Free Republic

A California school district voted this week to ban Critical Race Theory from being taught in its schools. In a 3-2 vote, the Temecula Valley Unified School District in southern California voted to ban schools from teaching CRT. The vote came at the end of a marathon session on Tuesday night that ran into the wee hours of Wednesday morning; a new conservative majority had just been sworn in at the beginning of the meeting. “The TVUSD desires to uplift and unite students by not imposing the responsibility of historical transgressions in the past and instead will engage students of...

A Supreme Court decision may force over 70,000 truck owner-operators in California to stop driving, creating another choke point in the already stressed West Coast logistics networks. The AB5 law restricts the use of independent contractors and will soon be enforced against the trucking industry after the court declined to hear their appeal. The California Trucking Association said in a statement that gasoline has been poured on the fire that is the ongoing supply chain crisis, and the decision by the Supreme Court could deny a judicial review of a lower court ruling. In an end-of-term orders list released in...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announce a new "Multi-State Commitment" to "defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, and committed to protecting patients and doctors..."

In 2003 then President George W. Bush signed into federal law the Prison Rape Elimination Act, i.e., PREA, passed by the US Congress with unanimous bi-partisan support. This federal law has been widely seen as a big advance forward in protecting the human rights and dignity of those who, despite their criminal violations of law and subsequent incarcerations, are entitled to serve their time free of rape, sexual abuse and sexual coercion by other inmates or compromised officers and staff. One major provision of PREA is a mandate for the US Department of Justice to "make the prevention of prison...

I think the story itself won’t surprise anyone here, especially if you’ve already seen the “Seattle is Dying” piece from earlier this year. What I think is most surprising is that it’s being reported at all. http://komonews.com/news/project-seattle/a-tale-of-3-cities

  Rebecca Solnit wrote in Salon.com that “The Age of Capitalism is over”.  Oh my, where to start? At the beginning seems a good place as any.  Solnit was thrilled to hold a land auction notice from post-Jacobin France—Thermidorian France for the historically-minded.  Thermidorian France was no more compassionate to live (mostly, to die) in than the Jacobin version which oversaw the execution of tens of thousand civilians, and the wanton destruction of anything associated with Christianity.  This short period in France’s mottled past, from 1795 to 1799, abolished everything other than the whims of its leaders.  And this sent...

Seattle cops flee the force in 'mass exodus' due to frustrations with city's politics, report says By Kathleen Joyce | Fox News At least 41 cops have left the Seattle Police Department this year, many of them reportedly citing frustration with the city's politics and a perceived lack of support from local officials. Though documents showed some officers left the force due to retirement, a source in the department told Q13 FOX some 20 officers left and sought employment at other law enforcement agencies. The source also said younger officers "don’t feel appreciated" and the number of those leaving who...

Mere seconds into the celebrity-filled benefit concert for victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma did these stars turn the ostensible charitable event into a platform for left-wing sermonizing. Stevie Wonder, who kicked off the show, began with call for unity, but then turned to mock anyone who questioned the global warming theory. "When love goes into action, it preferences no color of skin, no ethnicity, no religious beliefs, no sexual preferences, and no political persuasions," Mr. Wonder began. "It just loves. As we should begin to love and value our planet." But after calling for love, he singled out skeptics...

Tim Allen opened up briefly about what it means to be a conservative in Hollywood in 2017 during an interview with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel Thursday night, explaining that one must be “real careful” in talking about President Donald Trump or else risk being beaten up. “You’ve gotta be real careful around here. You get beat up if you don’t believe what everybody believes,” the 63-year-old Last Man Standing star told Kimmel when asked about his attendance at Trump’s inauguration in January. “This is like ’30s Germany. I don’t know what happened,” he added. “If you’re not part of the...

Dog tests positive for meth, heroin TUSTIN, Calif. – A dog picked up during an arrest in Tustin, California has tested positive for methamphetamine and heroin, authorities said. Tustin Police Lt. Robert Wright tells CNN that the dog named Bubba was found in a hotel room after officers served an arrest warrant for Joshua West, 40, on March 22 in Orange County. West was on parole for drug violations, said Wright. Police reported illegal drugs were found in the room along with used needles. The dog was turned over to Orange County Animal Care (OCAC) and transported to its facility....

Mayor-Turned-Child-Sex Offender Arrested Near School for 3rd Time Former Pittsburg, California mayor Marcelino Vasquez — a convicted sex offender — was arrested outside a school last week for the third time in five months. Pittsburg police Capt. Ron Raman stated that Vasquez was arrested near Marina Vista Elementary last week, according to the Contra Costa Times. Vasquez was a rising political figure until 1972 ,when he was convicted for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age. The Times reports that Vasquez served on the Pittsburg City Council and “took a turn as mayor” in the...

US Attorney recommends 8 years in prison for Leland Yee Known as being "tough on guns," disgraced former California State Sen. Leland Yee may get 8 years in federal prison for his 2015 plea to racketeering charges. Yee, ironically known for his gun control legislation, was arrested in 2014 on a host of charges including plotting to smuggle guns into the country via Islamic terror groups. This left many gun control advocates, who up until that time held the San Francisco-based politician as a champion in the crusade for tougher gun laws, dismayed. Facing potentially the rest of his life...

Police find spiked baseball bats throughout San Francisco San Francisco Police are asking for help leading to those chaining up spiked baseball bats to poles throughout the city. San Francisco Police Sgt. Michael Andraychak says officers first received reports of wooden or metal baseball bats appearing on poles and parking meters in the city on Thanksgiving morning. Andraychak says 27 bats with spikes running through them have been found since then. The latest discovery was Friday in the Fishermen's Wharf area. Andraychak says the spikes on the objects allow them to be considered a prohibited or deadly weapon, which is...

Airport commission approves a private LAX lounge for the rich and famous A proposal to build a posh private lounge at Los Angeles International Airport for Southern California’s glitterati was approved Thursday in a move that officials hope will reduce disturbances by paparazzi, looky-loos and autograph-seekers in the busy central terminal area. The Board of Airport Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the exclusive facility, which would cater to wealthy Hollywood celebrities, sports figures, diplomats and anyone else seeking privacy while waiting for their flights or after arriving at LAX. Airport officials say the lounge will be located in a...

San Francisco (CNN)The gun used in the killing of a San Francisco woman in a case that gave new political prominence to the issue of illegal immigration was stolen from a vehicle belonging to a federal Bureau of Land Management agent, a source familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. Kate Steinle was shot to death on July 1 on one of San Francisco's busiest piers. The .40-caliber pistol was a personal weapon, not an official firearm, the source said. Investigators still are trying to determine how Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, the man accused in Steinle's killing, allegedly obtained the weapon, according...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles County's homeless population has grown by 12 percent during the past two years amid a sluggish economic recovery that has left the poorest residents of the second-largest U.S. metropolitan area falling farther behind, a study released on Monday found. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's report cited stagnant or falling wages among the lowest-income earners, a local jobless rate that remains above state and national averages, and a worsening lack of affordable housing. "The economy has improved, but not for the persons at greatest risk of homelessness," said Peter Lynn, the authority's executive director.

Clowns Brawl With Protesters Under Circus Big Top in San Bernardino • Hundreds of spectators watched the fight break out when workers allegedly tried to stop the activists from forcing their way inside Clowns brawled with animal rights protesters under a circus big top in San Bernardino Friday night, witnesses say. Hundreds of spectators watched the fight break out when workers allegedly tried to stop the activists from forcing their way inside after the Ramos Bros. Circus show began. Two protestors were arrested following the melee, while two circus employees were injured when the fight broke out at 8:08 p.m.,...

Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale, was an early supporter of the mayor's plan to raise the minimum wage to $15. Now she is having serious second thoughts.Hazel Roos, owner of Paint Away in Redmond, had planned to open a specialty toy store near her home in Seattle. Those plans are now on hold. Ethan and Angela Stowell own 10 neighborhood restaurants in Seattle. They have decided not to move forward on two new restaurants because of uncertainty over the minimum wage. As the Seattle City Council continues to debate a plan to phase in a $15 minimum wage, and...

Che Cafe at UCSD must close, judge rules SAN DIEGO — The student-run Che Cafe at UC San Diego will have to close its doors after a judge ruled Tuesday in favor of the university in its eviction lawsuit. UCSD filed suit after the student collective refused to vacate the 1940s- era building on campus. University officials said the building needs $700,000 in repairs to stay open. Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal ruled in favor of UCSD after a bench trial.

MURRIETA: Mayor, arrested in suspected DUI crash that injured four, apologizes Murrieta Mayor Alan Long was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Thursday after a crash left four Murrieta Valley High School cheerleaders with injuries ranging from moderate to major, authorities said. Long, 44, was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley and later released on $50,000 bail. He did not respond to requests for comment. About 8:15 p.m., Long was driving south on Jefferson Avenue when his full-size pickup truck crashed into the back of a car waiting to make a left turn at Lily Avenue, Murrieta...