Free Republic

With a laundry list of tax hikes proposed by Congress or Democratic candidates for president, it's understandable why many would view Washington as the biggest threat to taxpayers’ wallets. However, policymakers at the state and local level are just as likely to reach into taxpayers’ pockets as those in Washington, D.C. Take Election Day 2019, which featured nearly 1,000 tax and fiscal ballot measures.  Publicly-accessible data from secretaries of state and county election offices found 954 measures across 19 different states and hundreds of localities, most of which were negative measures that would impact taxpayers and businesses. There were at...

The 405 Freeway underpass along Venice Boulevard has become a flashpoint in the escalating homelessness crisis plaguing Southern California. The road is a border between worlds. On the north side of the famed street is Los Angeles -- and a sidewalk packed with sun-bleached tents, dirty sleeping bags, bikes in various states of disrepair and even a few surfboards belonging to residents of the underpass’ homeless population. On the south side is Culver City, a storied moviemaking hub and a peaceful suburban oasis. On a recent weekday morning, Culver City’s side was noticeably bereft of any sign of the homeless...

Most Pacific Northwesterners spend long, rainy months pining for summer. But Microsoft President Brad Smith is having a hard time celebrating because he sees three clouds on the political horizon. During an appearance at the Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., on Tuesday, Smith told Recode’s Kara Swisher that he has three immigration-related concerns that could make this “a tough summer.” If President Donald Trump takes any of the actions Smith warned about, Microsoft employees would be directly impacted. Smith told Swisher he is worried that Republicans and Democrats will fail to reach a compromise on DACA, a program...

On Wednesday L.A. Weekly reached out to the Pasadena-based National Hispanic Media Coalition to see if it wanted to weigh in on the pro golf tour's continued ties to Donald Trump and some of his courses, which include the Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes. NHMC CEO Alex Nogales, who had already played a role in pressuring NBC Universal to sever ties with the mogul over his controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants, responded by threatening to organize a boycott of PGA events if pro golf didn't end its relationship with Trump.

Fire Torches Homes Near L.A., Hundreds Flee August 28, 2009 Aug. 27: A home is seen fully engulfed in flames in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. LOS ANGELES — Wildfires erupted up and down California Thursday as a late summer siege of heat and low humidity levels made conditions ripe for conflagrations. Structures could be seen burning in the wealthy communities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula south of Los Angeles, while suburbs on the foothills to the north of the city were threatened by a slumbering fire that suddenly roared to life in the evening hours....