Free Republic

One of the tricks Democrats have tried to pull since the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration began has been to implement directives, executive orders, and even pass legislation at the state level to try to thwart immigration enforcement agents from doing their jobs. Back in February, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) signed Executive Directive 17 (ED-17), which was designed to do just that. Among other things, the directive mandated "that City property is not [to be] utilized by federal immigration agents for staging areas, processing locations, or bases of operation." It also mandated signs to be posted that...

AB 1608 would rename and expand the powers of the High-Speed Rail Authority’s Inspector General while creating broad exemptions to withhold records California’s high-speed rail project, originally pitched to voters as a $33.5 billion endeavor under Proposition 1A in 2008, has spiraled into a staggering taxpayer nightmare with estimates now exploding as high as $231 billion — a more than 700% increase. Against this backdrop of relentless cost overruns, Assembly Democrats are advancing legislation critics say is explicitly designed to conceal the extent of the waste and shield the failing project from public accountability. AB 1608, authored by Assemblywoman Lori...

This is absolutely mind blowing! When Karin Bass was in Ghana as Los Angeles burned, the deputy mayor she left in charge was at home on house arrest. For phoning in a bomb threat. We are indeed governed by criminals. From @spencerpratt on @joerogan

“The billionaires and corporations are spending big in this race to oppose me and to support the other people on this stage,” he claimed. This same statement is made by every Democrat in any race above the level of dog catcher, but when it’s being made by a candidate who is not only a billionaire, but whose only reason for running in any race is being a billionaire, that takes it to a whole other level of hypocritical grifting. If Steyer were just a working class Bay Area millionaire like Gov. Gavin Newsom or Rep. Ro Khanna, but without their...

President Trump tore into comedian Bill Maher in a Truth Social post late Saturday. "I hate seeing Fox, and other Conservative Outlets, constantly making Low Rated Bill Maher 'relevant' as it pertains to the Republican Party, and beyond. Bill Maher is a weak and ineffective person who I got to know very well during my dinner with him at the White House," he wrote. Trump referenced California Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent appearance on Maher's HBO show. "Maher was defenseless, and totally deficient. Either he didn’t have the knowledge, or he choked, because Gavin went on and on about how good...

A 14-year-old California girl was dismembered with a chainsaw in a backyard inflatable pool after threatening to expose her alleged child predator ex-boyfriend, according to Los Angeles prosecutors. David Anthony Burke, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter known as "D4vd," faces charges of murder, child sex abuse and the unlawful mutilation of human remains after prosecutors allege he sexually abused the teen for months before killing her, cutting up her remains and allowing them to decompose in the trunk of his Tesla. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. The morning after allegedly killing Celeste Rivas Hernandez, he sat...

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sparked outrage after accusing Palisades Fire victim Spencer Pratt of “exploiting the grief” of wildfire victims in his campaign to unseat her. Bass, who has been losing ground to Pratt in the lead-up to the mayoral election, made the extraordinary claim during an interview with MeidasTouch. “Well, honestly, before this, I had never heard of Spencer Pratt,” she said of the former reality TV star. “But the thing I am concerned about is that I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades. And I think that’s reprehensible. He is about his...

Surveillance video captured a Jewish man being assaulted outside a Los Angeles synagogue in an incident that police are now investigating as a hate crime.

A new poll in the California governor’s race shows Democrat dark horse Xavier Becerra in the lead as he quietly consolidates support from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s key allies. Becerra is tied for first with Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton, with both seeing 19% support among likely voters, the poll from EMC Research found. The former Health and Human Services secretary under President Biden was polling in the single digits just weeks ago, but rapidly racked up support after Eric Swalwell quit the race and resigned from Congress amid sexual assault allegations. The new poll, which surveyed 1,000 likely voters from April...

California’s High-Speed Rail boondoggle is now estimated to cost taxpayers $231 billion, up from its original $33.5 billion price tag in 2008 when voters passed Proposition 1A. “Our country has never seen a fiscal disaster of this magnitude,” California Rep. Kevin Kiley said on X Monday. Voters were deceived by the original ballot summary and language in Proposition 1A from 2008, but the state’s lawmakers seem to find that fact inconvenient. And, the entire project is lacking in private, public and debt funding to complete even the most minor operating segment – nearly 20 years later. “If it is built,...

Democrat governors, many believed to be vying for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination, gathered on Thursday for a pricey Los Angeles fundraising event. The private gathering — where tickets cost as much as $100K a pop — was attended by top party members like Gov. Gavin Newsom, Arizona’s Gov. Katie Hobbs, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, among others, the LA Times reported. A ticket to attend the event, closed to the press, cost anywhere from $45,000 up to $100,00, with the money going to the Democrat Governors Association (DGA). The evening was expected to rake...

A ratbag group of cop-hating Black Lives Matters activists were handed the floor at City Hall as they launched a campaign to block extra funding to hire more police in Los Angeles. Everyday Angelenos were left frustrated as they were locked out of the first public budget hearing — while lefty activists led by Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles and People’s Budget LA were given 20 minutes to air their radical views. At stake is the city’s $14.9 billion budget, the single most consequential decision City Hall makes each year. The group, led Friday by Melina Abdullah, demanded the council shift...

If you go to NASCAR to watch the cars crash, the Democratic gubernatorial race in California has been a thrilling pile-up. From Katie Porter spewing profanities at employees, to Eric Swalwell fleeing the race on the heels of prosecutors, it has been something to behold. However, some elements of the campaign have been more predictable, including the use of racial politics. The first major debate was canceled after Former Biden Health and Human Services Secretary and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra declared that his exclusion (due to low polling numbers) was racist.

Ten days ago, Congressmember Eric Swalwell was getting very close to becoming the Democratic candidate for governor of California. But then he imploded amidst sensational accusations of sexual harassment and assault. Within hours of the revelations, Swalwell abandoned his campaign and then resigned from Congress and is now under criminal investigation. Why Swalwell was leading the field of Democratic hopefuls was never clear. His only claim to political fame was being one of President Donald Trump’s most persistent critics — which, of course, has little to do with governing the nation’s most populous state. It seemed he was seen as...

Overton@overton_news·13hHe flipped the script on them instantly.California Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton (R) gave a masterful response to the debate moderator who tried to use President Trump’s endorsement of him as an attack against him.MODERATOR: “Mr. Hilton, you said you were ‘deeply honored’ to recently receive President Trump’s endorsement.”“That’s despite the fact that 62% of Californians disapprove of the job he is doing. Are those Californians wrong?”HILTON: “One of the proudest days of my life was the day I became an American citizen.”“It happened in a ceremony right here in San Francisco.”“So it is a deep honor for me to be...

The 2028 Democratic primary has already begun — and this time, the candidates aren’t trying to hide it. Potential contenders including former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are openly embracing — or at least acknowledging — their interest in a White House run. It’s a departure from the political gamesmanship that once defined presidential politics, when would-be candidates sought to intentionally cloud their intentions out of fear that acknowledging them could backfire. It also reflects the wide-open nature of the race, with no clear front-runner — or anointed figure — for the first time in years....

Just hours after a mass shooting that left eight children under the age of 15 dead in Louisiana, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is bashing the NRA “and their lackeys in Congress.” “This is an unspeakable tragedy. Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones suffering in Louisiana,” Newsom’s press office said on X. “Repeated horrors like this don’t happen anywhere else but this country.” Calling the mass shooting a “total moral failure,” Newsom’s press office said the National Rifle Association “and their lackeys in Congress are complicit in this madness.”

Hunter Biden critiqued the Democratic Party’s leadership as overly civility-focused and driven by a consultant class, arguing they lack the spine to counter a re-energized Republican opposition. He praised California Governor Gavin Newsom as the party’s “greatest warrior” and urged a shift toward aggressive advocacy and fighting in hostile terrain to redefine the party’s strategy. The remarks, linked to tensions with DNC elites and perceived disloyalty to his father, cast internal party dynamics in a light of loyalty challenges and vision gaps. Biden’s comments call for broader unity beyond party labels and signal potential implications for 2028 contenders. Analysts note...

"Middle Aged Man in a Hurry to Put Donor Money in His Pockets" Every presidential candidate is expected to pay a ghostwriter to write a memoir about the sheer wonderfulness of being him and the lessons he learned along the way. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s was titled, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery.” Maybe it should have been titled “Middle Aged Man in a Hurry to Put Donor Money in His Pockets” instead. Who was really going to plonk down thirty bucks (currently ten and change at Walmart) to read how Newsom at once insisted he was a...

The California governor's race is heating up, with Emerson College polls showing two Republicans leading after Eric Swalwell's departure. Steve Hilton leads with 17%, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 14%. Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer is tied with Bianco at 14%. Trailing Democrats include former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Representative Katie Porter both tied at 10%. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan follows with 5%. The poll also found that 23% of likely voters said they are still undecided, meaning the race remains wide open.