Free Republic

In the months following the devastating Palisades Fire of 2025, residents who lost everything have faced a second assault—not from flames, but from opportunistic thieves preying on their efforts to rebuild. An LAPD email obtained by the New York Post reveals a surge in thefts targeting construction sites, with criminals making off with plywood, tools, copper wiring, and other essential materials under the cover of darkness caused by absent streetlights. This is not mere misfortune; it is the predictable result of governance that prioritizes ideology over public safety in one of America’s most liberal strongholds. These “ghouls,” as aptly described,...

Officials said there is no threat of an explosion or chemical leak.All evacuation orders tied to a failing chemical tank in Southern California that sparked fears of a catastrophic explosion have been lifted, local authorities announced Tuesday evening.The Orange County Fire Authority said in a social media post that officials have determined there is no threat of an explosion, fire or chemical leak and no risk to the public.On Monday, officials announced the evacuation zone was shrinking after the "worst-case scenario" of a catastrophic explosion had been averted. But about 16,000 people remained under evacuation orders.Earlier Tuesday, officials said the...

SACRAMENTO, California — Gavin Newsom vowed Wednesday to tax any payouts that California residents receive from a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that Donald Trump secured in a settlement with his own Justice Department, as Democratic lawmakers in states across the country ramp up efforts to counter the president on the measure.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that his administration will seek to impose a 100 percent tax on any California residents who receive money from President Donald Trump’s newly created $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Speaking to reporters, Newsom denounced the fund as a “slush fund” and pledged to block Californians from financially benefiting from it. “Anyone from California that receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100 percent of those proceeds,” Newsom said during a press conference. “He pardoned all of those folks that were beating up cops and absolved them, providing them 1.776 billion dollars,” Newsom said....

A southern California family is mourning and demanding justice after a bride-to-be was struck and killed by a hit and run driver while she was waiting at a bus stop in San Diego. Police said that 27-year-old Katie Osorio was fatally struck by a driver who drove up on the sidewalk, and killed the young girl who was just sitting waiting for the bus inside a partially enclosed bench to take her to her second job, before the driver took off.

This video discusses reality TV personality Spencer Pratt's appearance on the daytime talk show The View and his campaign for mayor of Los Angeles. The host of the video argues that Pratt successfully shifted the conversation from celebrity gossip to the stark reality of urban decline in Los Angeles. Key takeaways from the interview: Critique of LA Leadership: Pratt focuses on the observable deterioration of Los Angeles streets, citing issues like homelessness, drug addiction, and public safety concerns, while criticizing officials like Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom for what he describes as failed, performative leadership (0:28-0:43, 6:13-7:17). Authenticity vs. Politics:...

The Los Angeles Police Department are funding homeless encampments completely crawling with rats LAPD is calling this a health and safety hazard and making it impossible for people with disabilities to use sidewalks 5 medieval diseases are having resurgences in Los Angeles linked to homelessness and poor sanitation conditions Flea-borne Typhus (Murine Typhus) Spread by fleas on rats and other animals in trash-filled areas. LA County has seen repeated outbreaks, with record highs in recent years Tuberculosis (TB) A bacterial lung infection historically associated with crowded, unsanitary conditions. Outbreaks have been reported in Skid Row and among homeless populations in...

The risk of a catastrophic explosion at a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has been eliminated following a close overnight inspection that confirmed a crack in the tank relieved pressure and cooled the chemical, authorities said Monday. Officials said crews conducted tank temperature checks at night to reduce risks to firefighters, avoiding daytime operations when heat from the tank made conditions around it most dangerous. The overnight mission allowed crews to verify the crack and confirm temperatures were falling, Orange County Fire Authority division chief Craig Covey said Monday morning. Covey said the results of overnight evaluation of the...

A tiny home project in Watsonville is giving people experiencing homelessness both housing and hope for a better future. For Rosie Lopez, Hope Village, as it’s called, saved her life. “Because I had just lost my brother, you know, and I was contemplating suicide and I've been homeless for almost five years, and I was really at my worst,” Lopez said. Hope Village is a navigation center for people experiencing homelessness on both sides of the Pajaro River. The 34-bed center celebrated its grand opening this week. “Most folks, they're not looking for a handout. They really want an opportunity...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is in a spat with a major oil company over who is to blame for the state’s high gas prices, with the Democratic governor’s office urging drivers not to fill up at Chevron stations over Memorial Day weekend. “Pro tip: unbranded gas comes from the same refineries, storage tanks, and pipelines, and it meets the same state standards to keep your engine running clean,” Newsom’s office posted Thursday on X. “Big Oil is already making billions off Trump’s Iran War; don’t let them rip you off even more by overpaying for the brand name.” Newsom’s office...

(The Center Square)—The Los Angeles City Council’s delay on a $30-an-hour minimum wage has some groups shaking their heads and others clapping their hands. The council last week voted to postpone implementation of the new minimum wage for hotel and airport workers. The vote was 9-6 and would move the timeline from 2028 to 2030. The vote came amid pressure from businesses threatening efforts to repeal the city’s gross receipts tax, which is a major source of revenue for Los Angeles. Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson has been quoted in various news reports as calling this a placeholder to keep talks...

California’s largest home insurance company tore into state regulators Monday as it faces potential multi-million dollar fines and a suspension of its license. “Wildfire survivors deserve real solutions — not a distorted picture of State Farm’s response. We strongly disagree with the Department’s characterization,” State Farm General Insurance Company said in a statement. The lengthy, strongly worded response came within hours of the state of California issuing a damning verdict following an investigation into the company’s handling of customer claims after the 2025 wildfires. “The threat to suspend State Farm General’s ability to serve customers over primarily administrative and procedural...

Kratom pills and drinks have been openly sold across California for years, but a recent crackdown by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is shutting down the sale of the popular painkillers, resulting in over 3,300 products seized in three weeks and $5 million worth of product taken off shelves.

California trial set for Florida cosmetologist charged in death of Kim Kardashian lookalike By Tim Fang Updated on: March 2, 2026 / 3:42 PM PST / CBS San Francisco Add CBS News on Google A trial has been set in the San Francisco Bay Area for a Florida woman accused of providing a cosmetic injection that killed a woman who was known as a Kim Kardashian lookalike, prosecutors said. The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office announced Monday that jury selection is set to begin on March 9 in the trial of Vivian Alexandra Gomez, who is charged in the...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his administration is monitoring and preparing for the impacts the war in Iran could have on the state's public safety and gas prices.

A powerful San Francisco group is unleashing $10 million this year to kill taxes that they say will destroy the city’s fragile economic recovery — and potentially increase the price of food and goods for already cash-strapped residents. Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, a moderate advocacy group, plans to beat back a wave of lefty initiatives and candidates this year that they say will derail years of progress in liberal San Francisco, according to its director Jay Cheng. One of the group’s main targets is a so-called “CEO tax” — a June ballot measure backed by progressives and labor...

More than 20,000 immigrant truck drivers will be able to keep their licenses in California, at least temporarily, despite efforts by the Trump administration and the state of California to revoke them, according to a tentative ruling Wednesday in Alameda County Superior Court. The decision puts the state of California in a bind. The U.S. Department of Transportation already has repeatedly pushed the California Department of Motor Vehicles to rescind these licenses, which belong to many asylum seekers and other immigrants with temporary legal status, after the federal government found alleged clerical issues regarding the expiration dates on their licenses....

Well, that was a whiff. The Padres, along with the state of California, struck out when free-agent pitcher Merrill Kelly spurned San Diego to stay in Arizona — even though the Padres dangled a better deal. The deciding factor? Punitive California taxes. “I love San Diego,” Kelly said. “It’s just, like I said, they take too much money out of my pocket, man. The taxes over there are a different level.” Indeed they are. California has long slathered on taxes like so much snake oil from politicians. Kelly, who inked a two-year, $40 million deal with the Diamondbacks, will save...

The BriefA California appeals court ruled Friday that Antolin Garcia-Torres, convicted in the 2012 kidnapping and killing of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, may be entitled to a new trial because prosecutors improperly combined unrelated 2009 kidnapping charges with the murder case. The teen disappeared in Morgan Hill in March 2012 and was never found. Garcia-Torres was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The man convicted in the 2012 kidnapping and killing of Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar may get a new trial following a court ruling filed Friday. California's Sixth Appellate District Court...

In California’s notoriously expensive Bay Area, living out of one’s vehicle has increasing appeal. Recreational vehicle (RV) parks, once the domain of seasonal workers and adventurous retirees, now host local residents with full-time jobs aiming to cut costs — by avoiding high housing costs altogether. These days, RV parks are filling up even more with state residents aiming to save cash. Among them are brothers Stefan and Sebastian Goins, who recently made the leap to RV living after six years of rent hikes in their Pleasantville apartment. They drained their savings to buy a $24,000 32-foot long traveling trailer. But...