Free Republic

I just wrote about some of the billionaires fleeing California to avoid the proposed "one time" wealth tax which would take 5% of everything they own. But the LA Times points out it's not just the very wealthy who are fleeing the state. Once again, California topped a list put together by U-Haul showing the most out-migration.U-Haul’s survey of the more than 2.5 million one-way trips using its vehicles in the U.S. last year showed that the gap between the number of people leaving and the number arriving was higher in California than in any other state.While the Golden State...

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing intense backlash for making racially-charged comments about Hispanic Americans serving with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Bass, a Democrat, was speaking with CNN’s “The Situation Room” on a recent network feature that profiled Border Patrol and ICE agents training to work along the southern border. CNN noted that a large percentage of recruits were of Hispanic heritage and at one point asked whether they had any reservations about apprehending their “own kind.” “They didn’t come in the right way so they aren’t my kind,” one recruit said without hesitation. Border Patrol Agent...

A series of tax documents have revealed that Rewiring America, a climate group that Democratic activist Stacey Abrams served as senior counsel for, banked over $5 million in federal climate funding just before President Donald Trump slashed the grant, which came into existence during former President Joe Biden’s administration, earlier in the year. The documentation indicates that Abrams played a much bigger part in getting the grant than she previously claimed. The $5 million was the first portion of what ultimately ended up being a $2 billion grant awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency in April 2024 to a group...

Supply and demand. If there’s little supply and demand remains constant, things cost more. If there’s plenty of supply and demand remains constant or declines, they cost less. Unfortunately for Californians, the basic law of supply and demand doesn’t well fit with Democrat ideology. Democrats don’t bother to live in the real world. They create their own to conform to their self-imagined intellectual and moral superiority. Their imaginary utopia can’t compete with reality, which inevitably comes crashing down on their heads. In this case, reality is gas prices, which are credibly predicted to reach $10 a gallon while elsewhere in...

Chevron, Valero and Phillips 66 leaving/closing down.

Before handing Gavin Newsom the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, Democrats may want to pause and consider his long record of failure in California. From his mishandling of the January wildfires to his coddling of illegal immigrants, his poor governance has led to a collapse of public confidence and a mass exodus from the Golden State. But buried beneath the broader criticism is an often overlooked central failure: Newsom’s policy decisions have made California an increasingly hostile state in which to conduct business. And few industries have suffered more under California’s regulatory assault than fossil fuels, where relentless overreach...

California's gas prices have reached crisis levels—and drivers across the Golden State are demanding answers. This video exposes the complex web of factors keeping California's fuel costs the highest in the nation. Discover how the state's strict refinery requirements, low-carbon fuel standards, and environmental regulations create a perfect storm for sky-high prices at the pump. Learn why California's unique fuel blend can only be produced by a handful of refineries, how the Cap-and-Trade program adds hidden costs to every gallon, and why even minor supply disruptions send prices skyrocketing. We'll explore the refinery shutdowns threatening California's fuel supply, the oligopoly...

The recent federal indictment of Dana Williamson — California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff — should come as no surprise: It’s the latest example of a thoroughly corrupt Sacramento political culture that afflicts both parties. But as bad as you may think the corruption is, I can tell you first-hand that it is much worse. For Democrats, supermajority status has resulted in a “might makes right” attitude of abusing their power to impose their will — and to help themselves. Worse, because Democrats control almost all the levers of state and local law enforcement (including the state attorney...

In 2015, the City of Los Angeles announced an ambitious plan (led by the person we then referred to as Mayor Yogapants) to completely eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. It was a vision: Vision Zero, they called it. Ten years later, traffic deaths in Los Angeles have doubled. A wonderfully progressive local government announced a plan to eliminate something, so we got much more of that thing. A community group, @peoplesvisionzero, is now trying to carry out some version of the failed plan with guerilla traffic engineering, sneaking new safety infrastructure into place without city permission. Recent result: In similar...

Los Angles Mayor Karen Bass recently did a little victory dance about the ‘first rebuild’ of a house in the Pacific Palisades after the wildfires. Hey, it has only been almost a year, right? There is one little problem with the house that Bass is celebrating, however. It was a developer project that was in the works before the fires even happened. That’s right, this house wasn’t even one of the average homes destroyed by fires and her incompetence. What a surprise. The New York Post reports: LA Mayor Karen Bass called out for ‘phony’ Palisades rebuild after devastating wildfire...

AFTER ROAD DEATHS, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO STOP CALIFORNIA FROM ISSUING COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. On Aug. 12, the driver of a tractor-trailer truck made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike near Fort Pierce. It was a crazy, out-of-the-blue move, and the stunned driver of a minivan driving nearby was not able to stop before crashing into the truck, which was blocking all southbound lanes of the turnpike. The driver and two passengers in the minivan were killed.Authorities quickly determined that the truck driver, 28-year-old Harjinder Singh, was an Indian who was in the United States illegally,...

Gavin Newsom has been forced to revoke 17,000 commercial driver's licenses given to illegal migrants after being called out by Donald Trump's transportation secretary. Newsom made the crucial change amid mounting pressure by Sean Duffy after multiple incidents involving the licenses, including an October crash where three people died in a horrific highway collision allegedly caused by an illegal migrant. 'After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed,' Duffy said. California has informed the licensees they will no longer be valid in 60 days time, with Duffy adding there's more to come....

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is reportedly considering a run for California governor — a possible foil to frontrunner Katie Porter. Two anonymous sources close to the congressman told MSNBC that he has been considering a play for the Golden State governor’s mansion with a possible announcement as early as next week. “Swalwell declined to comment when reached by MSNBC, but a source close to the congressman, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss the private discussions, said Swalwell allies had asked him to run ‘to fill a “fighter/protector” role’ in the mold of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom,” reported MSNBC. Should...

Now many bus, semi-truck, and construction equipment drivers can’t legally perform their work. Feds say they weren’t ever “legal” anyway.California’s commercial licensing system just hit a major reset. This week, the state announced plans to revoke roughly 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses. The U.S. Department of Transportation says they “shouldn’t have been issued in the first place.” The move follows months of political tension and a nationwide audit triggered by a deadly crash in Florida involving an undocumented semi-truck driver. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said the revocations stem from violations of existing state law, not immigration status But he stopped...

A new documentary about the Palisades Fire of January shows California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) touring the Pacific Palisades as it burns behind them — with a contingent of Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters accompanying them instead of fighting the blaze. The film, “Paradise Abandoned,” scheduled for release in December, is a reminder that the Palisades Fire will continue to haunt Bass as she seeks reelection — and Newsom as he seeks the presidency. Newsom addressed adoring crowds of Democrats in Houston over the weekend, even picking up a presidential endorsement or two,...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A former top aide to California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been indicted on federal charges alleging her involvement in a scheme to steal campaign money from former federal Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. Dana Williamson was arrested and appeared in court Wednesday in Sacramento. She pleaded not guilty to all charges, and a judge ordered her released from custody. The federal indictment lists four other co-conspirators. It alleges that Williamson developed a plan with Sean McCluskie, a longtime Becerra aide, to siphon money from one of Becerra’s dormant state campaign accounts to give to McCluskie to pad...

The world wants an American climate leader, and Gavin Newsom is happy to play the part — even if the country he represents isn’t quite ready to follow.BELÉM, Brazil — Gavin Newsom can’t get out of a meeting or a talk at the international climate talks here without being swarmed by reporters and diplomats eager for a quote, a handshake, a photo.On a tour Tuesday of a cultural center with Gov. Helder Barbalho, the leader of the Brazilian state hosting the talks, a passerby recognized them both. “There’s the governor,” he exclaimed. “And there’s the California governor.” Later in the...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff was arrested Wednesday and charged with plotting with accomplices to swipe $225,000 from an inactive political campaign and funnel it straight into a friend’s pocket, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. Dana Williamson, 53, is now facing a sweeping 23-count federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, defrauding the United States, obstructing justice, filing false tax returns, and lying to authorities, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. “Today’s charges are the result of three years of relentless investigative work, in partnership with IRS...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has repeatedly slurred a federal judge by name, echoing President Trump's history of diatribes against judges even before the current Democrat started copying the former Democrat's social media style and insulting nicknames. The perceived contender for the 2028 Democratic nomination for president may cluck his tongue again when he sees the latest order from U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in a lawsuit against The Golden State's alleged mandate on school districts to hide from parents their children's asserted gender identity at odds with sex. The President George W. Bush nominee ordered state Attorney General Rob Bonta...

California just teamed up with Nigeria on a new climate partnership at #COP30 — focused on cleaner transportation, climate adaptation, and cutting pollution. Real action, global collaboration!