Free Republic

A California family gave over $4.4 million in political donations to Governor Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and other leading California politicians. And now, that family's alleged past links to infamous suspected honeypot spy Fang Fang, also known as Christine Fang, and other Chinese government officials have thrust them into an ongoing debate over foreign influence in American politics. The Yin family made millions running McDonald's franchises in the Golden State — and became prolific donors to politicians, according to state and federal campaign records. Newly released FBI files about Fang describe the family patriarch Chei Chen Yin, commonly known by...

A California Democrat’s staffer has been arrested by federal immigration authorities in Las Vegas, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Former KTSF news anchor Ho-Yin Mo, who now works for California Assemblywoman Catherine Stefani, was taken into custody Thursday at Harry Reid International Airport, the DailyMail reported. “On January 13, 2020, Mo lawfully entered the U.S. on a temporary basis but illegally overstayed his welcome by failing to depart by May 15, 2020,” DHS told the Post. “Work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States.” Stefani’s office did not return the Post’s...

...LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday, September 19, signed a package of 13 election-related bills aimed at strengthening protections for the state’s voting process ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The legislative package includes measures restricting the seizure of ballots and election records, imposing penalties for interference with mail ballots and limiting deceptive political advertising. Newsom and other California Democrats have said that the measures are intended to address concerns about potential federal involvement in the state’s elections, particularly over mail-in voting. ...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday morning that he is declaring a state of emergency ahead of what could be the strongest El Niño on record. Newsom’s office issued a statement confirming that state resources are being mobilized before the potential winter storms and associated impacts. Under the directive, state agencies can now begin protecting vulnerable communities, preparing roads and critical infrastructure, staging emergency supplies, and helping reduce risks of flooding and landslides as well as coastal erosion.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — A judge denied bail Friday for the man accused of fatally striking a Carlsbad mother of three while driving under the influence and fleeing the scene. Fernando Saldana, 26, of Escondido pleaded not guilty to murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI causing injury or death, and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in injury or death. He was also driving on a suspended license at the time of the crash, prosecutors said. ... A judge ordered that Saldana's face be blurred for broadcast, but his supporters and Wheyland's saw him in person for the first time since...

Federal authorities arrested an illegal migrant Friday for repeatedly lying about her citizenship to land a job at an aerospace manufacturer and US military contractor where she worked for three decades. Mexican national Alma Patricia Contreras Villafana, 54, of South Los Angeles, was taken into custody by Homeland Security officers after a standoff at the Torrance factory operated by Howmet Aerospace, where she worked as a machinist. ... Court papers say Contreras Villafana first secured employment at a Howmet subsidiary in 1996 by attesting on her Form I-9 that she was a US citizen. In fact, she had been ordered...

The state of Oregon will no longer require its students to demonstrate proficiency in math, reading and writing in order to earn a high school diploma in a bid to bolster minority students. Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill late last month suspending the state's 'essential skills' requirement for graduation for the next three years while its Department of Education seeks alternative graduation requirements. The bill extended a suspension of the requirements that was put in place during the coronavirus pandemic. Proponents of the measure have said the state's proficiency specifications hurt disadvantaged students, while opponents say suspending them lowers...

For more than 30 years, the path to high school graduation in New York State has required Regents exams, the rigorous end-of-year tests that have determined whether students receive a diploma. The New York State Board of Regents, the governing body for its schools, voted on Monday to take a major step in its yearslong plan to phase out the exam as a graduation requirement, a far-reaching overhaul intended to eliminate barriers to graduation for some students. The changes represent New York’s most substantial education policy overhaul in decades, a sweeping rethinking of student expectations and diploma requirements in a...

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and his wife have emerged as two major donors seeking to block a California ballot measure that would establish strict voter ID requirements. The media boss gave $1 million towards the effort to stop Prop. 39, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship and personal identification in order to vote — which backers claim is necessary to stamp out voter fraud. Hastings’ donation came on Sept. 3, according to Secretary of State records, as California Dems rally against Prop. 39. The Netflix boss’ wife of 35 years, Patty Quillin, gave a cool $1.5 million...

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) laundered more than $75 million for charlatans, cheaters, and thieves, at least one of whom used more than $1 million of the more than $110 million in homeless funds he received to open a nightclub. And it's no wonder that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who's running for reelection, smelled trouble and quit her membership in and control over LAHSA before the feds announced indictments on Wednesday. Karen Bass suddenly stepped down from LAHSA a few days ago. Today, HUD Secretary Turner just revealed that $75M of fraud was laundered through LAHSA.Probably nothing!...

The NBA brought the hammer down on the LA Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer for circumventing the salary cap to funnel more money to Kawhi Leonard — and now federal prosecutors are looking into the matter. The Justice Department investigation comes in addition to the Securities and Exchange Commission looking into Daktronics’ role in the scandal, as it had an endorsement deal with Leonard despite never having had a celebrity endorser before and there being no evidence Leonard did anything for the company. Daktronics is publicly traded, and the SEC is tasked with protecting shareholders.

🚨 BREAKING: The Trump DOJ has charged 12 IMMIGRANTS from Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Iraq for running $10 MILLION-worth of FAKE daycare fraud schemes in California 9 of them came into the country as "ASYLUM SEEKERS" or TPS NEWSOM IS COMPLICIT by working to COVER ALL OF THIS UP, and should face charges HIMSELF. Per @AAGMcDonald: "These 12 ghost daycares billed the taxpayer more than $10 million. Money that should have gone to feeding, protecting, and supporting our children." One man, Mohamad Alawad, received over $1.2 MILLION for purportedly providing daycare services. Yet, Alawad WASN'T EVEN IN AMERICA for...

".... The Kelvin Wave causing the ocean rise is “fanning” northward and will reach waters off the California Coast during the month of September raising sea level from about 6 inches above normal (now) to 12-13 inches above normal later this month. The ocean rise is accompanied by additional warming."

Gov. Gavin Newsom has revealed one factor that could tank his expected presidential bid: fellow Democrat Kamala Harris. Newsom was asked in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper about his expected White House run, and he didn’t hold back on how the ex-vice president, his former colleague and rumored frenemy, could change his decision. “I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom said while fly-fishing with Tapper in Montana. “I wouldn’t do that to her … I wouldn’t waste anyone’s time. Who needs that?” Newsom explained, calling it “mutually assured destruction.”

Projections indicate that a Paramount exodus would severely hurt California’s economy to the tune of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs if movie studio head David Ellison made good on his threat to relocate. AG Bonta’s lawsuit halts the Warner Bros. acquisition.Conducted by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the study found that California would lose roughly 28,990 to 57,980 full-time jobs statewide across various industries if Paramount relocated to a state like Tennessee, with revenue losses estimated between $10.6 billion and $21.2 billion annually. “It should be emphasized that these estimated job losses include direct,...

A former lieutenant and so-called “right-hand man” of cult leader Charles Manson, who had a role in several brutal murders, has reportedly died. Bruce Davis died on Sept. 11 at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, where he was serving a life sentence for his horrific crimes, according to TMZ.

SAN DIEGO (CN) — San Diego can keep an ordinance blocking leafletting in public spaces near schools, despite an anti-abortion protester who said the restriction was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel found Friday the ordinance was narrowly tailored and did not prevent demonstrators like Don Blythe from communicating their message. “The city enacted this ordinance in an extraordinarily polarized political environment, wherein issues impacting students are subject to immense and impassioned public debate, protest, and opposition," Curiel, a Barack Obama appointee, wrote. “The court cannot ignore this evolving societal context and finds that it lends support to the city’s...

This probably isn't going to be good. San Francisco's Mayor, Daniel Lurie, who ran as a kind of get-things-done moderate in America's most liberal city, just declared a "rent emergency." San Francisco definitely has high rent compared to other parts of the country.In San Francisco, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is more than $4,300, up more than $1,000 from last year, according to Zillow.But what exactly is a "rent emergency"? There's no law in California or in the city that recognizes such a declaration. This is just another PR stunt someone has cooked up. The real question is...

LOS ANGELES - Tired of high DMV fees and long lines? That could soon come to an end under a plan proposed by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. Standing outside the West Hollywood DMV office Tuesday, Hilton announced his plan to abolish the DMV as a stand-alone state agency and cut annual vehicle registration fees to a flat $73. Making California affordable What they're saying: "We're going to shut down this bloated nanny state bureaucratic agency that treats Californians with complete contempt. We are done with it. Enough is enough with the DMV, enough is enough with sky-high registration rates,...

Chloe Dillon was in the middle of deciding an asylum case at San Francisco’s immigration court when her supervisor told her to check her email. Dillon had finished hearing testimony and arguments and stepped back into her chambers to deliberate when she opened a termination notice. It was about 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2025. The letter said her removal was effective that day and ordered her to surrender her federal property. The notice cited only “Article II of the Constitution,” according to a lawsuit Dillon filed Thursday. ... The termination came roughly 48 hours after Dillon raised concerns with...