Free Republic

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for closing another prison as part of his newly revised budget proposal. If that happened, it would be the fifth state prison that was closed during the Newsom administration. The Criminal and Judicial Branch portion of the Democratic governor’s budget, presented on Wednesday and subject to legislative approval, called for $13.6 billion for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. It also called for closing one of the state’s prisons by October 2026 to save an estimated $150 million. Newsom’s budget didn’t say which prison would be closed. In his budget, the governor noted...

An investigation is underway after a Los Angeles police officer’s personal rifle accidentally fired a round in a parking garage earlier this week, officials announced. The May 9 incident occurred in the lower-level parking structure of the Compton Courthouse, located at 200 West Compton Boulevard, according to an LAPD news release. The officer, who has not been identified, was reportedly standing outside his patrol vehicle and was “manipulating his personally owned patrol rifle, when a Non-Tactical Unintentional Discharge occurred,” police said. Surrounded by concrete, the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling and struck the roof of the officer’s unoccupied patrol vehicle.

A 64-year-old grandmother in the U.S. without documentation is facing deportation after she mistakenly took the wrong exit on her way home from work. Ana Camero’s family says she’s currently being held at Otay Mesa Detention Center more than a month after she made the unexpected detour and ended up at the entrance to a U.S. Marines facility in San Diego. Camero was driving home from her job as a dishwasher at a La Jolla restaurant on April 7 when she stopped to get gas. She then drove into the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego by mistake. There,...

“Billions of us will come and kill you.” Thirty minutes after Hamas supporters first set up their operation outside a Los Angeles synagogue, they maced their first Jew. And the Los Angeles police did nothing.Not until an hour into the terrorist rally outside a synagogue, did the LAPD finally step in, pushing back masked Jihad supporters in keffiyeh terror scarves from the entrance of Congregation Adas Torah (Congregation of the Bible) which they had occupied.And then the mob, chanting calls for “intifada” and the destruction of Israel, moved outward to target two smaller synagogues attended by Persian Jewish refugees from...

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a task force created by the Trump administration to root out waste and corruption in the federal government. To promote its mission and celebrate its accomplishments, Leo Zacky (foreground, left), a candidate for the Republican Party's nomination for governor of California teamed up with Shiva Bagheri (foreground, right), a fitness and dance instructor, community organizer and activist to perform the DOGE Dance, a lively dance set to the music of Brian Coyne's dance tune “DOGE.” The performance took place at a rally in Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills, Calif. sponsored by the...

California Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are bracing for a $10 billion budget shortfall — even before federal spending cuts undertaken by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Newsom and the Democrats took a near-$100 billion surplus in 2022– partly fueled by federal coronavirus funds under the Biden administration — to a near-$50 billion deficit in 2024. Earlier this year, the state was forced to borrow $6.2 billion to fund Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, which Newsom and his party expanded to cover illegal aliens. Now, according to Politico, Newsom and the Democrats are bracing...

A new poll shows that 54% of registered voters believe that Governor Gavin Newsom is focused on his own presidential ambitions, versus 26% who believe he is focused on his job and the state — a two-to-one margin. The University of California Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) poll, conducted in April among 6,201 voters, with a 2% margin of error, also found that Newsom’s approval and disapproval are at 46%. A release accompanying the poll explained: The survey … finds that Californians continue to hold very mixed and highly partisan views of the job Gavin Newsom is doing as...

Comedian says it would benefit auto enthusiasts, while environmentalists say it would increase air pollutionShould old cars get a break from California’s smog check laws? Former Tonight Show host and avid car collector Jay Leno thinks so. He’s thrown his support behind a bill in the state legislature that would exempt vehicles 35 years or older from the state’s requirement to pass a smog check test that most other California vehicles face every two years. “I know there’s nothing more annoying than Hollywood people involved in politics,” Leno said at a rally at the state Capitol last month. “But this...

Prominent farmworker activist and organizer Dolores Huerta joined several other speakers at a public meeting in Watsonville Saturday to raise awareness about the dangers of agricultural pesticide use on farmworkers, children, consumers and residents throughout Santa Cruz County. Childhood cancer rates in the county are more than 38% above the nationwide childhood cancer rate of 16.3%. This makes the cancer rate for children up to age 14 the second highest of all California counties, according to Dr. Ann López, the director of the Center for Farmworker Families. The meeting was organized by the Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture (CORA)....

About one-third of all municipal bonds issued in 2024 and outstanding through 2024 are from sanctuary jurisdictions, concentrated in large cities and states, such as California, New York, and Massachusetts...The absence of truly objective bond ratings or comprehensive risk assessments for sanctuary jurisdictions may place investors, particularly individual investors, who own a significant share of this market, at a disadvantage.

The scamdemic is the gift that keeps on giving, and it’s only a matter of time before we the taxpayers are called upon to settle the student loan bill for robots too.According to a report from SFGate, “ghost” students are on the rise at colleges across the nation, particularly in California, a dramatic increase seen after much of the education sector transitioned to remote learning during 2020.Here’s the story:When the pandemic upended the world of higher education, Robin Pugh, a professor at City College of San Francisco, began to see one puzzling problem in her online courses: Not everyone was...

Oil refinery Valero has opted to close its operations in California due to excessive regulations on energy. Located in the small city of Benicia, the town is expected to lose 400 jobs, which the mayor is calling the exit “a major hit on the city.” Everyone in California is feeling the impact of Newsom’s war on fossil fuels. Valero said its decision ” follows years of regulatory pressure, significant fines for air quality violations, and a recent lawsuit settlement related to environmental concerns.” “California has been pursuing policies to move away from fossil fuels for really for the past 20...

The NCAA is coming to ready to adjudicate the case of the century. The NCAA has the most important case in their history. Already they have lost on NIL and paying players, but they still have rules for cheating, lying, and advanced scouting (stealing). Michigan is beging to realize with the notice(s) of allegations, and the upcoming hearings, that their PR machine is beginning to crack. The National Media is beginning to clue in on what was going on. In part there was a FBI investigation that gave the university cover, because the NCAA could not move forward until they...

Three illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe have been arrested in connection with a violent home invasion, robbery, and murder that took place in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. The suspects were identified as Georgian nationals Paata Kochyashvili, 38, Zaza Otarashvili, 46, and Besiki Khutsishvili, 52. Each of the men has been charged with murder, and their bail has been set at $2 million. According to a report by Fox News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued detainers for all three men who are in the country illegally. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a residence in Woodland Hills shortly before...

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva revealed that he was leaving the Democrat Party, after being a registered Democrat for more than 40 years, and joining the Republican Party. “As of today, I’m leaving the party of paid protests, purple hair, and pronouns, and joining the party of faith, family, and freedom,” Villanueva said in a video posted to X. Breitbart News previously reported that Villanueva, a former Democrat who was elected to serve as the sheriff of Los Angeles County in 2018, lost his re-election campaign in November 2022 to Robert Luna, the former police chief of Long...

Two teenage girls from Germany were detained, arrested, and deported at an airport in Hawaii after immigration officials said it was suspicious they had not booked a hotel room. Backpackers Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepere, 18, arrived in Honolulu from Auckland while undergoing a round-the-world trip. The duo planned to spend five weeks in Hawaii before moving onto California and Costa Rica for the next legs of their journey. But despite having ESTA travel authorization, immigration officials accused them of attempting to enter the U.S. to work illegally, and they were placed in handcuffs and taken to a nearby...

A pair of backpacking German teens booted from the US lied about the purpose of their trip, Customs and Border Patrol said — but the women claim US officials “twisted” their words to trump up the allegations. “These travelers were denied entry after attempting to enter the US under false pretenses. One used a Visitor visa, the other the Visa Waiver Program,” CBP officials told The Post Monday. “Both claimed they were touring California but later admitted they intended to work — something strictly prohibited under US immigration laws for these visas.” But the women — who were planning to...

Moniece Slaughter has gone on a serious rant online after her car was reportedly broken into. But it’s not just about the robbery; her comments about Black people have sparked major controversy and have a lot of people talking. After falling victim to a car break-in, she went on a scorched-earth rant that had social media gasping, critics furious, and Black Twitter calling for accountability. According to reports, Moniece took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday (April 30th) to vent about the people who broke into her truck and stole her belongings, including production equipment, a full talent wardrobe, props,...

Neil Young is facing criticism for a new song he wrote about “fascists” buying Teslas. The 79-year-old singer-songwriter debuted the song, reportedly titled “Let’s Roll Again,” at the Light Up the Blue charity concert in Los Angeles over the weekend. “If you’re a fascist, get a Tesla / It’s electric, it doesn’t matter / If you’re a Democrat, taste your freedom / Get whatever you want, taste your freedom,” Young could be heard singing in clips circulating on social media. “Come on Ford, come on GM / Come on Chrysler, let’s roll again,” the song continued. “Build something special that...

India reports a second night of firing by Pakistan... Meanwhile Iran and Saudi Arabia are urging restraint and seeking... In Serbia two suspects arrested wanted...conspiring against a Chinese government critic living in California... The credit rating of the City of Los Angeles downgraded... Israeli air defenses downing a missile fired by Houthi forces in Yemen... The Trump Administration deciding to restore student visa status... President Trump saying tonight that Russia and Ukraine are very close... The US Department of Education launching a probe into foreign funding of... The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signing a letter of intent to...