Free Republic

Wrong, wrong, wrong. And psychologically interesting, as an examination of ideological priors. But mostly wrong. The New York Times has an answer to the question raised by the fires in Los Angeles, and, uh. So here’s how they frame the problem: The city of Los Angeles, with a population of 3.8 million, is one of 88 different cities that make up the county of Los Angeles. That county, with a population of 9.6 million spread across 4,751 square miles stretching inland from the Pacific Ocean, is controlled by a five-person board of supervisors, each one representing 1.9 million people. Each...

The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) recently released the identities of nearly a dozen attempted burglary suspects within Palisades Fire evacuation zones in Santa Monica, none of whom live in the town, police said. Six of the 10 suspects were in possession of "burglary tools," according to officials. All traveled to the disaster area from out of town. The department has arrested 39 people in evacuation zones since the start of the Palisades Fire, SMPD told Fox News. Those not charged with attempted burglary were picked up for curfew violations, drug possession, warrants, parole and probation violations and other charges....

California is drowning in an inferno of DEI mediocrity and failure—and on top of that, it’s literally burning to the ground. It’s a horrific, nightmarish state of affairs, with people and animals losing their lives and homes thanks to the gross negligence and DEI stupidity of so-called leaders and officials. Right now, California looks like all-out Armageddon, with water and firefighter shortages, mass looting, and, this just in: pyromaniacs are now jumping into the chaos. In Santa Monica, a group of arsonists was even caught on camera setting fires. Many people online suspect the recent Malibu fires may be the...

Octopi are incredibly smart. Living in coral reefs, where predators are abound, requires them to make split second life-or-death decisions. As a result, they’ve evolved to become quite brainy. Some species can even change color. But this little octopus is a real prankster. Last week, at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium in California, a female California two-spotted octopus flooded her aquarium home with at least 200 gallons of seawater. Some scientists say octopuses are the perfect combination of smarts, strength, curiosity and manipulative ability, all of which helped this foot-long octopus swim to the top of her tank, disassemble a...

A fed-up California homeowner developed a 'diversion security' device to prevent homeless people from camping out in his building's carports. Santa Monica resident Stephen McMahon, 76, invented the Blue Chirper motion-activated device that emits blue strobe lights and a cricket noise to dissuade homeless people from getting comfortable. Security footage has captured the device successfully scaring off people who have tried to sleep in the carports when alarm system starts going off. 'I call it diversion security, that is we're diverting them away from our 20-block radius somewhere else,' McMahon told KTLA. McMahon said he has grown frustrated with the...

There’s no way in hell they shouldn’t tell all’.. The FBI is closing the book on the agency’s “corrupt” handling of James “Whitey” Bulger — forever. The feds are refusing to make any further installments of Bulger’s case file public, saying the records are “investigative” and no longer subject to the Freedom of Information Act. “The records responsive to your request are law enforcement records; there is a pending or prospective law enforcement proceeding relevant to these responsive records, and release of the information could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings. Therefore, your request is being administratively closed,”...

Santa Monica, California, is preparing to construct an apartment building for the homeless that would cost roughly $1 million per unit. The apartment building, which will be built in Santa Monica and will be home to “122 apartments” and two levels of underground parking, will cost more than $123 million, according to the website for the City of Santa Monica. A second design concept on the website found that the project could cost even more, totaling more than $200 million for 196 apartments.

Police are investigating swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti found in the left-wing beach town of Santa Monica, California, which prides itself on its “progressive” politics. The local Santa Monica Daily Press reported: The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) is actively investigating multiple reports of anti-Semitic graffiti discovered in various locations throughout the city, including the Pico neighborhood (2100-2300 Pico Blvd) marking sidewalks, trees and light posts. In a statement, the SMPD expressed its unequivocal condemnation of these hateful acts. “This behavior deeply offends the values of our inclusive community and will not be tolerated.”

Man claiming to have a suicide bomb on Santa Monica pier Ferris wheel is yanked down by cops after he sparked an evacuation and left families with kids stranded in mid-air - as tensions are heightened in the wake of the Israel terror attack A man claiming to have a bomb climbed the Ferris wheel on Santa Monica pier, and stayed there for two hours before he descended and was arrested Santa Monica police got the first call at 2:35pm and cordoned off the pier: he climbed down around 4:30pm, and police confirmed there were no explosives A cherry picker...

A homeless man attacked a Santa Monica city councilman who asked him to stop littering, in an incident that was captured on video. While walking at the Third Street Promenade, a popular shopping and dining area, on Sunday, Santa Monica city councilman Phil Brock noticed a homeless man ripping signs off boarded-up storefronts and tossing them on the ground. Brock approached the man, identified by authorities as Sawyer Walden Allee, and asked if he could throw the signs away instead of littering. Allee, 20, responded with obscenities, so Brock threw garbage out himself, KTLA reported.

An earthquake with a preliminary 3.4 magnitude struck near Malibu Monday morning. The temblor hit 2.4 miles west-southwest of Malibu around 8:05 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A shake map shows the quake was intensely felt in the coastal areas and as far inland as the San Fernando Valley. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The Awful Truth: Paul Pelosi Was Drunk Again, And In a Dispute With a Male Prostitute Early Friday Morning. "Paul Pelosi stated that he doesn't know who the male is but he advised that his name is David and that he is a friend." Yeah, right. As SF's gay bars closed at 2 am, two gay men met in a bar and went home together. Happens every night in the City by the Bay. Except one of these two men, was married to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I might disappear for telling you the truth. If I do, you'll all...

Known as the Palos Verdes fault zone, the system runs deep beneath the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It previously was thought to be a segmented network of smaller faults, but a closer look by scientists at Harvard University suggests it’s a system of interconnected, closely spaced planar fractures stretching from the Santa Monica Bay to the waters off Dana Point. The analysis determined the fault system, which runs beneath numerous neighborhoods as well as the ports of Long Beach and L.A., has a much larger surface area that could rupture in the same seismic event, making it capable of a far...

The young mother who was brutally beheaded last Thursday has been identified as 27-year-old Karina Castro. Castro was beheaded with a sword just before noon last Thursday in broad daylight as shocked neighbors watched. The attack took place in front of her apartment building. An earlier report stated she was 25 years old. The alleged killer, Jose Solano Landaeta, reportedly cut off Castro’s head with a sword. He left her head under the car that her body was in. Cops swarmed in minutes later to find the grisly crime scene. Shortly thereafter, Landaeta returned to the location with two friends...

There were two people aboard and both were killed, The plane was a Piper Sport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The airport’s single runway sits amid residential neighborhoods in the city of more than 90,000 on the Pacific Ocean. City leaders and many residents advocate closing the airport, citing noise and safety concerns. KABC

Maria Shriver looked unrecognizable while out and about over the weekend. The former first lady of California was photographed in Santa Monica, Calif., sporting a new look while seemingly going makeup-free. In photos obtained by Page Six exclusively, the 66-year-old headed to her car after stopping by the construction site where she is building a new home. While Shriver seemed to be in great spirits, her face looked different than it has in recent years. The niece of the late President John F. Kennedy kept things casual in black leggings, a purple T-shirt and a pair of gray sneakers. Shriver...

Santa Monica police arrested the man suspected of assaulting or harassing three letter carriers in a three-month period - but he is back on the street because authorities say his crimes aren't enough to keep him behind bars. Residents of the 1300 block of 14th Street haven't gotten their mail for half a week because of three attacks by Davon Ray Morgan, 38, on postal workers since January, according to the United States Postal Service. 'Delivery is temp suspended; this is an unusual, but a necessary step to protect our employees,' USPS spokeswoman Natasha Garvin tweeted on Monday. **SNIP** Jim...

The United States Postal Service has suspended services in one neighborhood in Santa Monica, California because of repeated attacks on mail carriers since January, according to a report.

Los Angeles police have identified the suspect wanted in the fatal stabbing of UCLA grad student Brianna Kupfer, who was brutally slain at her job in a luxury furniture store. Shawn Laval Smith, 31, was named by LAPD on Tuesday night as the suspect captured on video in chilling footage as he calmly purchased a vape pen from a 7-Eleven 30 minutes after the cold-blooded murder. 'He should be considered armed and dangerous. If seen do not approach, call 911,' police said in a statement. Los Angles County Sheriff's Department records list Smith as currently free on a $1,000 bail...

A suspect has been identified in connection to the murder of a UCLA graduate student in Hancock Park. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, 31-year-old Shawn Laval Smith is wanted in connection to Brianna Kupfer's death. Kupfer was found dead by a customer at a luxury furniture store during daytime last week. Authorities believe her death was the result of a random attack. Smith has been seen in Pasadena, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Covina and other parts of California, according to LAPD. LAPD believes Smith is armed and dangerous. Anyone near Smith is asked to call 911, instead of...