Free Republic

If you look at a map of the 2024 presidential election results, you can draw a squiggly line down the state of California, splitting it in two from north to south. The coastal area of the state voted overwhelmingly blue, while the inland area is almost entirely red (with the exception of three small counties bordering Nevada). Many of the rouge-colored counties flipped from blue to red in that most recent election, but new research analyzing the state’s political leanings has mapped out some core findings from California’s political divide. A recent report from the Public Policy Institute of California...

How often do Democrats thunder that “people will die” if Republicans get their way on issues such as healthcare, climate change and gun control? Well, thanks to the sanctuary policies of Gavin Newsom and California Democrats, people have died. Consider the case of retiree Todd Stewart, recently slain on camera in Martinez just a day after his alleged killer was excused from local custody –– by a Newsom-appointed judge. Trump border czar Tom Homan on Thursday put the state and its governor on blast over the slaying –– and hundreds of other cases like it.

“Ghostbusters” star Dan Aykroyd revealed the grim, “medieval”-like reality of living in California in a recently resurfaced podcast interview. In an republished episode of the Adam Carolla Show, Aykroyd spoke to the stark contrast between living in Los Angeles and Canada, where he hails from. SNIP But Aykroyd quickly noted the discrepancy with other parts of the city and 60,000 homeless people living on the streets. “So the underside and the overside will always, always be there,” the actor said. “We’re living in frankly medieval times.” Aykroyd said he drives “very carefully” and doesn’t go out during “prison hours,” referring...

Abdul El-Sayed’s recent victory in Michigan should be a wake-up call for California. The political movement that helped propel El-Sayed to victory is already flourishing here, and its loudest obsession is a tiny country thousands of miles away. Israel. At a time when Californians are struggling with housing costs, homelessness, crime, failing schools and the basic affordability of raising a family, why are local politicians spending precious time turning city halls into debating chambers on the Middle East conflict?

A former Republican member of Congress who was once called Donald Trump’s “stooge” has resurfaced as a wine connoisseur in a quaint coastal California town. Devin Nunes made headlines constantly in the first Trump administration, with the Central Valley representative accused of meddling in Trump’s Russia investigation to protect the president and then suing a parody Twitter account called “Devin Nunes’ Cow” for $250 million after it called him a “treasonous cowpoke.” He left Congress to run Trump’s social media platform and then largely fell out of the news. He has since re-emerged as a wine investor and the owner...

The David Horowitz Freedom Center is still standing. Heidi isn't.

A top-ranking member of the Democratic Socialists of America refused to answer how rapists would be brought to justice if the party successfully abolished police and prisons. Dr Frances Gill, a delegate in the political committee, was asked by NBC Los Angeles anchor Conan Nolan what would happen if his daughter was sexually assaulted under a DSA regime, which seeks to defund the police and entirely end the prison system. 'If my daughter is assaulted and raped, is there any agency that would seek to find her assailant and bring him to justice?' Nolan asked. Gill responded that 'of course,'...

One year after buying a controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers from the Buss family, team owner Mark Walter is now selling the historic NBA franchise to American businessmen Josh Kushner and ex-Disney CEP Bob Iger for a record-breaking $12 billion, ESPN is reporting. Multiple sources have confirmed the deal, which would eclipse the $10 billion record sales price Walter paid for the franchise in 2025. Kushner was part of a group of investors that recently tried to buy stakes in the World Cup from FIFA in a since-aborted proposal that has left the group's president, Gianni Infantino, fighting...

California’s bullet train could have a new end point: Brokeville, USA. The state’s beleaguered high-speed rail line is once again careening toward a financial cliff, as a new report — delivered last month to Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators — says the project could run out of cash by the end of next year. The Office of the Inspector General warned that the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s funds could dry up as soon as December 2027 unless it secures financing — and the authority would need to borrow as much as $9.5 billion over five years just to keep construction...

A pack of young punks allegedly turned the Bay Area into their personal smash-and-grab playground, hitting 77 homes and vehicles, ripping off power tools and guns, while using stolen rides to fuel the crime spree. The four juveniles were blamed for 37 burglaries in Concord and roughly 40 more in other cities across Contra Costa and Solano counties, authorities said. Their alleged MO was simple and brazen: hit cars in the early-morning hours, grab garage-door openers and use them to get inside homes’ garages looking for more loot. But the crew allegedly escalated from property crime to a far more...

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A recent San Francisco Civil Grand Jury report found that weak oversight within the city's homeless services system may be putting residents of supportive housing at risk, raising questions about accountability, safety and the management of taxpayer-funded programs. The report comes as city officials continue addressing concerns surrounding permanent supportive housing, where the Department of Public Health reported that 26% of all unintentional drug overdose deaths in San Francisco in 2024 occurred in such facilities. For Aisha McCain, the issue is deeply personal. [snip] The fire department was called in once the body was discovered. "He...

Mayor Karen Bass conspired with a political ally to push rival Nithya Raman out as chair of LA’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, the councilwoman alleged. Raman, who is challenging Bass in November, blasted the shake-up in a video posted to X Monday after the California Post first reported that she was being removed as chair of the committee. “Mayor Bass’ top City Council ally removed me as Chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee,” Raman said. “The Mayor may be trying to punish me for challenging her, but Angelenos are the ones who pay the price for these political games.”...

Voter ID is crucial to restoring public trust in our democratic process. That’s why I encourage all Californians to vote yes on Proposition 39 this November and restore confidence in our elections. “Every vote matters” may be a cliché — but it’s true. In 2024, Orange County Republican Rep. Michelle Steel was defeated by 653 votes. In the Central Valley, Republican Congressman John Duarte was defeated by an even smaller margin: just 187 votes.

Gavin Newsom’s official calendars show the lefty governor listing zero government business on a staggering 18 taxpayer-funded workdays in the first four months of the year, The California Post has learned. The uber-secretive Newsom — who only finally released his calendars after a monthslong delay that required legal intervention by The Post’s lawyers — marked the 18 non-holiday weekdays as “no official business,” or about one in every four days. The governor’s calendar also includes 53 murky entries only described as “work time,” blocking off the large chunks to tinker on unknown tasks. On Feb. 6, for example, Newsom’s sole...

A Christian In-N-Out worker is suing the fast food giant claiming religious discrimination after she was allegedly forced to work Sundays. Arianna Rodriguez, who was a cook at the location in Long Beach, California, for nearly five years claims she was wrongly terminated by a new manager. According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Rodriguez had been on a schedule that allowed her to attend church on Sundays without any problems for years.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in supporting a federal lawsuit challenging Idaho's law that bars transgender students from using school restrooms and other sex-separated facilities that align with their gender identity. The coalition filed an amicus brief urging a federal judge in Idaho to block enforcement of the law while the lawsuit moves forward, arguing that the measure is unconstitutional and undermines the rights and safety of transgender students. Idaho's House Bill 264 prohibits transgender people from using restrooms and other sex-separated facilities consistent with their gender identity in certain public educational...

The most interesting race in California may be Gloria Romero’s run for the oft-ignored position of Lieutenant Governor. What makes this race different is that Romero is a different kind of Republican whose background constitutes a vigorous challenge to the standard-brand Democrat, Treasurer Fiona Ma. Romero is a 71-year-old Republican — but also a former Democratic State Senate majority leader and onetime leftist firebrand. Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel calls her nomination “the most important development for the California GOP in a generation.”

America's most powerful banker has made a huge bet on San Francisco by investing $200 million in Bay Area housing and opening a new headquarters there. JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon designated the region as a new corporate center for the bank this week, after pledging to fund hundreds of waterfront units in the city. Dimon praised the Golden City's booming economy and the stunning comeback it has made on public safety since the initiation of Mayor Daniel Lurie in January 2025. Speaking at the San Francisco Chase Center on Monday, Dimon said Lurie has been 'doing all the right...

A Southern California nonprofit that runs domestic violence shelters has paid its longtime chief executive officer, a Hawaii resident, more than $1.6 million in salary and vacation over two years — far more than local peers. Experts in nonprofit oversight say 1736 Family Crisis Center CEO Carol Adelkoff’s out-of-state residency and compensation raise questions about board governance and ‘reasonable’ pay. Adelkoff said her compensation grew significantly over the last couple of years because she was paid unused vacation time that had accrued over the 40 years she has worked at the nonprofit. As public spending on homelessness has come under...

A man wanted in connection with the sexual assault of a child in Canada more than 30 years ago was arrested in Santa Cruz, according to ICE San Francisco. Charles Peter Billone, 64, was found hiding in Santa Cruz after decades on the run from Canadian law enforcement. He has been wanted since 1991 for allegedly sexually assaulting a child. According to ICE San Francisco, Billone also has previous convictions for possession of stolen property, assault and drug-related offenses. He is currently in ICE custody pending removal. Articles published by Canadian news outlets in 2014 reported that Billone had been...