Free Republic

My report Sunday on the lucrative deal Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s husband has to sell 56 post office buildings barely scratched the surface of her conflicts of interest. The California Democrat’s financier husband, Richard C. Blum, is estimated to be a billionaire from his shrewd investments in companies that profit from federal policies. “For at least 15 years, Feinstein has appeared to support government contracts that push federal funds toward companies co-owned or governed by her powerful, billionaire husband, Richard C. Blum,” Breitbart News reported.

A group of people describing themselves as Stanford students blocked westbound traffic on the San Mateo Bridge minutes before 5 p.m. on Monday. Television footage showed officers making arrests soon after the students, carrying banners and a Palestinian flag, took to the bridge. Protesters said they hoped to shut down traffic for 28 minutes.

California Teacher Allegedly Arranged Beach Trip For Sex With Students (Pics in URL) By AMY HUBBARD AND EMILY ALPERT REYES Two female Southern California teachers had sex with male high school students during an overnight beach camping trip that one of the teachers orchestrated, authorities say. Melody Lippert, 38, and Michelle Ghirelli, 30, are set to be arraigned in Orange County on Wednesday. A student Ghirelli is accused of having sex with was under 18 years old, while Lippert allegedly had sex with a student who was 18, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Tom Steyer is telling potential supporters that if he were to run for Senate in California, he would set policy goals related to climate change, taxes and public education. If he does not meet certain goals in six years, Steyer would pledge not to run for a second term. The billionaire environmentalist and former hedge fund manager spent $74 billion in the midterm elections in an effort to elect more lawmakers who want to fight climate change. Steyer also wants to ensure that the highest income earners pay effective tax rates that are at least the same level as the...

Some members of a Hollywood organization are questioning whether to honor Ted Cruz. The Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors this year chose the conservative Senator from Texas as one of its recipients of its annual "American Spirit Award." Another is to go to liberal Calif. governor Jerry Brown. The Caucus, founded three decades ago by Norman Lear, Aaron Spelling and others, has set a meeting Monday to determine whether to stick with its plan to give a Spirit award to Cruz after some of its more liberal members objected to the selection, and some threatened to quit if the...

SANTA CRUZ -- Nine years ago, Angel Anthony Valtierra's body was found tangled in brush 20 feet down a steep hill on Upper East Zayante Road. Not a single day passes where Valtierra's family doesn't pray his killer will be arrested and brought to justice. His mother, Rachel Valtierra, said she often wakes up crying in the middle of the night. "I'm just angry because nobody got caught for it," Rachel Valtierra, 55, said Friday. "Nothing ever came of it. It's like we're standing still, and that's very hard for me." Valtierra -- a San Jose resident whose pregnant girlfriend...

A former LAPD homicide detective unveiled new evidence Thursday that he says reveals who killed the Black Dahlia. Steve Hodel believes the killer was his own father. Hodel’s father George was booked in 1949 for incest and child molestation. He was also a prime suspect for the 1947 never-solved Black Dahlia murder.

With the film version of James Ellroy's novel, "The Black Dahlia" soon to be released, it is necessary to let people know the Elizabeth Short portrayed in the novel and on the screen is not the real Elizabeth Short at all. Here is a website created and maintained by Mary Pacios, who actually knew her, and author of the book, "Childhood Shadows."

Brian De Palma Casts for 'Untouchables' An inadvertent casting listing this week could have gotten famed director Brian De Palma in a lot of trouble. De Palma and producer Art Linson — the men who gave us "The Untouchables" a decade ago — are casting a supporting role for their new film, "The Black Dahlia." Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson and possibly Hilary Swank will play the leads. But eyebrows were raised yesterday when DePalma and Linson sent out a casting call for a girl who looks 13 to play nude lesbian scenes in the movie. The film is based on...

A retired homicide detective believes that his father committed the notorious "Black Dahlia" murder that has been unsolved for half a century. In a new book, Steve Hodel states that late physician George Hodel killed 22-year-old aspiring actress Elizabeth Short in a fit of jealousy. Her body, severed at the waist, nearly drained of blood and posed with arms and legs spread-eagle, was found in a vacant lot in 1947. Authorities said her face and body had been slashed, apparently while she was alive. Short was nicknamed the "Black Dahlia" by acquaintances because of the black clothing and the flower...

The McStay family, who lived in Fallbrook, vanished on February 4, 2010Tuesday marked exactly four years since San Diego’s McStay family vanished without a trace, leaving few clues behind in a case that has baffled San Diego law enforcement and captured international attention. The family – parents Joseph and Summer McStay and their young sons, 4-year-old Gianni McStay and 3-year-old Joseph Matteo McStay – disappeared from their home in Fallbrook on Feb. 4, 2010. After more than three years of no resolve in the case of San Diego's missing McStay family, the case got a major break on November 15,...

A fungus called Cryptococcus gattii can cause life-threatening infections, especially in people with compromised immune systems. One-third of AIDS-related deaths are thought to be caused by the fungus. But though people in Southern California have been getting sick from C. gatti for years, nobody knew how.... C. gattii from three trees, Canary Island pine, New Zealand pohutukawa and American sweet gum, matched almost exactly with C. gattii from infected patients. And the tree samples matched not just those from recent patients but from people who were sick 10 to 12 years ago. Thus this strain of C. gattii has been...

A mysterious glowing orb has been filmed breaking away from an unidentified meteorite-like object as it streaked across the sky above California. The unusual object can be seen moving through the sky leaving a long tail behind that is characteristic of space debris or a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere. But after a few seconds a second round object separates from the main fireball and moves off in the opposite direction. UFO hunters have claimed the bright orb may have been some sort of escape pod from a crashing ship. However, others have said it is more likely to...

Hey, we started off the day with a happy story, so in the interest of keeping the tone positive here on the Hot Gas ranch, let’s finish my shift up with another one. I know all of you are fans of capitalism in general, and just love seeing hard work and inspiration pay off for the little guy who makes it big. With that in mind, who wouldn’t feel their heart melt over the story of a spunky gal from the left coast who rises from humble roots and winds up helping her husband tuck away a few dollars...

Ever wonder how lowly paid lawmakers leave office filthy rich? Sen. Dianne Feinstein is showing how it’s done. The US Postal Service plans to sell 56 buildings — so it can lease space more expensively — and the real estate company of the California senator’s husband, Richard Blum, is set to pocket about $1 billion in commissions.

While appearing on MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes," Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said the Obama administration was correct in refusing to refer to Islamic terrorists as "Islamic extremists," the Washington Free Beacon reported Thursday. The reason, she explained, is that doing so would anger them and possibly cause them to engage in even more terrorism. "They’re responsible for ensuring our national security. We have to be careful in our language and how we — I don’t want to see any more anger and hostility or violence in the world," she said. "Our response to terrorism is a response that...

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said those who criticize the appointment of Democratic Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) to the Intelligence Committee because he is a Muslim are “un-American.” Schiff, who is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he has been “deeply disturbed” by the reaction by some to Carson’s appointment last week. “I am deeply disturbed that since his appointment to the committee, Congressman Carson has been subject to vicious, anti-Muslim attacks online and in social media, questioning his loyalty to our country solely because of his faith.”(continued)

<p>Pope Francis announced Thursday that he will canonize Father Junipero Serra, the founder of California’s missions and a controversial figure for his role in a process that began the decimation of the Native American population here.</p> <p>The pope said the canonization — the formal elevation of a person to sainthood — will take place in September, when he’s scheduled to visit the East Coast.</p>

On Dec 4, 2014, the Black Student Union of UC Berkeley held the first of three protests. Students occupied The Golden Bear Cafe for 4.5 hours, the amount of time Michael Brown’s body lay in the street in Ferguson, Mo.Over the last month, the Black Student Union at UC Berkeley has organized three separate events to protest police killings of unarmed black men. Students have marched on the streets, through local businesses, and sat in at cafés. The demonstrations have allowed students to grieve, heal, and show solidarity with protesters in Ferguson and Staten Island. But they have also been...

DOWNEY — The building that housed the world’s first Taco Bell is under “imminent threat of demolition,” according to the Downey Conservancy, a Downey-based preservation group. Although Downey is more famously recognized as the site of the oldest operating location for the world’s largest hamburger chain, it is Taco Bell that built its very first location within the city. The building, located at 7112 Firestone Blvd, was opened by founder Glen Bell in March 1962.