Free Republic

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...

State officials have called the election for Sept. 14, and ballots will hit mailboxes weeks before then.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign team wasted no time coming after Caitlyn Jenner as she entered the recall race to take his seat. A few hours after Jenner, a Republican, announced her candidacy, Newsom sent an email blast to his donors tying the celebrity and ex-Olympian to former President Trump and asking for funds. "Earlier this morning, Caitlyn Jenner announced she was running for Governor of California as part of this Republican recall attempt," the email read. "What’s more, she is working closely with Donald Trump’s former presidential campaign manager and the person behind his small-dollar fundraising success. "We're going...

California Governor Gavin Newsom has completely changed his response to COVID—again—this time leveraging opening the state for all Californians on the backs of low-income Latinos living in the areas with the highest rates of the illness. In the name of “equity,” Newsom announced Thursday that 40% of all the state’s available vaccines will go to Latino communities in the Central Valley and in pockets of LA because Latinos have suffered the most death and illness from COVID. And there’s a catch: Until the Latinos in these areas take the vaccine in higher numbers, California will stay locked down

Tom del Beccaro, leader of the ongoing effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom, announced Wednesday evening that the campaign had reached the 1.5 million signatures required to put the matter to a vote — but will keep going.

A $25 million COVID-19 testing lab built by the state of California is a nightmare of sloppiness, according to a new report. The report from KOVR-TV in Sacramento includes a comment from an unnamed whistleblower who told the station, “That lab should be shut down because they’re jeopardizing people’s lives.” The lab opened in Valencia in October as Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed its wonders. “This new laboratory will allow California to ensure its testing capacity is timely, equitable and cost-effective — just when Californians need it most,” he said in a statement. Newsom said the lab, operated in partnership...

Despite Southern California's intensive care unit (ICU) capacity reported to be at zero percent as of Saturday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to lift the state's regional stay-at-home order. California's regional stay-at-home order went into effect in early December last year. It is triggered when the ICU capacity drops below 15 percent in any given region among the five being tracked by state health officials. "Once triggered, these orders will remain in effect for at least 3 weeks. After that period, they will be lifted when a region's projected ICU capacity meets or exceeds 15 percent. This will be...

With a stroke of his pen, California Governor Gavin Newsom has redirected part of the money you pay at the pump with the state’s gas tax to the railway system and other projects. Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-19-19. It calls for leveraging billion in annual state transportation funds to reduce green house gases and emissions. The order directs money away from fixing local highways, stalling important projects here in the valley. Valley Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R)-Fresno, is upset and wants Republicans and Democrats in the state to speak out. Assemblyman Patterson says, “One of the very first things Governor...