Free Republic

With the arrests and federal indictments of two California men announced on Thursday, we're now getting an idea of how California's billions of dollars to "end homelessness" vanished without a trace. Instead of helping to solve the problem of rampant tent encampments filled with addicts on the beaches and streets in California, things got worse. Where did all that money go? An audit in 2024 revealed that no one knew how the homeless money was spent. I wrote about this in "No Wonder Gavin Newsom Didn't Want an Audit to Track $24 Billion in Homeless Spending." The audit revealed that...

One guy used $2.1 MILLION to pay his American Express Credit Card

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in a Monday letter is urging President Trump to call off the map-drawing arms race, saying he should end a redistricting war that is sparking battles across the country. Newsom warned that GOP pushes to draw more favorable maps ahead of the midterms were “playing with fire” and pledged that California would stand down if red states did the same. “This attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power before a single vote is cast in the 2026 election is an affront to American democracy,” wrote Newsom, who has launched a redistricting effort in...

California’s Democratic supermajority quickly pushed through a redistricting measure that favors their party. Voters will consider it in November. The effort was in response to Texas Republicans adopting a redistricting plan favoring their party, which they took up at Trump’s behest. In an evening social media post about a supremely partisan battle that could reshape American political power for generations, President Trump sounded ebullient.“Big WIN for the Great State of Texas!!! Everything Passed, on our way to FIVE more Congressional seats and saving your Rights, your Freedoms, and your Country, itself,” Trump wrote, of the nation’s most populous red...

As Californians start voting on Democrats’ effort to boost their ranks in Congress, former President Obama warned that democracy is in peril as he urged voters to support Proposition 50 in a television ad that started airing Tuesday. “California, the whole nation is counting on you,” Obama says in the 30-second ad, which the main pro-Proposition 50 campaign began broadcasting Tuesday across the state. “Democracy is on the ballot Nov. 4.” The spot is part of a multimillion-dollar ad buy promoting the congressional redistricting ballot measure through the election. Proposition 50 was spearheaded by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California...

Former President Barack Obama and California Governor Gavin Newsom are urging Californians to vote in favor of Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would replace the state’s independent redistricting system with a legislature-approved map projected to eliminate several Republican-held congressional districts. On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X, “Listen to @barackobama,” sharing a new video featuring former President Barack Obama encouraging voters to support Proposition 50 in the state’s November 4 special election. In the video, Obama says: “California, the whole nation is counting on you. Democracy is on the ballot November 4. Republicans want to steal enough...

Former President Barack Obama is begging California voters to back Governor Gavin Newsom’s gerrymandering bill in a desperate attempt to counter redistricting efforts in Republican-controlled states. The GOP-led redistricting efforts were launched in response to a “census error” that undercounted predominantly red states, thus costing congressional seats and electoral votes, as well as Democrat-led gerrymandering in stated like Illinois and Maryland. After Texas formally introduced a mid-decade redraw of its confessional maps that phased out five districts currently controlled by Democrats, Newsom responded by announcing that California would be doing the same. The California governor’s plan is controversial, as the...

Experts worry about health, sustainability of non-stick pots and panss you’re pulling out pots and pans to cook Thanksgiving dinner this weekend, some culinary experts are warning Canadians about the pitfalls of a common, convenient tool you might be turning to: non-stick cookware. When she was just starting out in the industry, maintaining a food blog, Julia House spent hours researching the right tools to buy for her ever-growing kitchen, wanting to know which products would last, and which ones were safe. “The nature of non-stick pans is there isn't one on the market that will last forever, period. Full...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last week creating a new statewide office tasked with rooting out antisemitism in public schools, the first of its kind in the country. Known as AB 715, the measure establishes a state Office of Civil Rights and mandates the appointment of an an antisemitism prevention coordinator, tasked with tracking complaints, issuing guidance, and coordinating training for educators. Supporters, including the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and Jewish advocacy groups, hailed the law as a necessary tool to protect Jewish students amid a surge in harassment and discrimination. “Today, California is sending a strong and...

Gov. Newsom signed SB 79 on Friday, allowing buildings up to nine stories near transit stops in eight California counties. The law overrides local zoning and takes effect July 2026. Mayor Bass and the City Council opposed it over local control concerns. Multiple exemptions make the bill complex, and cities await an official map to determine which properties are affected by the upzoning. On the campaign trail eight years ago, Gov. Newsom famously promised to support the construction of 3.5 million new homes in California by the end of this year. He’ll likely fall short by millions, but his latest...

On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 1127, aka, “Glock Ban” legislation, into law. The National Shooting Sports Foundation noted that the “Glock Ban” will take effect July 1, 2026, “[banning] the sale of new Glock-brand pistols and Glock-style clones.” The “Glock Ban” is Democrat-sponsored legislation, fashioned as a response to the use of “Glock Switches,” which are already illegal. “Glock switches” are federally prohibited plastic pieces that can be affixed to the rear of a Glock slide to make the pistol shoot full auto. “Glock switches” are wildly popular with gangs and street criminals, therefore California...

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed a bill into law on Friday, launching a process for California to administer reparations for descendants of slaves. The governor gave the final green light to Senate Bill 518, which establishes a new state agency responsible for verifying eligibility, processing claims, and recommending forms of reparations for descendants of slaves. “This law reflects a critical acknowledgment of the historic injustices that have shaped the Black experience in California and across this country,” California Legislative Black Caucus chair Weber Pierson said in a statement celebrating the new law. “For generations, Black Americans have faced exclusion, exploitation,...

The Senate confirmed 107 of President Donald Trump’s nominees in a single vote on Tuesday evening, significantly clearing the backlog of the president’s picks awaiting floor consideration. Senators voted along party lines to approve the large group of nominees, which included former football star and ex-Senate candidate Herschel Walker and former White House personnel director Sergio Gor. The mass confirmation of the president’s picks comes after Senate Republicans changed chamber precedent to expedite the confirmation process, citing months of unprecedented obstruction from Senate Democrats. Trump has nearly 300 civilian nominees confirmed following the massive group vote. The 107 individuals confirmed...

The Los Angeles Film School is caught up in a scandal over its alleged efforts to trick students into believing that its graduates do extraordinarily well in the Hollywood job market. The accusation comes from two former executives of the school, wherein no doubt there is the plot outline for a noir-ish movie about double- and triple-crosses in the shadows of Sunset Boulevard. Happily the Los Angeles Film School sits at 6363 Sunset Boulevard, and it is a private, for-profit entity, just like a movie studio or a casino. I admit that the troubles on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams...

At least theoretically, because of open competition, democracies are supposed to choose their “best” members to be in charge of the public sector. For some reason, however, that doesn’t often happen.Examples of this defect abound. About thirty years ago, here in Oakland, CA, the city’s moms and pops were clutching their pearls over the rampant crime along the near-bayside corridor defined by East 14th Street. Having worked right there for the previous fifteen years, the situation was quite familiar to me.Really conspicuous street crime began when the Barcelona bar closed. Having been mostly a front for the procurement of prostitutes,...

In the wake of a devastating fire that burned a circuit court judge’s home to the ground, Democrats briefly attempted to spin a conspiracy that a right-wing extremist, inspired by the Trump administration, had committed an arson attack. However, their theory, at least at the time of writing, appears to have gone up in flames. South Carolina Judge Diane Goodstein’s home was destroyed over the weekend as she was out walking her dogs. Her husband, former Democratic State Sen. Arnold Goodstein, their son, and a third person were in the home at the time of the fire, but thankfully escaped...

Brian K. Williams, former deputy mayor of public safety under Mayor Bass, was sentenced to probation for calling in a fake bomb threat. Williams said he was suffering mental health issues following family deaths when he told police someone threatened to bomb City Hall over Israel support. He actually made the threatening call himself using Google Voice to escape a stressful meeting at City Hall last October. A former senior member of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ staff was sentenced to a year probation and 50 hours of community service for calling in a fake bomb threat that he told...

California Governor Gavin Newsom has slammed Donald Trump as travelers in Los Angeles brace for chaos and major delays to flights due to the government shutdown.The Federal Aviation Authority on Monday warned air traffic control towers at Hollywood Burbank Airport would be unmanned until at least 10pm local time.Newsom blamed the lack of staffing on the government shutdown and hammered Trump on X. 'Thanks, @realDonaldTrump! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown,' the California governor wrote. The White House, when asked for comment by The Daily Mail, sent an automatic...

SB-771 threatens to turn digital platforms into ideological enforcers, punishing those who hold traditional, faith-based viewpoints. California lawmakers are once again leading the charge — not toward progress, but toward repression. Their latest move, Senate Bill 771 (SB-771), is being packaged as a bold stand against “hate” on social media. In reality, it’s a direct assault on the free expression and constitutionally protected speech of ministries, minority groups, and faith-based organizations. The bill would force Big Tech to remove content that could be interpreted as “harassment” or “intimidation” based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and more — or face...

The Hard Rock Casino Tejon, a partnership between the Tejon Indian Tribe and Florida-based Hard Rock international, is set to swing its doors open for the first time on Nov. 13, more than a month ahead of its original expected opening date.