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California Tag

Posted by Leslie Eastman on May 09, 2017 17 Comments
I always suspected that the junior Senator from California would make a very memorable addition to that august body. Little did I realize she would adopt an edgy, late-night comedy approach to political analysis upon assuming Barbara Boxer's former seat.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) dropped the “f-bomb” while discussing the GOP's ObamaCare repeal and replacement plan at a public event in San Francisco over the weekend.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on May 06, 2017 15 Comments
President Donald Trump plans to pursue public-private partnerships for develop the space industry, which is likely to increase the development and profitability of these firms. The State of California obviously foresees this possibility as well. Never having seen a tax that it will not try and collect, the state's Franchise Tax Board is seeking public comment on its proposal for computing taxes on commercial space transportation companies (hat-tip, Legal Insurrection reader Robert).

Posted by Leslie Eastman on May 05, 2017 7 Comments
Move over, North Korea! Californians who were awake early Wednesday morning were treated to the site of a test launch by the US Air Force of an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile.
Air Force Global Strike Command spokesman Joe Thomas told AFP from California that the test was routine and not meant to be a show of force in the standoff with North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile program. The Minuteman III missile blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 0702 GMT, the strike command said in a statement.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on May 01, 2017 8 Comments
I predicted that the shenanigans used to lift-up the weak primary campaign of Hillary Clinton against her grassroots challenger, Bernie Sanders, would impact the Democratic Party for some time to come. Those chickens are now coming home to roost!

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on April 25, 2017 70 Comments
A federal judge in California blocked a portion of President Trump's January Immigration Executive Order Tuesday. Jude William H. Orrick of United States District Court for the Northern District of California targeted the Trump administration's promise to cut federal funding from "sanctuary cities" or cities who refused to cooperate with federal law enforcement concerning immigration matters.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 23, 2017 3 Comments
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions made a stop in my hometown on Friday. During the visit, he urged cities and other government jurisdictions with sanctuary policies to reconsider and work with federal law enforcement to identify criminals who should be deported.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 20, 2017 10 Comments
California's Governor Jerry Brown's touts green energy and the local air pollution control regulators rule-make to excess. Despite all of this business-crushing environmental protection, the Golden State is covered in shame and smog. It turns out six of the ten most polluted American cities are in California!
California's smoggy reputation appears to be deserved: Six of the USA's 10 cities with the worst air pollution are in the Golden State, according to a new report.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 19, 2017 12 Comments
An African-American man went on a shooting spree in Fresno, California, and randomly targeted four white men, killing three, before he was taken into custody.
The 39-year-old suspect, identified as Kori Ali Muhammad, is also suspected in the fatal shooting of a security guard outside a Motel 6 on Blackstone Avenue in central Fresno Thursday. He is facing four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, Dyer said. He said Muhammad had expressed dislike of whites in Facebook posts; all of the victims were white. [Fresno Police Chief Jerry] Dyer called it a “random act of violence.”

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 18, 2017 19 Comments
I have a sad update for those Legal Insurrection fans who were hoping that California's move to secede from the union would be successful. Supporters of the #CalExit ballot measure officially ended their efforts this week.
The drive to make the nation's most populous state its own country, with what would be the world's sixth-largest economy, has drawn extra interest after last year's election of Republican Donald Trump as president.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 13, 2017 18 Comments
I have previously noted that many of California's legal citizens were extremely unhappy with the Democratic super-majority in Sacramento ramming through unpopular legislation, such as the "Sanctuary State" measure or the new gas tax. Now, the first signs of a substantial political fallout are on the horizon as citizens are organizing a Golden State version of the Resistance.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 11, 2017 15 Comments
When I wrote about California's senate mulling over a law that would repeal the state income tax for teachers, I predicted a new tax on fuel and electric cars was poised to slide through our legislature and become law. It did!
Faced with a personal appeal by Gov. Jerry Brown, a Senate panel on Monday gave the first approval to a measure that would raise gas taxes and vehicle fees by $52 billion during the next decade for road and bridge repairs. The bill by Brown and legislative leaders was approved in a 5-2, party-line vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which sent it to the Senate floor, where it is proposed to come up for a vote on Thursday.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 05, 2017 51 Comments
One of my favorite TV shows airing this season is "Feud", which depicts the legendary rivalry between Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during their collaboration on the psychological thriller, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Another legendary feud is currently taking place between President Donald Trump and California's political leaders. The policy conflict has now substantially escalated after the state senate approved "Sanctuary State" legislation bill that bars local and state law enforcement from using their resources to help federal immigration authorities.
The 40-member body approved Senate Bill 54, introduced by Sen. President Pro Tem Kevin de León, on a 27-12, party-line vote. It now heads to the Assembly.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 30, 2017 19 Comments
The Democrat Attorney General Xavier Becerra of California has invented a new crime: Performing Undercover Video Journalism While Not a Democrat. Of course, he didn't call it that. Nor did his predecessor, now U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, when she launched an investigation of the undercover video operation to expose alleged fetal body part sales by Planned Parenthood. That investigation resulted in 15 felony charges that were just announced, as we covered the other day, California’s AG Charges Undercover Reporters Who Exposed Planned Parenthood Baby Part Selling.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 30, 2017 16 Comments
It probably comes as no surprise that California's politicians are doubling down against President Trump's immigration law enforcement policies.
State and local leaders in California struck a defiant tone Monday, saying they would continue to protect people in the country illegally despite an announcement by U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions that the U.S. Department of Justice would soon cut federal grants from so-called sanctuary cities. ...[I]n Sacramento the swiftest reaction came from state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), who is championing legislation that would effectively make California a sanctuary state by prohibiting state and local police from enforcing federal immigration laws. He called Sessions’ statements “nothing short of blackmail.”

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 27, 2017 9 Comments
When Californian's went to the polls this November to approve the legalization of marijuana for personal use, little did they realize it would morph into a battle between unions and business. The state is now slated to begin distributing licenses to marijuana businesses on Jan 1, 2018. Therefore, the Golden State's legislature is attempting to iron out discrepancies between the already existing medical marijuana rules and the approved ballot measure. The crux of the disagreement between the Teamsters union and business groups is deciding who is in charge of pot distribution.
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