Free Republic

Politicians promised regulatory reform after the blazes but delivered administrative purgatory. In the aftermath of January’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, which killed 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 homes and buildings, leaders vowed that they wouldn’t allow the labyrinth of local bureaucracies, so entrenched in California, to slow down recovery efforts.Nine months later, they’re falling woefully short of delivering on their promises.The city of Los Angeles has issued just 782 rebuilding permits, out of 1,843 applications. The county’s numbers are even worse: 568 of 2,200. In both jurisdictions, the process to greenlight rebuilds — even for homes that...

Imagine going to pick up your child from school and being told that he’d already been picked up earlier in the day. The school doesn’t know who the person was that took your child with him, but he filled out the state-required paperwork, and so the school was required to release your child into his custody. The police can’t help because it was all legal. This situation is now entirely plausible in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 495 into law on October 12. This bill has sparked outrage among conservatives, parental rights advocates, and religious leaders, as...

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. 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...

SALINAS, Calif. — A convicted inmate murderer was sentenced for the murder of another inmate at Salinas Valley State Prison, per Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni. John Lydon, 52, was found guilty of the murder of Son Kim Tran. He received life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Whether by design or by quiet submission to a rapidly-evolving digital landscape, the world’s largest social media companies have allowed their platforms to become factories of division, dehumanization and, increasingly, real-world violence. What began as tools for connection have become engines of rage. It’s no accident. It’s business. At the heart of this transformation lies the engagement algorithm: a seemingly neutral mechanism that curates what billions of people see, like, share and believe. Algorithms are not neutral. They are engineered with a single purpose — to keep us on the platform, clicking, commenting and scrolling. In the race to capture...

I just signed legislation allowing the 800,000 rideshare workers in California to unionize. California is determined to give working people a voice, to give them choice, give them dignity, and give them a say about their future.

The California FAIR Plan, the state’s home insurer of last resort, is seeking an average 35.8% rate hike, its largest in years, following billions of dollars of losses incurred in the January fire storms.The Los Angeles-based insurance pool, operated and backed by the state’s licensed home insurers, filed this week for the dwelling policy rate hike, which must be reviewed and could be reduced by the state insurance commissioner.“By statute, FAIR Plan rates must be sufficient to pay anticipated claims and expenses,” said FAIR Plan spokesperson Hilary McLean in a statement. “The FAIR Plan is working closely with the California...

This is not a war zone, a riot didn’t happen here, and no a bomb didn’t go off here This is Los Angeles, California in a location that used to be full of stores. Busy traffic still drives by and Gavin Newsom wants to be President… “You know I love exploring but even I got my limits when I’m by myself”

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday threatened to cut “billions” in state funding, including to USC, from any California campus that signs a Trump administration compact and agrees to sweeping and largely conservative campus policies in exchange for priority access to federal funding. “If any California University signs this radical agreement, they’ll lose billions in state funding — including Cal Grants — instantly,” Newsom said. “California will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers, and surrender academic freedom.” The bold statement came less than a day after the the White House asked the University of Southern California and...

Gov. Gavin Newsom is threatening to withhold billions in state funds from any California college that signs onto an agreement crafted by President Donald Trump's administration requiring schools to agree to support the President's education agenda in order to have access to federal dollars.

Gavin Newsom, California’s far-left Democrat governor, is known to have presidential aspirations. If he chooses that path, one of issues on which he will face a grilling will be economics. And a new study has revealed it won’t look good. It’s because since he imposed a $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers in his state, California has lost close to 20,000 such jobs. “That’s nearly 25% of the country’s fast-food job losses during that same period, according to an analysis of quarterly data released this month from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” charged a report in the Washington Examiner....

SAN DIEGO - ICE San Diego officers arrested four illegal aliens who are convicted child sex predators on Sept. 25. The aliens are citizens of Mexico, Vietnam, the Bahamas, and Cuba, who were taken into ICE custody following convictions for crimes against children, including sexual assault, molestation, and rape. Those arrested include: Eduardo Negrete, a citizen of Mexico, convicted of lewd acts with a child under 14, and a known gang member from Eastside San Diego. Hoang Nguyen, a citizen of Vietnam, convicted of molesting a child, lewd acts with a child, and failing to register as a sex offender....

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Following multiple brazen Bay Area jewelry store heists in the last month, ABC7 News heard from a security expert and a community advocate on the concerning trend and why we might be seeing an increase in these robberies.

NORWEGIAN GRANNIES STRIKE AGAIN! Over two dozen masked robbers steal an estimated $1 million worth of jewelry from Heller Jewelers in San Ramon, California. The robbers accidentally locked themselves in the store and ended up firing multiple rounds at the glass door to escape. The thugs arrived in six vehicles and parked 100 feet from the store entrance. After they left, the police engaged in a high-speed pursuit but called it off due to "public safety concerns." Seven of the 25 suspects have been arrested, ranging in age from 17 to 31. They were all from Oakland, California, and are...

A former high school administrator in California raped a 17-year-old student on campus, impregnated her and then begged her on a wiretapped phone call to abort the child, warning that keeping the baby would “ruin” his and his children’s lives. That’s the details of a lawsuit filed this week against the shuttered Contra Costa School of Performing Arts and its accused employee. The civil suit, brought by the student — identified as Jane Doe — and her mother, Janice Doe, in Contra Costa County Superior Court, accuses Gerard Michael Flaherty, 43, of using his position as the school’s climate and...

Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared as the Tuesday guest for "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," where he discussed various topics ranging from health care, his social media strategy, the late Charlie Kirk and President Donald Trump. The governor's appearance came shortly after ABC lifted its suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The show was abruptly suspended following comments made about Kirk, and Kimmel has since clarified in his return episode that he didn't intend to joke about the assassination. Newsom maintained a mostly playful but at times serious conversation with Colbert, who noted that he had not spoken with Newsom since...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been fond of sending out lists on social media in recent months, tallies of where his state stands on a number of issues. The "fourth largest economy in the world," "number one in manufacturing," number one in farming," and so on—all impressive numbers, to be sure.What he’d like to avoid, however, is the fact that the Golden State is tied with Louisiana for another title: number one in poverty.A new report released this week by the California Budget and Policy Center, a Sacramento-based think tank, found that 7 million California residents, or 17.7% of the...

MALIBU, Calif. (KABC) -- The road to recovery after the Palisades Fire has been anything but smooth for a group of historical business owners on the eastern edge of Malibu. For years, the Reel Inn was a staple along Pacific Coast Highway at Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The famous seafood shack fed surfers and tourists for nearly 40 years. Its sign is now in a pile of rubble, and because of a yearslong dispute over land use, the Reel Inn may never reopen. Other businesses are facing the same roadblocks when it comes to rebuilding -- The Topanga Ranch Motel, Wiley's...

It’s been two topsy-turvy years for Brownstone Shared Housing since the startup opened up its tiny bed “pods” for rent in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood — without the necessary permits — in 2023. The startup’s 26 to 30-pod complex in Mint Plaza has withstood complaints from city officials, outlasted the threat of debilitating fees and, recently, avoided an eviction threat. All the while, Brownstone has rented beds to a rotating cast of tech startup founders, immigrants and other new-to-the-city characters willing to stay in barely private, 4-foot-tall boxes for $700 a month. And now, CEO James Stallworth is ramping up...