consulate was closed off due to the suspicious nature of the powder in the package, and the staff has been ordered to remain inside while the material was inspected. The source told the Post that the building has been on lockdown and no one was allowed to enter or leave the premises. New York State Department Police have been called to the scene after the contents of the package were discovered and screened in the consulate's screening room. The [Jerusalem] Post has also learned that the threatening letter in question was written in English and addressed directly to the premier.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 13, 2017 29 Comments
I just developed a profound new respect for our judicial system. The last time we checked on former pharmaceutical titan Martin Shkreli, he had been arrested by the FBI, accused of orchestrating a “trifecta of lies, deceit and greed" related to his hedge fund and pharma business dealings. The move occurred after Shkreli gained notoriety for jacking the prices of life-essential medicines by over 5000% while he was the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. Shkreli was convicted of defrauding hedge fund investors in last month, and may eventually get a sentence of up to 20 years when sentenced. While awaiting sentencing, he made an usual request of his Facebook followers:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 10, 2017 7 Comments
(Updates added to end of post) The nation's eyes are on Florida this weekend, as Hurricane Irma storms through the Sunshine State. Once rated as a Category 5 tempest, Irma has expended enough energy buffeting the coast that it now "merely" meets Category 3 criteria.
Hurricane Irma bludgeoned Florida on Sunday, snapping trees like matchsticks and turning Miami streets into rivers. And there's plenty more damage to come. Naples and Marco Island will endure some of the strongest winds in the next few hours, the National Hurricane Center said.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 09, 2017 60 Comments
Earlier this week, Professor Jacobson reported that 14 states were suing the Trump administration for the phasing out of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (aka, DACA). Legal Insurrection fans may have been a bit surprised that California was not listed among those states. It appears that our state's officials were simply holding out to file one of their own, which is in keeping with the war they have apparently declared on President Trump.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 05, 2017 15 Comments
This year, California has faced the possibility of a dam break catastrophe and wildfires have hit our state hard. Furthermore, our state makes an attractive target for an increasingly belligerent North Korea. But apparently nothing is as urgent for our legislators to address than transgender issues.
California lawmakers are in the middle of discussing a new bill that would introduce a third gender option to California IDs.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 05, 2017 40 Comments
There are days that I feel that I am living in the Twilight Zone. Then, I remember I live in California, the place where the state capital OK's a plan to give $1.5 million to gang members so they won't kill.
Following a fatal shooting last weekend in a city park, the Sacramento city council unanimously approved a controversial program called Advance Peace in an effort to address a recent spike in violence.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 03, 2017 4 Comments
The Houston area is filled with heavy industry, including numerous chemical manufacturing and processing plants. In the wake of flooding from the rains of Hurricane Harvey, one of the plants in Crosby (about 25 miles from the city) burned when trailers holding highly unstable chemicals used in the production of plastics and paint exploded, burning the flood-damaged plant. While initial fire was quenched, the containers are continuing to rupture and ignite, and responders have had to fight a series of release incidents at this facility.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 01, 2017 8 Comments
Of all California's national-level politicians, I consider Senator Dianne Feinstein the cream-of-the-crop. Since our crops now include marijuana, you can gauge the quality level for yourself. For example, her reply about President Donald Trump to a constituent's ill-conceived question was as sane and diplomatic as one could reasonably achieve in San Fransisco.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on August 31, 2017 24 Comments
Despite predictions of economic doom and gloom in the wake of Donald Trump's presidential election win, things are actually looking quite sunny. A revised estimate showed gross domestic product had climbed at an annualized rate of 3 per cent, showing more growth than the professionals projected. Part of the reason for this new trajectory is President Trump's war on excessive regulation. For instance, in response to the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the region's fuel industry, Environmental Protection Agency is temporarily suspending some rules about gasoline production in an effort to minimize shortages around the southeast.
States from Maryland to Texas can sell winter-grade gasoline held in storage now, even though normally that type of fuel wouldn’t become available until fall, according to a federal waiver issued Wednesday. Refineries that continue to operate can also start churning out winter-grade gasoline, which emits more pollution than summer-grade gasoline when combusted in engines.
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