Rejection of Prop. 20 Means ‘No Justice for Victims,’ Orange County Sheriff Says
BY BRAD JONES California law enforcement agencies were dealt a blow at the ballot box Nov. 3 when voters shot down a motion to crack down on crime. Proposition 20 was supported by many law enforcement officials across the state. The ballot measure sought to strengthen jail sentences by countering the effects of Prop. 47 and […]
A Town Struggles to Find Harmony in a Divided Nation
BY BRAD JONES Violent faceoff between Floyd protesters, counterprotesters roils Yucaipa, California YUCAIPA, Calif.—When activists on social media suggested burning down businesses in Yucaipa, California, City Councilman Bobby Duncan grabbed his shotgun and headed uptown. He joined other citizens who had decided to keep watch on June 1, the night that attacks were expected. “I brought […]
Newsom Reveals Slashed Budget, Says HEROES Act Is Solution
BY BRAD JONES California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised $203.3 billion budget could mean 10 percent across-the-board wage cuts for state employees and slashing education spending. Newsom proposed the drastic cuts in his “May Revise” to make up for a massive $54.3 billion budget shortfall as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As painful as the state’s budget may be, personal budgets are even more devastating […]
Newsom’s Masks Fail Safety Standards
BY BRAD JONES California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $1 billion deal with a Chinese company to produce protective masks during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has soured, as the masks failed to meet national safety and health standards. The deal has been a source of controversy and confusion among legislators ever since Newsom announced it on April 7 without releasing the details of the […]
POLITICS | California ‘Laser-Focused’ on Homelessness, Mental Health Reform, Newsom Says
BY BRAD JONES California’s homelessness crisis is a disgrace, and the apathy surrounding the issue is shameful, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Feb. 19 in his State of the State address. “Let’s call it what it is. It’s a disgrace that the richest state in the richest nation—succeeding across so many sectors—is falling so far behind to properly house, heal, […]
University of California Program Seeks to Prevent Nurse Suicides
BY BRAD JONES Nurses are at a higher risk than the general population for suicide, according to a nationwide study published Feb. 3. And University of California–San Diego researchers, who conducted the longitudinal study, said a pilot program at the university to help nurses at risk has proven successful and is ready to roll out nationally. “Nurses are […]
California Police Chiefs Push Back on Law Blamed for Spike in Property Crime
BY BRAD JONES In November 2020, Californians will vote to either keep changes they made to their criminal justice system in 2014, or undo some of them. Five years have passed, in which Californians have seen the negative impacts of Proposition 47, says California Police Chiefs Association President Ronald Lawrence. Among those negative impacts, he said, […]
NEWS ANALYSIS | Will California’s ‘Temporary’ Tax on Wealth Ever Fade Away?
BY BRAD JONES When Californians voted to “temporarily” raise taxes to fund education on Nov. 6, 2012, they probably never expected the hikes would linger in one form or another until 2030, but that’s exactly what happened. Prop. 30, officially tagged as “Temporary Taxes to Fund Education,” was billed as a ballot measure to increase taxes to […]
Proposed national park could swallow 170,000 properties, 500,000 acres
By BRAD JONES Land rights groups are outraged with a federal study aimed at creating a huge national park in Southern California. The proposed national park threatens to shut down small-scale mining among other outdoor and commercial activities. The American Land Rights Association and Public Lands for the People are two opponents of the […]
