Restaurant operators opposed the new law, claiming it would force them to raise their prices and cut jobs, but economists at UC Berkeley say their data contradicts those predictions.

The Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at UC Berkeley compared Glassdoor job posts and online food menu prices two weeks before the minimum wage raise and 2 weeks after. It found that wages increased by 18%, employment numbers remained stable and menu prices increased by only 3 to 7%, or 15 cents on a $4 burger.

Anneisha Williams said she knows the impacts firsthand. She’s been supporting her seven children on this minimum wage.

“I’ve seen new employees getting hired,” she said. “So I feel absolutely not. They’re not losing out on business. I feel that they’re growing more on business because if not, why are you guys still hiring employees?

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But what about the restaurant closures? Like 48 Rubio locations that shut down across the state.

“It’s very rare to really see a policy like the minimum wage lead to restaurants exiting the market unless they were already marginally on the edge of making it or not making it. And so, it’s really the other reasons that were causing the precarity of the restaurant,” said Dr. Enrique Lopezlira, the director of the Low Wage Work Program at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center.

But a survey given to fast food employers in July by the Employment Policies Institute, had very different results. The majority anticipated decreases in employment and significant increases in menu prices.

Though in the same month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed California had approximately 750,000 fast food jobs, roughly 11,000 more than when the higher minimum wage law took effect.

“The CEOs just need to be fair with their workers. You know, that’s what I feel overall, you know,” Williams said.

The study’s authors said that profit margins at fast food restaurants are relatively high compared to full service restaurants, companies have room to absorb higher wage costs.

The study comes as the California Fast Food Council considers further increasing the minimum wage in 2025 and in November voters will decide on a Prop 32 that would increase the statewide minimum wage for other workers to $18 an hour.

Southern California has experienced a series of earthquakes in recent months, reminding us of the dynamic and often volatile seismic nature of the state.

California’s landscape is shaped by multiple faults capable of producing powerful earthquakes. The San Andreas Fault extends about 800 miles from Cape Mendocino to the Mexican border. This geological feature has been responsible for some of the most devastating earthquakes in the state’s history.

However, the southern section of the San Andreas Fault has not recorded a major earthquake in over 300 years, according to Geoscientist and Civil Engineer Ignacio Sepulveda. According to Sepulveda, that area typically experiences a major earthquake every 140-150 years, which means that an earthquake could happen at any time.

In this special from NBC 7, you will learn about the science behind earthquakes, the technology for early alerts, the measures you can take to protect your property, and how to prepare before a major earthquake occurs. Watch in the player above.

Historical Earthquakes

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.9, remains one of the most significant seismic events in U.S. history.

It is estimated that more than 3,000 people died and around 28,000 buildings were destroyed, with tremors lasting between 45 and 60 seconds. The earthquake was felt from southern Oregon to southern Los Angeles and as far as Nevada.

Click on the left and right arrows to slide through images in the gallery above.

More recently, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (magnitude 6.9) in Northern California caused 63 deaths and approximately $6 billion in damages.

In Southern California, the 1994 Northridge earthquake (magnitude 6.7) resulted in nearly 60 fatalities and damaged over 112,000 buildings, with estimated damages of up to $20 billion.

Click on the left and right arrows to slide through images in the gallery above.

Technological Advances

Recent advances in earthquake monitoring and early warning systems offer some hope. The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) network, with nearly 1,000 stations on the West Coast, can detect even the slightest changes in the Earth’s crust with millimeter-level precision. This data feeds into early warning systems like ShakeAlert and MyShake, potentially providing crucial seconds of warning before a strong tremor begins.

Additionally, researchers at UC San Diego are testing innovative building designs using sustainable materials like laminated wood, which can be more resilient during seismic events. UC San Diego created the tallest building ever tested in an earthquake simulator. The Tallwood project, a 10-story wooden structure, was tested on UC San Diego’s shake table in May 2023.

Although earthquakes remain a constant risk in California, ongoing research, improved construction techniques, and better preparedness can help mitigate their impact. As seismologists continue to refine their understanding and forecasting abilities, residents are encouraged to stay informed and prepared for the possibility of the next major earthquake.

Did you know that aftershocks can be forecasted following a major earthquake?

After a major earthquake, aftershocks can cause additional damage and make rescue and recovery efforts more dangerous. For this reason, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) publishes aftershock forecasts. While individual aftershocks cannot be predicted, scientists can forecast the general behavior of aftershock sequences using statistical methods and historical data from areas with similar geology. These forecasts are calculated for earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater in the U.S. and its territories, using tools like seismographs and GPS to estimate the magnitude and probability of aftershocks.

Aftershock forecasts provide crucial information that can save lives in affected communities. Emergency services use these forecasts to make decisions about when to conduct inspections of damaged buildings and carry out search and rescue operations. As communities rebuild and recover, being informed about the potential for aftershocks can make a significant difference in safety. Larger earthquakes tend to produce more aftershocks, and data measured by the regional seismic network is essential for estimating their magnitude and probability.

Preparation and Protection

As earthquakes remain an unpredictable threat, preparation is key. Experts recommend:

1. Create an emergency kit with essentials like water, non-perishable food, first aid supplies, and important documents.
2. Develop a family communication plan.
3. Secure heavy furniture and objects that could fall during an earthquake.
4. Identify safe spots in each room to take cover.

For homeowners, additional measures can be taken to protect the property:

1. Reinforce the house’s foundation—The California Earthquake Authority provides guidance and potential grant programs for this purpose.
2. Consider earthquake insurance—Standard homeowners’ insurance does not cover earthquake damage. Separate policies are available, but only about 13% of California homeowners currently have such coverage.

Did you feel it?

If you ever feel seismic movements, keep in mind that it’s important to report it, as earthquake reports are crucial for scientists studying earthquakes and tectonic activity.

Report an earthquake here.

By analyzing seismic waves, scientists can detect unusual patterns in the Earth’s crust that may indicate the presence of unknown faults. Studying seismic movements allows scientists to understand how faults behave, including how they break and interact, which can reveal new fault systems.

A Lancaster man was arrested for allegedly delivering fentanyl and other drugs via a drone, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday. 

Christopher Laney faced eight charges, including knowingly and willfully operating an unregistered aircraft in furtherance of a felony narcotics crime.  

He allegedly used the drone, which was not registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, at least three other times to deliver narcotics in December 2022 and January 2023. 

In January 2023, the drone moved fentanyl from his home to a church parking lot, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday. 

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He also was charged with distribution of fentanyl resulting in the death of a woman to who he sold narcotics. 

The United States Attorney’s Office said that if convicted on all counts he could serve 25 years to life in federal prison. 

City News Service contributed to this story. 

Travis Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota, beat his closest competitor by 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) to clinch the victory at the 51st World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.

His winning gourd came in at 2,471 pounds (1,121 kilograms), falling short of the world record he set last year with a pumpkin weighing 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms).

Gienger, 44, said that as he has done in the past, he focused on having healthy soil and well-fed plants but that a cold fall with record-breaking rain likely impacted his pumpkin’s growth.

“It takes a lot of good soil biology, good soil health and a lot of work in the beginning to get it this big,” said Gienger. He also constructed a tent over the pumpkin to get it growing early.

“We had really, really tough weather and somehow, some way, I kept on working,” Gienger said. “I had to work for this one, and we got it done at the end, but it wasn’t by much.”

Gienger and his family drove his gargantuan gourd for 35 hours to California.

He said the giant pumpkin’s next stop will be in Southern California, where a team of professional carvers will do a 3D carve on it at a Halloween event.

In addition to a cash prize of $9 per pound for the winning gourd, which amounts to $22,239, Gienger will also receive a championship ring and a coveted Mel Mello Sr. Grand Champion Growers Jacket.

The new law requires oil refineries to keep a minimum amount of gas in storage. Supporters say when refineries go offline for maintenance there would then be enough backup gas on hand to prevent price spikes.

The California Assembly gave its final approval with a 41-16 vote. Several Democrats did not vote and four outright rejected the measure. A small group of Republican lawmakers and oil companies also dissented.

“This is the fourth largest market,” Newsom said in a press conference. “This is a big damn deal.”

Despite the success the governor touts, UC Berkeley professor and Faculty Director for the Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business Severin Borenstein doubts this new law will be the relief consumers crave.

“Well, unfortunately, I don’t think this is going to make a lot of difference to our gasoline prices,” 

Borenstein said. “It will potentially help during some of the big price spikes we’ve seen over the last couple of years. Those price spikes don’t occur very often.”

Many of the details of the new law are not yet clear. The bill calls for the specifics including the required size of the gas on reserve to be determined by the committee.

Leaders of the Western States Petroleum Association say the new law doesn’t reflect the actual reason for high gas prices. President and CEO of the WSPA Cather Reheis- Boyd says to lower prices, investment is needed for infrastructure and local oil production. She predicts the new law will be unsuccessful.

“It is not about minimum inventory levels at refineries who are already running near capacity,” she said. “[The] chances of this causing the opposite effect is large, which is causing more increase in price, not less, because it isn’t really bringing supply to market in a way that matters.”

To read more about the new legislation, click here.

“It happened right before I went into the turn. A car passed me never went into the turn, the rock was directly for the driver right above the cluster it broke the steering wheel ring,” recounted Franko Martinez, who was the passenger in the vehicle.

Martinez said he was able to steer the car to the shoulder but there was nothing he could do to help Rodriguez.

“All I can do is pray right now. It’s hard to sleep,” said Martinez.

CHP continues to investigate the tragedy and at least one other similar incident that happened two days before Rodriguez was killed, where a large rock was thrown at another car’s windshield.

“I didn’t get to say goodbye to her and I didn’t get to tell her how much I loved her because I do. I did. I always will,” said Sylvia Perez, sister to Rodriguez.

The heartbroken family asks anyone on the road that day who may have seen something to come forward to help keep other drivers safe and bring justice to Rodriguez.

“There is a killer on this road and we have to find this person,” said Drew Harrity, uncle to Rodriguez. “There was a whole life behind this story that was cut short and a promising future that she had. I can promise you if anyone out there met her they would love her too. That’s who she was.”

Food labels that say “sell by” or “best before” are misleading because they have no universal meaning under current laws. Now California wants to crack down on such practices, bidding to help consumers stop playing guessing games with produce and other items in their fridges.

The state is the first to ban food labels such as “sell by” or “best before” under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The legislation signed by Newsom over the weekend aims at reducing both food waste and the state’s climate-warming emissions.

There are more than 50 different date labels on packaged food sold in stores, but the information is largely unregulated and does not relate to food safety. “Sell by” dates, for example, often act as a guide for stores to pull products from the shelf and not as an indicator of whether the product is still safe to consume.

With no federal regulations dictating what information these labels should include, the stamps have led to consumer confusion — and nearly 20% of the nation’s food waste, according to the Food and Drug Administration. In California, that’s about 6 million tons of unexpired food that’s tossed in the trash each year.

“Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with,” said Democratic Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, author of the bill.

The new law “is a monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet,” she added in her statement.

The law is set to take effect in July 2026, establishing a new standard for food labeling in California. It will require the use of “Best if Used By” label to signal peak quality and “Use By” label for product safety, an approach recommended by federal agencies. The law provides exemption for eggs, beer and other malt beverages.

The California law comes as similar efforts around the country remain halted at the federal level. State lawmakers and advocates said they also spent the last decade trying to pass legislation to reduce food labeling confusion and cut down on food waste. A similar measure died before reaching the governor’s desk in 2016. Then-Gov. Jerry Brown also signed a bill in 2017 to establish voluntary uniform-labeling protocol but few companies ended up following the honor system.

“Widespread implementation that was basically committed to by industry wasn’t happening,” said Erica Parker with Californians Against Waste, who sponsored the bill. “Food waste rates are not decreasing, they’re increasing.”

Supporters hope the legislation could pave the way for new food labeling standards in the U.S., though it’s not immediately clear if the new law and the massive California market will push companies to standardize food labeling for all products in the country.

“California has such a large market share that we do think this will push manufacturers,” said Nina Sevilla with Natural Resources Defense Council, who also sponsored the bill. “The hope is that California serves as a model either for other states or ultimately to push action at the federal level.”

Shopper Jasmine Acosta, 23, said she believes most people don’t understand the current language used on food labels.

“It’s confusing to most consumers,” Acosta told The Associated Press as she shopped Tuesday at a Smart & Final store in Los Angeles.

She used to work at a small grocery store, so she’s developed the habit of examining her meat purchases for smell or discoloration before using the food. A sell-by date helps the grocer adhere to a “first in first out” method for its products and get ready for the next shipment arrival, but doesn’t mean the food has gone bad, according to Acosta.

While shopping Tuesday, she picked up a pack of meat that said “use or freeze by” — phrasing that she believes is relatively clear compared to other language but could still be confusing.

“It would obviously help everybody try to be on the same spectrum and make sure everything’s able to be used by the consumers, or if not it’s just a waste of money,” Acosta said.

____

Associated Press writer Jaimie Ding contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

Three out-of-state suspects were arrested in connection to the operations, which also led to the discovery of two illegally possessed firearms, the office said in a news release Tuesday.

In the first stop, which occurred in Fresno County on Oct. 3, a canine unit alerted officers to narcotics hidden inside a cooler, the state said. Upon inspection, authorities found 11 pounds of fentanyl stuffed into packages of carne asada beef.

The fentanyl was valued at approximately $500,000, according to the Newsom’s office. The suspect, a Washington State resident, was arrested on felony charges of drug possession and transportation.

California officials said the following day, on Oct. 4 in Merced County, officers discovered two handguns and around 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills with an estimated value of $1.2 million. Two more Washington State residents were arrested on multiple felony counts.

“California continues the tough work to get deadly and illegal drugs off our streets,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement. “I am proud of the efforts by our CHP officers to help keep our community safe and hold drug peddlers accountable.”

Newsom said the busts were part of California’s campaign to combat the fentanyl and opioid crisis.

The governor’s office said his office has outlined initiatives that include doubling the number of service members who can intercept drug transports at checkpoints. They also launched a website to share the dangers of opioids and plan to “hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable.”

Since January, California’s National Guard Counterdrug Task Force has seized over 500,00 pounds of fentanyl powder and 9.6 million fentanyl pills, valued at over $43 million, the state reported.

Ads on Prop 33 have dominated airwaves and online spaces with both supporters and opponents launching nasty attacks and accusations about each other.

What Prop 33 would do

Prop 33 seeks to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, which currently allows cities and counties to impose rent control only on units built before 1995.

Even for units built before 1995, if a tenant leaves, the landlord can raise the rent to market levels.

Also under current law, local governments cannot limit initial residential rental rates for new tenants or rent increases for existing tenants in certain residential properties. 

If Prop 33 passed, local governments would be allowed to impose rental control on any apartment building regardless of when it was built.

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What supports Prop 33

Supporters of Prop 33, including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Michael Weinstein, say giving local governments options to expand rental control would help stabilize the “skyrocketing” rents across the state, especially in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Proponents also argue Prop 33 would help ease the homelessness crisis by “preserving rent-controlled units” for those in need of housing, such as seniors on a fixed income.

Supporters of Prop 33 also include:

• Los Angeles County
• San Francisco County
• City of Bell Gardens
• City of Santa Monica
• City of West Hollywood
• California Democratic Party
• Los Angeles County Democratic Party
• Marin County Democratic Party
• California Nurses Association
• United Teachers Los Angeles

Who opposes Prop 33

Opponents of Prop 33 point out the proposal would lead to a decline in rental property values across the state, which means property owners will pay less on property taxes, thus leading to the reduction  of property tax revenues for cities, counties, special districts and schools. 

Local government could lose tens of millions of dollars each year from the property taxes, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Critics also say Prop 33 would stop the construction of new housing, including affordable housing. That also means building affordable housing units like ADUs would become harder under Prop 33, according to opponents. 

 Opponents of Prop 33 also include:

• California Apartment Association
• California Association of Realtors
• California Black Chamber of Commerce
• California Building Industry Association
• California Chamber of Commerce
• California Council of Carpenters
• California Council for Affordable Housing
• California Small Business Association
• Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
• Los Angeles County Business Federation

Ugly finger-pointing

The fight over Prop 33 has become even more divisive as the “Yes on 33” campaign began running ads, accusing the backers or the “No” campaign to be tied to the MAGA movement, calling corporate property companies that are part of the California Apartment Association, “greedy.”

Meanwhile the “No on 33” campaign is targeting Michael Weinstein, the polarizing figure and head of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, accusing him of accumulating low-income housing properties and being a “slumlord.”

Those against Prop 33 also point out that previous ballot measures that were similar to the proposal had failed to get California voters’ approval, but proponents say now is the time to pass Prop 33 with the housing crisis in the state has reached a fever pitch.

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If approved, voters would allow the state government to borrow billions of dollars for the purpose of improving the infrastructure of public schools and protecting the environment. 

Props 2 and 4 are two of 10 statewide ballot propositions that will be left up to voters in the Nov. 5 election. Here’s what to know about each one:

Here’s what Prop 2 would do if passed:

• Would authorize the state government to borrow $10 billion for repairs, upgrades and new construction of K-12 public schools, community colleges and trade schools
  • $8.5 billion directed towards K-12 schools
  • $1.5 billion directed towards upper education
• Funding would be prioritized for improvements regarding health and safety of students and staff alike, and classroom upgrades.  

Who’s supporting Prop 2?

Supporters say schools across the state are often outdated and in need of basic repairs and upgrades or sometimes just outright unsafe. They also argue it’s one way to retain and attract teachers during a time where school staffing is short nationwide. 

• California Teachers Association 
• California School Nurses Organization
• Community College League of California
• CalChamber
• League of Women’s Voters

Who’s opposing Prop 2?

Those opposing the proposition argue bond obligations will cost the state close to $18 billion with interest, making it uneconomical. 

Passing the proposition would increase state costs by $500 million per year for 35 years, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

• Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
• Reform California
• Press-Telegram

Here’s what Prop 4 would do if passed:

Prop 4 would authorize California to borrow $10 billion in bonds for water conversation and wildfire prevention. Funds could also be used to protect communities and their associated lands.

• $3.8 billion towards drought, flood, and water supply concerns 
• $1.5 billion towards wildfire prevention
• $1.2 billion towards sea-level rise prevention
• $1.2 billion towards land conversation 
• $850 million towards energy infrastructure
• $700 million towards community parks 
• $450 million towards extreme heat resources 
• $300 million to help farmers mitigate climate change  

Who’s supporting Prop 4?

Supporters say the proactive approach to conserve and protect California resources will pay itself back as wildfires, droughts and pollution concerns become increasingly prevalent. 

• Clean Water Action
• CALFIRE Firefighters
• National Wildlife Federation
• The Nature Conservancy 

Who’s opposing Prop 4?

Similar to Prop 2, those opposing the argue bond obligations will cost the state far more than it’s worth and that natural disasters (and their prevention) should be budgeted for, not paid with bonds. Opposing analysts say the bonds will cost taxpayers $2 for every $1 spent.  

Passing the proposition would increase state costs by $400 million per year for 40 years according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts’ Office

• Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

Since then she has seen an increase in crime in her beloved Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, with some homes robbed in broad daylight. Meanwhile the sidewalks are occupied by tents of homeless people and dotted with people passed out from drugs. The opioid crisis touched her personally when she lost her 25-year-old granddaughter Zelly Rose to a fentanyl poisoning.

“I thought there was going to be rehabilitation” with criminal justice reform, said Bean, a lifelong Democrat. “I didn’t think there was going to be no consequences.”

A decade after Proposition 47 passed, Bean’s grievances are increasingly shared by Californians, with smash-and-grab store thefts captured on videos that go viral feeding a sense that the state has become lawless. And more and more, voters are pinning the blame for that on efforts to advance criminal justice reform, Proposition 47 and progressive district attorneys.

The issue has resulted in some tight races this year up and down the solidly blue state for Democratic and progressive members of Congress, mayors and district attorneys who are up for reelection. And a new statewide measure on the ballot, Proposition 36, would partly roll back the 2014 law.

The criminal justice reform, critics say, has been a failed social experiment.

Two years after San Francisco voters ousted one of the first reform-minded prosecutors elected to office, voters across the bay in Oakland will decide in November whether to recall another progressive district attorney.

To the south in Los Angeles, District Attorney George Gascón, who co-authored Proposition 47 and won in election 2020 after protests and racial reckoning following the police killing of George Floyd, faces stiff competition from a former federal prosecutor who calls himself a “hard middle” candidate.

“Mr. Gascón has been one of the greatest gifts for gangs,” Nathan Hochman said at their recent debate, lambasting him for not pursuing a gang sentencing enhancement in the high-profile killing of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor.

Gascón defends his record, saying the use of gang enhancements is historically tinged with racial bias and a special committee makes decisions on them on a case-by-case basis. His office says it prosecuted over 100,000 “serious crimes” in the last four years, a rate comparable to the previous decade.

Gascón also has come under scrutiny for his office’s policy of not trying juveniles as adults, with critics pointing to cases of recidivism.

They include a man who at age 16 took part in a 2018 gas station robbery and was later released from a youth detention facility, only to be arrested and charged this April in connection with a homicide. Another, a 17-year-old gang member in 2019 who admitted to a double homicide and could have faced life in prison, was released last February and arrested months later in connection with a new killing.

Hochman, a former Republican running as an independent, has raised nearly $4 million for his campaign, compared with $678,000 for Gascón.

Frustration over retail theft has pushed Gov. Gavin Newsom to champion a slate of bills cracking down on serial offenders and auto thieves, but stopping short of making retail crimes felonies again.

Proposition 36 goes further: It would make theft of any amount a felony if a person already has two theft convictions, lengthen some theft and drug felony sentences, make fentanyl possession a felony and require people with multiple drug charges to complete treatment or else serve time.

Voters rejected a similar initiative in 2020, but this time around there is a bipartisan coalition backing Proposition 36. Over 180 Democratic elected officials, including 64 mayors, signed onto a campaign supporting the initiative last month.

The measure also is endorsed by the California Chamber of Commerce and major retailers such as Walmart, Target and Home Depot. A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found 71% of likely voters said they would vote yes.

“It’s hard for businesses and communities who are really on the front line of it,” said Jennifer Barrera, president of the California Chamber of Commerce. “I think that it will likely increase incarceration … but I do also hope and expect that it certainly will have an impact on reducing crime.”

Opponents of Prop 36, who include Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders, say it would take the state back to the policies of prosecuting a failed war on drugs and locking up tens of thousands of people, mostly Black and Hispanic, in overcrowded prisons.

The measure could increase California’s 90,000-strong prison population by a few thousand and would cost tens of millions of dollars annually at both the state and county level, according to a Legislative Analyst’s Office report.

It also would reduce drug and mental health funding that comes from savings from incarcerating fewer people.

Twenty-two counties with no treatment beds would shoulder the financial burden under the measure, Newsom said. California is already thousands of beds short of being able to meet current demand.

“I know people are frustrated. I know people are angry. I am too,” the governor said at a recent news conference. “But this is not the way of solving it.”

There is insufficient data quantifying retail crime in California, but many point to major store closures and everyday products like toothpaste being locked behind plexiglass as evidence of a crisis.

A recent report from the Public Policy Institute of California found a 16% increase in commercial burglaries between 2019 and 2022. However, the research showed reduced enforcement for property and drug offenses during the COVID-19 pandemic had a much greater impact on crime than Proposition 47, and it also found no evidence that changes in drug arrests led to any increase in crime.

Salil Dudani, a senior attorney with the legal nonprofit Civil Rights Corp, said making misdemeanors felonies again will lead to more pre-trial jailing and in turn increase crime.

“It’s so destabilizing to a person’s life to pluck them out of their community … that they become more likely to commit crime,” Dudani said. “It undermines public safety to lock people up on low-level offenses, exactly like Prop 36 provides.”

That assertion is borne out by a 2017 Stanford Law Review study focusing on misdemeanors in Texas’ Harris County, which found that people jailed for even just a week were 32% more likely to commit a felony within 18 months.

But many business owners say the current situation is unsustainable.

Aaron Cardoza, who owns Mobil Fits, used to run an affordable clothing shop in a historically Black neighborhood of Del Paso Heights in Sacramento. He closed it down and switched to online sales out of a van after the store was broken into six times in two months.

“I lost a lot, a lot of merchandise,” Cardoza said, while the thieves got only a “slap on the wrist” and were released.

Cardoza said he supports Proposition 36.

A resentencing hearing is set for Nov. 29.

Here’s what attorney Mark Geragos said while speaking with NBC Los Angeles’ Colleen Williams. 

Is there new evidence?

There is. 

We filed both pieces of evidence, one which was a letter that predates the killings, from Eric to his cousin Andy, who tragically died over 20 years ago. 

In that letter, he describes the abuse by his father and how it was weighing on him as you can imagine. 

The second piece of evidence is a declaration by one of the members of the band Menudo, who came forward bravely decades after it happened, signed a declaration saying, unbelievably as it may seem, that he too was molested and at the home, which was one of the points that was raised, at least in the first trial, that Jose Menendez felt so comfortable or so safe in the home where he had molested his own kids that he thought he could bring in a third party.

Was the evidence not admissible before?

Neither of those items of evidence were available during the trials. 

They’ve been in custody for 35 years. Their case has languished. Basically, they had no appellate rights for the last almost 20 years after they exhausted all appeals.

These were found almost by happenstance somewhere in the neighborhood less than 10 years ago, and the declaration was brought forward within the last two years.

Did new TV shows on the brothers play a role?

There’s been about four treatments or re-examinations of this case in the last couple of years.

The Netflix documentary has been playing for the last week. There’s another one that drops next week. There was a previous one that had played out months ago back in February. 

We filed this writ back in May. The DA has been taking this seriously all alone. We’ve done a number of things in terms of turning over evidence to them. 

We’ve now presented the idea of, alternatively, from setting the conviction aside to just have them re-sentence.

We’ve done conditional examinations. 

And I think most importantly, 24 of the family members have signed a letter asking the DA to re-sentence them and let them come home. 

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Erik Menendez reacts to Ryan Murphy's Menendez brothers series

What could happen now? 

A re-sentencing is something that certainly is what the DA talked about Thursday and what we have sent over in terms of a petition for resentencing supported by the family. 

That is one option where the sentence would be technically recalled. They’d be re-sentenced by a judge. And presumably, they would get time served. 

The other option is to set aside the conviction. That’s what the habeas is. If you set aside the conviction, they can get a new trial. 

But that doesn’t seem to make a lot of economic sense in a challenging economy in California when you’re cutting back on the court expenditures.

How are Lyle and Erik?

They’re both now housed together at Donovan State Prison. I’ve been down there. 

They’re doing an amazing job of a project called the Green Space Project, which is a Norwegian model about trying to reduce recidivism. 

Lyle is engineering or is vital to putting the project together. 

Erik is a very talented artist who is decorating the space itself

In order to give people the idea that eventually 90% of these people who are incarcerated are going to be let back into the community, the idea is to get them the opportunity to learn the skills to re-assimilate.

What is the timetable?

I’d like to get them home before the end of the year. 

The DA has indicated that all times in the last year and a half when I’ve worked with this office, they have been very serious and diligent in following up on things.

Either one, I just want to get them home under any terms and conditions. These are two people that I would venture to say you’re never going to have to worry about re-offending.  

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So why are California voters voting whether to recognize marriages regardless of race and sex this November?

Proposition 3 would not actually change who is allowed to get married in California but will remove language from the California Constitution saying that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman.

Here is the background

• In 2008, California voters approved Proposition 8, which added language to the state Constitution that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” That ballot measure was approved with 52% support and 48% in opposition.
• The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, but the language remained in the California Constitution although it no longer applied.

What supporters say

Those who support the proposition argue that removing this part of the Constituion will protect same-sex and interracial marriage if the Supreme Court ever sought to overturn past decisions such as Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide and Loving v. Virginia (1967) which legalized interracial marriage nationwide.

What opponents say

Opponents are calling the ballot measure vague, saying removing any definition for what marriage is will get rid of all standards and allow child marriage, incest and polygamy. The new language would say that “the right to marry is a fundamental right.”

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Polling

A poll conducted from Aug. 29 through Sept. 9 by the Public Policy Institute of California showed 68% of likely voters support the measure while 31% oppose.

Who’s supporting Proposition 3

• Democratic officials
  • California Senator Alex Padilla
  • California Senator Laphonza Butler
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom
  • Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis
  • Controller Malia Cohen
  • Treasurer Fiona Ma
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
  • San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria
  • San Francisco Mayor London Breed
  • Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg

• Organizations
  • SEIU California
  • The Human Rights Campaign
  • Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
  • The California Democratic Party

Who’s opposing Proposition 3

• The California Family Council
• Reverend Tanner DiBella

Accessibility to Fertility Treatments 

Millions of Californians will see expanded access to IVF and other fertility treatments thanks to a new state mandate. 

Under the new law, large insurance companies are required to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and fertility services, including a maximum of three egg retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers.

The law also impacts the LGBTQ+ community and same-sex couples who want to have children as it broadens the definition of “infertility” to include a person’s inability to reproduce either as an individual or with their partner without medical intervention.

The law is expected to impact millions of Californians, and doctors expect more families to seek care now that fertility treatments and IVF will be more affordable for many.

The law will go into effect in July 2025.

Chemicals in tampons

California will ban the sale of tampons and other menstrual products that contain potentially toxic chemicals. 

Under the law, the intentional use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, in menstrual products will be prohibited. 

The Department of Toxic Substances Control is required to adopt these regulations on or before Jan. 1, 2029. And manufacturers must provide detailed product information and register with the department by July 1, 2029.

The law will fine manufactures who violate the regulations. And all money collected from the penalties will be deposited to the T.A.M.P.O.N. Act Fund.

Maternal mortality among Black women

A new law that aims to reduce racial and ethnic inequality in maternal and infant health care outcomes will require California’s medical facilities to conduct “evidence-based implicit bias training” for health care professionals. 

It builds on existing laws requiring these training for health care providers involved in perinatal care. 

But the new law introduces several new enhancements, including mandating health care facilities to report their adherence to training protocols to the state Attorney General’s office with penalties for non-compliance.

Current health care providers must complete their training by June 1, 2025. While new providers are required to complete training within six months of their start date.

“When giving birth, individuals are asked to listen to their bodies and to share that information with the medical professionals caring for them,” said Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. “Unfortunately, concerns surrounding discomfort or pain are not taken as seriously when they are made by persons of color, specifically black persons.

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Alzheimer’s disease

A package of twelve bills were signed into law to aid law enforcement, doctors and health care providers better serve the growing number of California adults with Alzheimer’s disease and their families. 

Health care and law enforcement officials will be required to have training on how to interact with wandering people suffering from Alzheimer’s, autism and dementia. 

Also health care professionals who primarily work with older patients will be mandated to take continuing education in geriatrics and dementia care.

As one in four Californians is expected to be age 60 or over in 2030, the new laws are anticipated to help change the aging services. 

Substance abuse facilities increase

California will expand the range of facilities that can treat people who are on a temporary conservatorship for substance use disorder.

Currently, a psychiatric health facility provides 24-hour inpatient care for people with mental health disorders. 

Under the new law, mental health rehabilitation centers and psychiatric health facilities can offer 24-hour inpatient care to people with a severe substance use disorder. 

Treatment centers will have the new flexibility in managing treatment slots so they can increase the number of hospital beds available for substance use disorder patients.

Accessible prescription labels

Pharmacy dispensers are now required to provide patients who identify as blind or have low vision with accessible prescription medication labels upon request. 

These labels can be in the form of supplemental documentation with large fonts, braille or for blind patients, the use of text-to-speech technology. 

The bill, sponsored by the California Council of the Blind, was based on recommendations published back in 2013 from a United States Access Board Working Group. 

Breast milk bank

A new law intends to allow more families to receive donor milk for their babies regardless of what insurance they have.

When a parent does not produce or does not produce enough breast milk, pasteurized donor human milk is the next best nutrition source for infants below normal birth weights. The new law defines donor milk as essential under commercial insurance — bringing it up to speed with Medi-Cal standards.

Breast milk reduces some health outcomes in infants, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening bowel disease which occurs about 60% more frequently in Black and Latino children, according to UC data.

Donor milk comes from people who are lactating and have been screened.Previously, hospitals had to have a tissue bank license to give donor milk to patients — now that barrier moves the license burden to already accredited milk banks such as the University of California Health Milk Bank.

UC Riverside Health recently opened a breast milk collection facility as well.

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After officials alleged the gas companies tampered with and manipulated prices for California gasoline, the state reached a $50 million settlement with Vitol, SK Energy Americas in July.

“Market manipulation and price gouging are illegal and unacceptable, particularly during times of crisis when people are most vulnerable,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Those who purchased gasoline in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and/or Imperial counties in California between February 20 and November 10, 2015 may be eligible for a payment.

Eligible Californians can submit a claim here by adding their name, driver’s license number, phone number, address, email address and the preferred method of electronic payment, such as PayPal, Venmo and Zelle.

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Here are some of the new laws that will go into effect in the coming months as early as Jan. 1, 2025.

Crime

• Harsher sentences for flash-mob, smash-and-grab robberies
• People convicted of animal cruelty will be banned from owning a firewarm for 10 years.
• Domestic violence victims can file restraining orders without delay while being able to keep their car data private from their abusers. 
• Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu will get at least five speed cameras.
• California will be able to continue to collect and use DNA samples from people arrested for certain crimes
• Local law enforcement agencies will be better informed when sexually violent predators are set to be released in their area.
• The penalty for soliciting and buying sex from minors under 16 will be raised to a felony.

Business

• All plastic shopping bags will be banned starting in 2026.
• Cannabis lounges where customers can buy the drug, then stick around for a meal or a live show will be legalized, starting on Jan. 1, 2025.
• The maximum criminal fines for corporations will increase.

Health

• Insurance companies will be required to cover IVF. 
• The sale of tampons and other menstrual products that contain potentially toxic chemicals will be banned in California. 
• A new law will require pharmacies to provide accessible prescription labels or supplemental documentation to patients with vision disabilities. 
• California will expand the type of facilities that can treat people with a substance use disorder. 
• Families will have better access to donor milk for their babies regardless of what insurance they have. 

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Education

• California private, non-profit colleges and universities will be banned from offering legacy admissions.
• Six artificial food dyes will be prohibited from school foods.
• Oil and gas operations near schools will be restricted. 
• A new law will restrict the use of smartphones on school campuses.

Tech and social media

• It will become illegal to create and distribute sexually explicit images of a real person.
• Social media companies are required to come up with a system through which users can report sexually explicit deepfakes.
• Social media companies will be prohibited from knowingly providing addictive content feeds to minors starting in 2027.
• Parents who profit from social media posts using their children will be required to set aside some of the earnings for them.
• Companies that are testing their AI models will have to publicly disclose safety protocols.

Civil rights

• Native Americans will get better access to social support and tribal housing programs.
• Textbooks for K-12 California schools must include the treatment and perspectives of Native Americans, especially during the Mission and Gold Rush periods. 
• Law enforcement agencies will be required to collect data on crimes occurring on Indian lands and report the information to the state Department of Justice as an effort to reduce the number of missing and murdered indigenous people in California.  
• New laws will help create more stable housing for migrant farm workers through the support from the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

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The goal of the measure passed this year by legislators is to give students a fair opportunity to access higher education, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work,” Newsom said in a statement after signing the bill Monday. “The California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly.”

The law taking effect in Sept. 2025 affects private institutions that consider family connections in admissions, including the University of Southern California, Stanford University, Claremont McKenna College and Santa Clara University.

The public University of California system eliminated legacy preferences in 1998.

Legacy admissions came under renewed scrutiny after the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down affirmative action in college admissions.

Democratic Assemblymember Phil Ting, who authored the California bill, said it levels the playing field for students applying to college.

“Hard work, good grades and a well-rounded background should earn you a spot in the incoming class – not the size of the check your family can write or who you’re related to,” Ting said in a statement Monday.

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Sponsored by Assemblywoman Akilah Weber, D-La Mesa, the bill is intended to get medically necessary milk to babies in the neonatal intensive care unit who otherwise might do without.

“Addressing disparities in health care starts with ensuring access to essential nutrition,” Weber said. “With the mortality rate for Black infants being three times higher than that of white infants, it’s crucial we address health care inequities beginning at birth.

“This bill represents the final step in expanding access to donor milk for all families, regardless of their insurance, and making a significant difference in health outcomes for newborns and their families.”

When a parent does not produce or does not produce enough breastmilk, pasteurized donor human milk is the next best nutrition source for infants below normal birth weights. AB 3059 defines donor milk as essential under commercial insurance — bringing it up to speed with Medi-Cal standards.

“Creating greater access to donor milk is vital for the health and well-being of newborns and their families,” said University of California President Dr. Michael V. Drake. “We applaud Assemblymember Weber for her leadership on AB 3059, and we are grateful that the Governor has signed this important bill into law.

“At the University of California, we are excited to work together toward a future where infants have easier access to this essential nutrition, especially those whose families are most vulnerable.”

Breast milk reduces some health outcomes in infants, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening bowel disease which occurs about 60% more frequently in Black and Latino children, according to UC data.

Donor milk comes from people who are lactating and have been screened. Excess milk goes to accredited milk banks, where it is “processed, pasteurized, tested and distributed to NICUs, hospitals and families when it’s medically necessary,” a statement from the UC read.

Weber’s bill removes a regulation to make distribution of healthy milk easier. Previously, hospitals had to have a tissue bank license to give donor milk to patients — now that barrier moves the license burden to already accredited milk banks such as the University of California Health Milk Bank.

The UC Health Milk Bank, operated by UC San Diego Health, is one of three in California. However, UC Riverside Health recently opened a breast milk collection facility as well.

“I’ve seen, first-hand, how donor milk improves the health, and even survival, of babies in the NICU,” said Dr. Lisa Stellwagen, medical director of the UC Health Milk Bank. “I’m thankful for Governor Newsom’s signature of AB 3059, which will have a significant impact in ensuring hospitals can easily offer donor milk to babies who need it.

“With this new law, California is making major strides in improving health outcomes for babies in NICUs across the state.”

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On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 729 into law, which requires large group health care service plans to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and fertility services, including a maximum of three egg retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers.

The new law is also a win for members of the LGBTQ+ community and same-sex couples who want to have children. It broadens the definition of “infertility” to include a person’s inability to reproduce either as an individual or with their partner without medical intervention.

The law is expected to impact millions of Californians.

Dr. Don Royster, of the Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine in Newport, says he expects more families to seek care now that fertility treatments and IVF will be more affordable for many.

“We would probably estimate 15% of our families have some sort of fertility coverage,” Dr. Royster told NBC4. “Sometimes, it’s limited to just the diagnostic portion of their evaluation, all the way through IVF is that’s necessary. And as when we as fertility providers see families that can’t seek care because they can’t afford it, it’s very disheartening.”

Without insurance, the treatments could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The law will go into effect in July 2025 for those who qualify. You can read the text of the law here.

Under AB 3162, also known as the California Oppose Cruelty to Octopuses (OCTO) Act, authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett whose 38th District includes Oxnard, Ventura and the Channel Islands, it is illegal for anyone to engage in the aquaculture of octopuses meant for human consumption. 

The new law also bans business owners or operators from knowingly selling octopuses that came from octopus farms. 

Although octopuses may not be part of an average Californian’s meal plans, those who support AB 3162 argue that as the popularity of the sea animals for human consumption exploded in the last 50 years, there is also a growing interest in developing octopus aquaculture. 

The new law to ban octopus farming was initially proposed based on two reasons: Cruelty against octopuses, which are known to have a high level of cognitive ability, and environmental concerns. 

“Octopuses are among the most intelligent, complex life on Earth. Farming them is not only inhumane but poses significant environmental risks,” Assemblymember Laura Friedman, who sponsored the bill, said to an animal advocacy group. “Rather than turning to unproven ‘farming’ methods to raise and slaughter octopuses, we should be protecting our marine ecosystem to better enable marine species to rebound.”  

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There is no known large-scale octopus farming and harvesting in California, but the law would take a proactive step in promoting animal welfare, allowing California to become the second state in the U.S. to ban the aquaculture of octopuses, supporters said. 

Octopus farming also poses environmental consequences, the bill’s author said, because aquaculture facilities pose a risk of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, which could lead to pollution and potential algal blooms, which could be devastating to California’s marine ecosystems. 

The new law still allows the fishing of octopuses with a permit in state waters as long as the daily limit does not exceed 35 octopuses. 

While there were no opponents to the bill, a number of environmental groups supported the bill. 

The law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

California now has three more state symbols, as of law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday.

State legislation now decrees that California’s official crustacean is the Dungeness crab, the state slug is the banana slug and the official seashell is the black abalone.

“California has some of the most biodiverse environments in the world – with over 5,500 plants, animals, and other life forms. From the majestic California redwood down to the delicate California quail, every organism matters here – and it’s time we celebrated our less cuddly friends before they get too crabby. The Dungeness crab, the banana slug, and the black abalone each bring much to our state and are well deserving of this recognition,” said Newsom.

State crustacean: Dungeness crab

Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) authored AB 1797, which established the Dungeness crab as California’s crustacean of the highest decree.

Regulated by the Legislature dating back to 1895, the Dungeness crab heralds as one of the state’s oldest commercial fisheries and today is still a pillar of the state’s coastal economy, according to the office of the governor.

State slug: Banana slug

The slug most closely resembling a banana is an integral part of California’s ecosystems, especially the famous redwood forests, for the slugs’ diet is made of plants that compete with redwood seedlings for light, water and nutrients.

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz) wrote AB 1850, establishing this creature as the official state slug.

UC Santa Cruz alumni should be happy with this development. Sammy the banana slug has long been their school mascot. Interestingly, this extremely slow slug (its maximum speed is 6.5 inches per minute) was seen as an ideally unconventional counterpoint to the fierce competition of other universities.

State seashell: Black abalone shell

Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) penned AB 2504, which established the shell of the black abalone as California’s official state seashell.

Abalone shells have long been sought for their iridescent interiors made from layers of nacre, otherwise known as mother-of-pearl. Many coastal California Native American tribes used these shells in in daily life and ceremonially. Shells dating back 7,400 years point to ancients human settlements. Black abalone shells were once used for currency and have been found along trade routes reaching farther than the Mississippi, according to the office of the governor.

Black abalone shells come from mollusks that once covered the California coast. Now, they are endangered.

Current state laws limit the penalties for soliciting a minor to a misdemeanor charge. In addition to making it a felony if the victims were under 16, the new law would also allow prosecutors to charge repeat offenders with a felony if the victims were at least 16 years old.

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“Today marks an incredible victory for California children,” said Republican Sen. Shannon Grove, who authored the measure. “With the signing of my bill, SB 1414, we are reaffirming our commitment to safeguarding the most vulnerable among us — our children.”

The bipartisan measure was drafted with input from survivors, the author said. It received overwhelming support from the Legislature and the first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Supporters said the new law will help California correct its outdated provisions. The measure is a crucial step to protect more children and help law enforcement go after criminals who solicit minors for sex, they say.

The California legislation doesn’t go as far as laws in other states. In Texas, for example, an adult would be charged with a felony for soliciting a minor under 17 and could face harsher penalties if the victim was under 14.

Gavin Newsom on Thursday also signed three other measures to boost protections for human trafficking and domestic violence victims, including one requiring emergency rooms to implement protocols to allow patients who are potentially victims to discreetly notify health care workers of their abuse.

“Human trafficking is a disgusting and reprehensible crime that leaves lasting pain on victims and survivors,” the governor said in a statement. “These new laws will help us further hold predators accountable and provide victims with the support and care they need.”

The Democratic governor, who has said he “cares deeply” about the issue, last year signed another bill authored by Grove to make child trafficking a serious crime. Anyone convicted of at least three serious felonies in California is punished by a sentence of between 25 years and life in prison, known as the “three strikes law.”

Restaurant operators opposed the new law, claiming it would force them to raise their prices and cut jobs, but economists at UC Berkeley say their data contradicts those predictions.

The Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at UC Berkeley compared Glassdoor job posts and online food menu prices two weeks before the minimum wage raise and 2 weeks after. It found that wages increased by 18%, employment numbers remained stable and menu prices increased by only 3 to 7%, or 15 cents on a $4 burger.

Anneisha Williams said she knows the impacts firsthand. She’s been supporting her seven children on this minimum wage.

“I’ve seen new employees getting hired,” she said. “So I feel absolutely not. They’re not losing out on business. I feel that they’re growing more on business because if not, why are you guys still hiring employees?

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But what about the restaurant closures? Like 48 Rubio locations that shut down across the state.

“It’s very rare to really see a policy like the minimum wage lead to restaurants exiting the market unless they were already marginally on the edge of making it or not making it. And so, it’s really the other reasons that were causing the precarity of the restaurant,” said Dr. Enrique Lopezlira, the director of the Low Wage Work Program at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center.

But a survey given to fast food employers in July by the Employment Policies Institute, had very different results. The majority anticipated decreases in employment and significant increases in menu prices.

Though in the same month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed California had approximately 750,000 fast food jobs, roughly 11,000 more than when the higher minimum wage law took effect.

“The CEOs just need to be fair with their workers. You know, that’s what I feel overall, you know,” Williams said.

The study’s authors said that profit margins at fast food restaurants are relatively high compared to full service restaurants, companies have room to absorb higher wage costs.

The study comes as the California Fast Food Council considers further increasing the minimum wage in 2025 and in November voters will decide on a Prop 32 that would increase the statewide minimum wage for other workers to $18 an hour.

A man who threw a backpack with an improvised explosive device that went off at a screening area Wednesday inside a Santa Maria courthouse was scheduled to appear for arraignment on a firearms violation, authorities said.

Five people suffered injuries that are not considered life threatening in the explosion at the courthouse in Santa Barbara County. Twenty-year-old Nathaniel McGuire, a Santa Maria resident, was wearing body armor under a jacket when he was taken into custody after running from the scene and attempting to get into his vehicle, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

A court security officer detained McGuire in a courthouse parking lot.

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Witness Shane Mellon told KSBY that he was at the courthouse when he heard what sounded like chairs falling over. The courtroom bailiff escorted him and others from the building.

“It was a loud bang,” he said.

Mellon said he saw what looked like a sweater smoldering and a man screaming. Four or five people got on top of him, trying to keep him restrained, Mellon said.

“I think this could have been way worse than it was if not for the deputies just jumping on top of that guy,” Mellon said.

The courthouse was closed and residents near the building were told to avoid the area as authorities investigated the explosion. A five-block area that included businesses, homes and a school was evacuated.

McGuire was arrested Wednesday on attempted murder and explosives charges. He was scheduled to appear for arraignment that day in connection with his July arrest for illegal gun possession — a loaded and concealed revolver that was not registered to him.

Investigators said the bombing appeared to be in retaliation for the earlier arrest.

“We do believe this is a local matter that has been safely resolved and that there are no outstanding community safety concerns,” Santa Barbara County Undersheriff Craig Bonner said.

Three of the people injured in the explosion suffered burns. All were treated at a hospital and released.

Santa Maria is about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Pop star Michael Jackson was tried and acquitted of sexual abuse two decades ago at the courthouse.

One person was detained in connection with an explosion caused by what authorities described as an improvised explosive device that injured at least two people Wednesday morning at a courthouse in Santa Maria.

The courthouse was closed and residents near the building were told to avoid the area as authorities investigate the explosion. The location was “not deemed safe,” the sheriff’s department said.

At least two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s department. A public information officer at Marian Regional Medical Center told NBC News that six people arrived at the hospital. Their conditions ranged from good to fair.

One person was immediately detained, the sheriff’s department said. That person is a man, and the explosion was from an intentionally set improvised explosive device, according to the agency.

Details about where the explosion occurred were not immediately available.

Witness Shane Mellon told KSBY that he was at the courthouse when he heard what sounded like chairs falling over. The courtroom bailiff escorted him and others from the building.

“It was a loud bang,” he said.

Mellon said he saw what looked like a sweater smoldering and a man screaming. Four or five people got on top of him, trying to keep him restrained, Mellon said.

“I think this could have been way worse than it was if not for the deputies just jumping on top of that guy,” Mellon said.

Santa Maria is about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Pop star Michael Jackson was tried and acquitted of sexual abuse two decades ago at the courthouse.

The state already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. The new laws signed by Newsom will expand restrictions on who could own firearms, prevent the proliferation of “ghost guns” and increase protections for domestic violence survivors.

“California won’t wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting to act,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “In the absence of congressional action, our state is once again leading the way by strengthening our nation-leading gun laws.”

Under the new laws, a judge can consider stalking, acts of animal cruelty or threats of violence as evidence for a gun violence restraining order. A person who has a misdemeanor charge dismissed because they were found to be mentally incompetent will also be prohibited from possessing a gun. Current laws only apply such restrictions to cases involving felony charges.

Another law targets ghost guns by requiring law enforcement agencies to prohibit their contracted vendors from selling guns meant to be destroyed. The measure received bipartisan support from the Legislature.

The new laws also aim at providing more protections for domestic violence survivors. There’ll be fewer exceptions for police officers to continue carrying a gun if they were perpetrators of domestic violence. Law enforcement is also required to take away firearms from offenders.

Newsom also signed legislation banning fake gunfire and fake blood from active-shooter drills in California’s public schools.

The California Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, has advanced some of the strictest gun laws in the country, but many have not survived court challenges.

Newsom has positioned himself as a leader on gun control while he eyes the national political stage. He has called for and signed a variety of bills, including measures targeting ghost guns that are harder for law enforcement to trace, raising the taxes on guns and ammunition to pay for education and banning people from carrying firearms in most public places. Last year, he kickstarted a campaign calling for a constitutional amendment on gun safety with little success.

AB 2586 would have prohibited California colleges and universities from disqualifying students from being hired on campus if they were unable to provide proof of federal work authorization. The governor said his reason for the veto was federal funding potentially being at risk for employees and students since the federal law forbids employers from hiring undocumented individuals.

“I have to now struggle to figure out if I can even afford tuition for the next semester,” said Jeffrey Umana Munoz, a UCLA graduate who is studying for his master’s at Cal State LA. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to finish this master’s program.”

Munoz, who was brought to the US at the age of 2 from El Salvador, is part of a movement called Opportunity for All. The organization rallied across the UC and state college system to allow undocumented students to work.

Assemblymember David Alvarez, who authored the bill, said he found the veto a “profound disappointment” and said his efforts would not stop.

“Students who are legally allowed to study at California’s public colleges and universities should also be allowed to work to pay for their own education,” his statement read. “The students who worked together to bring this bill to the Legislature will continue to fight for it, and I will stand with them, along with the Latino Caucus.”

In the meantime, Opportunity for All will continue championing for its cause and said it plans to attend the UC Regents meeting in January to push for a similar bill.

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Assembly Bill 3216, known as the Phone-Free School Act, would require every school district, charter school, and county office of education to adopt a policy limiting or prohibiting the use of phones by July 1, 2026.

“This new law will help students focus on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they’re in school,” said Newsom in a press release.

According to the bill, students will be allowed to use their phones in case of an emergency, or a “perceived threat of danger.” Newsom had also signed a law in 2019 granting districts the authority to regulate student smartphone access during school hours.

A survey released by the Pew Research Center found that 72% of high school and 33% of middle school teachers reported cell phone distractions as a major problem. Another study provided by Common Sense Media showed that 97% of students used their cell phones for at least 43 minutes during school hours.

Earlier in August, Newsom sent a letter to school districts, urging them to restrict students’ use of smartphones on campus.

“Every classroom should be a place of focus, learning, and growth,” Newsom said in his letter. “Working together, educators, administrators, and parents can create an environment where students are fully engaged in their education, free from the distractions on the phones and pressures of social media.”

The new law makes California the fifth state in the country with a cellphone use ban.

The Mercury News reported Friday that Albino’s niece in Oakland — with assistance from police, the FBI and the Justice Department — located her uncle living on the East Coast.

Albino, a father and grandfather, is a retired firefighter and Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, according to his niece, 63-year-old Alida Alequin. She found Albino and reunited him with his California family in June.

On Feb. 21, 1951, a woman lured the 6-year-old Albino from the West Oakland park where he had been playing with his older brother and promised the Puerto Rico-born boy in Spanish that she would buy him candy.

Instead, the woman kidnapped the child, flying him to the East Coast where he ended up with a couple who raised him as if he were their own son, the news group reported. Officials and family members didn’t say where on the East Coast he lives.

For more than 70 years Albino remained missing, but he was always in the hearts of his family and his photo hung at relatives’ houses, his niece said. His mother died in 2005 but never gave up hope that her son was alive.

Oakland police acknowledged that Alequin’s efforts “played an integral role in finding her uncle” and that “the outcome of this story is what we strive for.”

In an interview with the news group, she said her uncle “hugged me and said, ‘Thank you for finding me’ and gave me a kiss on the cheek.”

Oakland Tribune articles from the time reported police, soldiers from a local army base, the Coast Guard and other city employees joined a massive search for the missing boy. San Francisco Bay and other waterways were also searched, according to the articles. His brother, Roger Albino, was interrogated several times by investigators but stood by his story about a woman with a bandana around her head taking his brother.

The first notion that her uncle might be still alive came in 2020 when, “just for fun,” Alequin said, she took an online DNA test. It showed a 22% match with a man who eventually turned out to be her uncle. A further search at the time yielded no answers or any response from him, she said.

In early 2024, she and her daughters began searching again. On a visit to the Oakland Public Library, she looked at microfilm of Tribune articles — including one that had a picture of Luis and Roger — which convinced her that she was on the right track. She went to the Oakland police the same day.

Investigators eventually agreed the new lead was substantial, and a new missing persons case was opened. Oakland police said last week that the missing persons case is closed, but they and the FBI consider the kidnapping a still-open investigation.

Luis was located on the East Coast and provided a DNA sample, as did his sister, Alequin’s mom.

On June 20, investigators went to her mother’s home, Alequin said, and told them both that her uncle had been found.

“We didn’t start crying until after the investigators left,” Alequin said. “I grabbed my mom’s hands and said, ‘We found him.’ I was ecstatic.”

On June 24, with the assistance of the FBI, Luis came to Oakland with members of his family and met with Alequin, her mother and other relatives. The next day Alequin drove her mother and her newfound uncle to Roger’s home in Stanislaus County, California.

“They grabbed each other and had a really tight, long hug. They sat down and just talked,” she said, discussing the day of the kidnapping, their military service and more.

Luis returned to the East Coast but came back again in July for a three-week visit. It was the last time he saw Roger, who died in August.

Alequin said her uncle did not want to talk to the media.

“I was always determined to find him, and who knows, with my story out there, it could help other families going through the same thing,” Alequin said. “I would say, don’t give up.”

What’s notable about Prop 36 is that it would undo some of the key provisions from Prop 47, which Californians voted to pass in 2014 to address prison overcrowding by reclassifying some theft and drug-related offenses as misdemeanors. 

Prop 36, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act, may be one of the most divisive state ballot measures in 2024. 

While some Democratic leaders including Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly oppose it over the concern that it would further harm Black and Brown communities, others like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is running for governor, support Prop 36 in alliance with police unions and business groups.

Here’s what Prop 36 would do if passed

• Turning some misdemeanors to felonies: Under Prop 47, theft crimes such as shoplifting and burglary involving items that are valued less than $950 are classified as misdemeanors. Also all drug possessions, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, are considered misdemeanors. But Prop 36 would undo some of those penalty reductions and turn those misdemeanors into felonies, especially if a person committed similar crimes in the past. This would also mean a conviction would lead to a sentence of up to three years in county jail or state prison.

• Longer sentences: Prop 36 proposes that if a group of three or more people commit a crime together, such as flash-mob robberies that have affected retailers since the pandemic, their felony sentences can be extended by up to three years. Under Prop 36, people convicted of selling hard drugs could get a longer sentence based on the amount they sold. Unlike Prop 47, the new ballot measure seeks to require people to serve their time in prison.

Who’s supporting Prop 36

• A majority of Californians: A recent survey by Public Policy Institute of California revealed more than 70% of likely voters in California said they would vote yes on Prop 36. The figure suggests many Democratic-leading voters who may have voted to lessen crime penalties in 2014 are changing their minds. In 2023, more than 45% of registered voters in California identified themselves as Democrats.
• Democratic officials:
  • Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is running for governor
  • Senator Dave Min, who is running for Congressional 47th District in Orange County   
  • San Francisco Mayor London Breed
  • San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria
• Criminal justice and police organizations
  • Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys
  • California District Attorneys Association 
  • San Francisco Police Officers Association
  • California Police Chiefs Association
  • California State Sheriffs Association
• Small business groups. See the list here.

Who’s opposing Prop 36

Opponents call Prop 36 “extreme,” saying the measure will waste taxpayers dollars while repeating the failed “tough on drugs” approach from the 1980s and 1990s.

• Democratic leaders
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom
  • U.S. Senator Alex Padilla
  • Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon
  • Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell
  • Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis
  • Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath
  • California Legislative Black Caucus
  • California Democratic Party
• See full list of opponents here.

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California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform’s algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children’s access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.

The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.

“Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night,” Newsom said in a statement. “With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits.”

The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children’s accounts to private by default.

Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their age. Some argue it would threaten online privacy by making platforms collect more information on users.

The law defines an “addictive feed” as a website or app “in which multiple pieces of media generated or shared by users are, either concurrently or sequentially, recommended, selected, or prioritized for display to a user based, in whole or in part, on information provided by the user, or otherwise associated with the user or the user’s device,” with some exceptions.

The subject garnered renewed attention in June when U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms and their impacts on young people. Attorneys general in 42 states endorsed the plan in a letter sent to Congress last week.

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Democrat representing Berkeley who authored the California law, said after lawmakers approved the bill last month that “social media companies have designed their platforms to addict users, especially our kids.”

“With the passage of SB 976, the California Legislature has sent a clear message: When social media companies won’t act, it’s our responsibility to protect our kids,” she said in a statement.

The digital IDs will be accepted at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check points, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco Airport, as well as select businesses. 

“With this new integration, we’re working to better serve the people of California in the 21st Century,” Newsom said in a statement.

Here’s how to add your ID to Apple Wallet

1. Go to Apple Wallet
2. Click the + button on the top right-hand corner
3. Under the “Add to Wallet” section, tap “Driver’s License or State ID” to select “California mDL Pilot.
4. Scan the front and back sides of your California ID
5. Scan your face
6. Take a picture
7. Wait for verification from the California DMV.

But there’s a catch

The mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program is currently only limited to 1.5 million participants. 

If your license is expired or suspended, your mDL will be rejected.

Other factors that could impact your mDL applications are:

• Wearing headwear
• Not using plain background
• Lack of consistent lighting
• Other faces in the frame
• Wearing sunglasses

More tips can be found here.

California Jul 11

To charge or not to charge: California drivers express concern with lack of EV charging stations 

Aug 31, 2023

California residents can now be part of the mobile driver's license pilot program

Last month, the state announced the DMV addition of Google Wallet as an option to hold driver’s licenses and identification cards. 

There are 32 bills that are part of the housing package, some of which were signed into law at a housing complex in San Francisco.

The bills center around addressing homelessness – preventing and ending the crisis – creating housing accountability, specifically at the local level, streamlining the production of housing, creating transparency, efficiency, and other protections for housing. There are also some new laws that focus on tribal housing.

There is a specific number of units to be built that will measure success for Newsom: 2.5 million by 2030.

According to Newsom’s office, 181,000 Californians experienced homelessness in 2023. Roughly half – 90,000 – were unsheltered.

Newsom, joined by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and others, spoke extensively about why the reforms matter and why accountability is so important.

“The reason we put $1 billion up is there was support, there’s a framework,” he said. “You don’t get the money unless you resolve the underlying issue in the first place. You get the money because you actually have to identify the needs of the individuals that are being displaced, which means you actually have to provide support for them. Once you provide that plan, we then provide the money.”

One of the new laws frees up Prop 1 funding for new Homekey housing. It is set to create more than 4,000 new permanent housing units paired with mental health and other services. Half of the units are reserved for veterans with behavioral health needs.

The state could be among the first to test out such legislation, which bans the use of AI to create and circulate false images and videos in political ads close to Election Day.

But now, two of the three laws, including one that was designed to curb the practice in the 2024 election, are being challenged in court through a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Sacramento.

Those include one that takes effect immediately that allows any individual to sue for damages over election deepfakes, while the other requires large online platforms, like X, to remove the deceptive material starting next year.

The lawsuit, filed by a person who created parody videos featuring altered audios of Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, says the laws censor free speech and allow anybody to take legal action over content they dislike. At least one of his videos was shared by Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, which then prompted Newsom to vow to ban such content on a post on X.

The governor’s office said the law doesn’t ban satire and parody content. Instead, it requires the disclosure of the use of AI to be displayed within the altered videos or images.

“It’s unclear why this conservative activist is suing California,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement. “This new disclosure law for election misinformation isn’t any more onerous than laws already passed in other states, including Alabama.”

Theodore Frank, an attorney representing the complainant, said the California laws are too far reaching and are designed to “force social media companies to censor and harass people.”

“I’m not familiar with the Alabama law. On the other hand, the governor of Alabama had hasn’t threatened our client the way the governor of California did,” he told The Associated Press.

The lawsuit appears to be among the first legal challenges over such legislation in the U.S. Frank told the AP he is planning to file another lawsuit over similar laws in Minnesota.

State lawmakers in more than a dozen states have advanced similar proposals after the emergence of AI began supercharging the threat of election disinformation worldwide.

Among the three law signed by Newsom on Tuesday, one takes effect immediately to prevent deepfakes surrounding the 2024 election and is the most sweeping in scope. It targets not only materials that could affect how people vote but also any videos and images that could misrepresent election integrity. The law also covers materials depicting election workers and voting machines, not just political candidates.

The law makes it illegal to create and publish false materials related to elections 120 days before Election Day and 60 days thereafter. It also allows courts to stop the distribution of the materials, and violators could face civil penalties. The law exempts parody and satire.

The goal, Newsom and lawmakers said, is to prevent the erosion of public trust in U.S. elections amid a “fraught political climate.”

But critics such as free speech advocates and Musk called the new California law unconstitutional and an infringement on the First Amendment. Hours after they were signed into law, Musk on Tuesday night elevated a post on X sharing an AI-generated video featuring altered audios of Harris.

“The governor of California just made this parody video illegal in violation of the Constitution of the United States. Would be a shame if it went viral,” Musk wrote of the AI-generated video, which has a caption identifying the video as a parody.

It is not clear how effective these laws are in stopping election deepfakes, said Ilana Beller of Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. The group tracks state legislation related to election deepfakes. None of the law has been tested in a courtroom, Beller said.

The law’s effectiveness could be blunted by the slowness of the courts against a technology that can produce fake images for political ads and disseminate them at warp speed.

It could take several days for a court to order injunctive relief to stop the distribution of the content, and by then, damages to a candidate or to an election could have been already done, Beller said.

“In an ideal world, we’d be able to take the content down the second it goes up,” she said. “Because the sooner you can take down the content, the less people see it, the less people proliferate it through reposts and the like, and the quicker you’re able to dispel it.”

Still, having such a law on the books could serve as a deterrent for potential violations, she said.

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said the law she authored is a simple tool to avoid misinformation.

“What we’re saying is, hey, just mark that video as digitally altered for parody purposes,” Pellerin said. “And so it’s very clear that it’s for satire or for parody.”

Newsom on Tuesday also signed another law to require campaigns to start disclosing AI-generated materials starting next year, after the 2024 election.

What the 20-year-old sold her instead were counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that can be lethal in a dose as small as 2 milligrams. Hours later, Alexandra Capelouto, also 20, was dead in her Temecula, California, home.

It is an increasingly common scenario as fentanyl overdoses have become a leading cause of death for minors in the last five years, with more than 74,000 people dying in the U.S. from a synthetic opioid in 2023, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

McDowell has been behind bars since 2022 with a fentanyl possession conviction. But the Capeloutos have now won an additional $5.8 million judgment against him for the death of their daughter.

“We’ve won the battle but not the war,” said Matt Capelouto, Alexandra’s father. “We still have a long ways to go in terms of holding drug dealers accountable for deaths.”

Baruch Cohen, the Capeloutos’ lawyer, said this was the first time a drug dealer has been held liable civilly for someone’s death, to his knowledge.

“Here’s the hope that this judgment will be the shot that’s heard around the world, so to speak,” Cohen said. “Because if it inhibits another drug deal from going down, where the drug dealer … realizes that besides the jail sentence, he is a liable for millions of dollars of damages, maybe he’ll think twice.”

McDowell, now 25, first pleaded guilty in California federal court in 2022 for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, a charge that carries a 20-year minimum sentence if linked to death or serious injury and convicted by a jury. McDowell was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Alexandra’s father, Matt Capelouto, felt that wasn’t enough. He and his wife, who was also diagnosed with stage four breast cancer that year and has been battling it since, decided to sue McDowell for wrongful death.

“For taking somebody’s life, that was not a fair sentence,” he said. “I was going to pursue every means possible to make sure justice was served.”

While McDowell filed for bankruptcy, the Capeloutos won a judgment of about $5 million against him. The Superior Court of Riverside County found he sold harmful narcotics with “willful and malicious” intent that lead to Alexandra Capelouto’s death. A few months later, the Capeloutos filed another case in federal bankruptcy court to ensure that McDowell could not escape his debt under bankruptcy.

“Bankruptcy is designed for honest debtors, not crooked criminal debtors,” Cohen said. “This judgment will haunt him the rest of his life, and when he does make money, we’ll garnish it. When he does buy property, we’ll put a lien on it.”

social media Sep 12

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Oregon Sep 4

Oregon hospital hit with $303M lawsuit after nurse accused of replacing fentanyl with tap water

Judge Mark Houle ruled in the Capeloutos’ favor, ordering a $5.8 million judgement against Brandon McDowell that includes a year and half of interest in addition to the initial $5 million.

Since his daughter’s death, Matt Capelouto founded the non-profit Stop Drug Homicide to advocate for families and push for more legislation to hold drug dealers accountable. One is Alexandra’s Law, which would require a formal warning be given to anyone with a drug-related conviction to inform them of the dangers of dealing drugs and that they could be charged with murder if they distribute drugs that lead to someone’s death.

In California, it can be difficult for prosecutors to charge drug dealers with someone’s death because they must prove the dealer had knowledge that the drugs could cause death, Capelouto said. Having an admonishment on the record for dealers who have been convicted of a drug-related crime could be used as evidence in future cases if someone dies from the drugs they sold. Alexandra’s Law is included in Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime ballot measure that Californians will vote on in November.

Capelouto is also part of a group of 60 families suing Snapchat for its role in the distribution of deadly narcotics. Alexandra Capelouto and Brandon McDowell had communicated over Snapchat when she bought pills from him.

Justin McDowell, Brandon’s father, said it is unfair for his son to take all the blame. He said his son was struggling with drug abuse and had been in rehab, and he didn’t live with him at the time because he had younger children.

“My son is no drug dealer at all. They were both users. They both had an addiction,” he said. “He was a stupid 20-year-old kid.”

Justin McDowell said he felt like the Capeloutos were seeking revenge through their lawsuits, and he did not have the money and resources to fight on his son’s behalf in court. Brandon McDowell was being held at the federal prison in San Pedro during the lawsuit and did not have lawyers to defend himself in civil or bankruptcy court.

“I think that’s sad, that shouldn’t be allowed,” Justin McDowell said. “We’ll wait for him to get out of prison, give him a hug, and figure out how to deal with the situation … the kid’s never going to make $5.8 million in his life.”

Matt Capelouto said there was no evidence of his daughter having a drug addiction, and Brandon McDowell’s addiction does not absolve him of responsibility in her death.

“When you go from drug user to drug dealer, you cross a line from needing help to needing to be held accountable,” he said.

An 11-year-old in Ramona, California, has learned a hard lesson about running a roadside business. His family says his lemonade stand was stolen over the weekend, and it was all caught on camera.

The incident happened on Sunday evening, according to his mother Kery Rader, just eight days after her son Liam’s 11th birthday

“That’s wrong. You know it’s not yours. Its not free. It belongs to somebody,” Rader said.

Security video from a nearby business captured the sour moment when a silver pickup truck drives past the lemonade stand and then turns around and pulls up alongside Liam’s stand.

“About halfway through the video, you can see he picks the sign up, and he reads it,“ Rader said.

“In really big letters, it said ‘Lemonade.’ Below it, said, ‘Small $1, large is $3. Saving for a dirt bike. Anything helps. Thank you’ with a smiley face at the end,” Liam said.

The man tosses the sign, takes a quick look around, then loads the lemonade stand in the back of his truck and drives off.

“Why would this happen? Why would he do that? Take from a kid that is just trying to sell lemonade,“ Liam said.

The lemonade stand disappeared down the road in the bed of the pickup. Liam waved, but it was no use. In the time it took to run home and get more cups, about two minutes, his business was gone.

In a heartbreaking scene, the security footage from Diamond D Feed and Supply also captured Liam leaning his head against the utility pole, expressing his profound sadness.

“Ultimately, I hope that he doesn’t use this experience to think all people are like that and there’s not good people in this world,” Rader said.

Liam had paid $100 for the table and chairs from his earnings. He has been selling lemonade at the corner of D and Fifth Street for about a year and a half. Everybody who lives in the neighborhood knows who he is. But no one seems to know who stole his stand.

“Someone who is rude and selfish and has no feelings for other people and only cares about himself,“ Liam said.

The sadness of Liam’s misfortune spread through the neighborhood. It was met with support he wasn’t expecting. A fellow business owner sent him $100 and a card that read: “Keep smiling. Don’t let this that happened let you down.”

A Gardena fruit vendor’s moment of faith went viral after he was recorded kneeling in prayer before beginning his workday.

Widespread video of Luis Angel Morales was posted on TikTok earlier this week has since garnered more than 1 million views. The video, taken by another user, shows Morales praying in front of his fruit cart with text on the screen that reads, “Support street vendors, hopefully he makes money.”

“I entrust myself in God a lot,” Morales, a devout Catholic, said.

The fruit vendor said he arrived in the U.S. from Puebla, Mexico just two months ago and with him, brought his diligence in supporting his family back home and his faith. He said his morals were instilled in him by his parents.

A family-focused person, Morales works 13-hour shifts, 7 days a week at the fruit cart to provide for his wife and two young children who are still in Mexico. He said although he misses them, he knows the sacrifice he makes in being apart for them is giving them a great deal of support.

“My thing is to earn money to provide for my family,” he said.

The viral video has helped Morales in his goal to provide for his family. He said since it was posted, he’s experienced a significant increase in customers. Despite the popularity, his mission remains the same and he said he’ll continue his workday with the practice that made him viral.

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After traveling four hours to see her husband at a correctional facility in Tehachapi, Calif. on Sept. 6, 2019, Christina Cardenas was subject to a strip search by prison officials, drug and pregnancy tests, X-ray and CT scans at a hospital, and another strip search by a male doctor who sexually violated her, a lawsuit said.

“My motivation in pursuing this lawsuit was to ensure that others do not have to endure the same egregious offenses that I experienced,” Cardenas said.

Of the $5.6 million settlement, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will pay $3.6 million and the rest will be paid by the other defendants, which include two correctional officers, a doctor, and the Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley hospital.

Prison officials conducted their searches on the basis of a warrant, which said a strip search could only be conducted if an X-ray found any foreign objects that could be contraband in Cardenas’ body, her attorneys said. However, neither the X-ray or CT scan found any evidence of such.

She was also put in handcuffs in a “humiliating perp walk” while being taken to and from the hospital, and denied water or use of a bathroom during the majority of the search process. She was told she had to pay for the hospital’s services and later received invoices for a combined total of more than $5,000. Despite no contraband being found in any of her belongings or her body, Cardenas was denied her visit with her husband.

One of the prison officials asked her, “Why do you visit, Christina? You don’t have to visit. It’s a choice, and this is part of visiting,” according to Cardenas.

“We believe the unknown officer’s statement was a form of intimidation used to dismiss Christina’s right to visit her lawful husband during the course of his incarceration,” Cardenas’ attorney Gloria Allred said.

Cardenas also had to undergo a strip search during a previous visit to marry her husband, and continued to experience difficulties during her visits to him, though not to the same extent as the Sept. 6, 2019 incident. Her husband remains in custody today.

The settlement also requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to distribute a policy memorandum to employees that better protects the rights of visitors who have to undergo strip searches. This includes ensuring the search warrant is read and understood by the visitor, that the visitor receives a copy of the warrant, that the scope of the warrant is read and understood by everyone involved, and the scope of the warrant is not exceeded.

Cardenas is not alone in what she experienced from correctional officers, Allred said, and hopes this case will help protect the rights of spouses and family members who visit their loved ones in prison.

California prisons have faced an ongoing problem of sexual abuse and misconduct, with the the U.S. Justice Department announcing it had opened an investigation into allegations that correctional officers systematically sexually abused incarcerated women at two state-run California prisons.

Earlier this year the federal Bureau of Prisons announced it will close a women’s prison in Northern California known as the “rape club” after an Associated Press investigation exposed rampant sexual abuse by correctional officers.

In a letter to the State Assembly Friday, Newsom said he was returned to AB 1840 without his signature, explaining the already limited funding for the program.

“This bill seeks to prohibit the disqualification of applicants from one of California Housing Finance Agency’s (CalHFA) home purchase assistance programs based solely on their immigration status,” the governor said in the signed letter. “Given the finite funding available for CalHFA programs, expanding program eligibility must be carefully considered within the broader context of the annual state budget to ensure we manage our resources effectively.”

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Joaquin Arambulo, had initially sought to expand the home ownership assistance program to make it available to all Californians regardless immigration status, giving qualified applicants a 20% down payment or up to $150,000 for their first home, to include undocumented immigrants.

“Undocumented individuals have historically been removed from housing initiatives because of federal restrictions,” Arambulo said. “Ensuring universal access by all borrowers will contribute to the overall success and vitality of California.”

Immigration Aug 19

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Backlash has been swift from conservative news outlets and Republican lawmakers on the bill.

“For every dollar going to an illegal immigrant, that’s a dollar that isn’t going to a veteran or a legal California citizen that also qualify,” State Senator Brian Jones, the GOP Minority Leader, said. “There isn’t an unending amount of money the state has for these homebuyer program.”

Gov. Newsom has until Sept. 30 to either sign or veto more than 900 bills that reached his desk.

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A video making the rounds on social media Wednesday shows a driver traveling erratically on a SoCal freeway then seemingly lose control of their vehicle and crash into another motorist.

The incident occurred at 3:18 p.m. Wednesday after the driver of a Subaru side-swept a big rig on the southbound 805 Freeway in San Diego, according to the California Highway Patrol. The video, which was posted to X, begins with the driver of a crossover traveling on a hill off the side of the freeway before entering the lanes.

After seemingly gaining control of the vehicle, the driver is then seen traveling onto the 163 south on-ramp. The driver is then seen losing control of the vehicle again, veering across the rest of the freeway before crashing into a Ford SUV and then rolling over near the Genesee Avenue exit.

The drivers of the Subaru and Ford were taken to a nearby hospital. The extent of their injuries is unclear.

It is unclear what caused the driver to crash. DUI is not a suspected factor in the incident, CHP said. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact CHP San Diego at 858-293-6000.

The child was attacked Sunday afternoon while playing near his family’s picnic table at Malibu Creek State Park west of Los Angeles, according to a statement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“One or more adults charged at the lion, and it released the boy,” the statement said. “Multiple witnesses saw the attack and observed the mountain lion climb up a nearby tree.”

The child was airlifted to a hospital with injuries that were significant but not life-threatening, according to the statement. He was released Monday.

The cougar remained in the tree until state parks rangers arrived and determined it was a threat to the public. The animal was euthanized with a firearm, officials said.

Mountain lions rarely attack people. About 20 attacks have been confirmed in California in more than a century of record-keeping, and only three have been fatal, the Fish and Wildlife department said earlier this year.

In March, two adult brothers who were attacked, one fatally, by a mountain lion in Northern California tried to scare the cougar away once they realized it was stalking them, and then fought with the animal after it pounced.

In September 2023, a 7-year-old boy was bitten by a mountain lion while walking with his father around dusk in a park near Santa Clarita north of Los Angeles. The father scared the animal away, and the child was treated for relatively minor wounds.

Parts of California will swelter in temperatures well above normal this week during a late-summer heat wave that will likely mean increased electricity demand.

California’s power grid operator issued a Heat Bulletin over the weekend in anticipation of the string of sizzling September days. The agency said the state’s power grid is stable, but that power officials will be closely monitoring conditions as temperatures in many parts of the state soar into triple digits.

The warmest temperatures are expected Thursday and Friday.

Los Angeles Sep 2

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“At this time, the grid is stable and we continue to monitor conditions carefully,” Cal ISO said in the bulletin. “While no supply shortfalls are anticipated, it is important to emphasize that extreme heat that lingers for many consecutive days can overtax generators running at high outputs for long periods, increasing the risk of outages and reduced generation. Wildfires can also pose a threat to generators and transmission lines. And the hotter weather, since it is also expected to affect other Western states, could limit the potential for importing energy.”

There are several steps Cal ISO, the agency in charge of managing and maintaining reliability on the electric grid, can take in an energy emergency to prevent unplanned power outages when the heat intensifies over an extended period. Those include issuing a Flex Alert, which is a call to voluntarily reduce energy consumption.

California hasn’t had a Flex Alert since 2022.

After Flex Alerts, grid managers have several options before rotating power outages, such as tapping backup generators, buying more power from other states and using so-called demand response programs, where people are paid to use less energy. 

Here’s what to know about Flex Alerts and the steps leading to rotating power outages.

The California ISO has issued a Heat Bulletin in anticipation of above-normal heat and increased electricity demand in much of California and the West next week. The grid is stable, and we are monitoring conditions closely. https://t.co/yaLeWwlCDj pic.twitter.com/jWnQHhXrjm

— California ISO (@California_ISO) August 31, 2024

What can I do to help prevent rotating power outages?

CalISO offers the following power conservation tips when a Flex Alert is issued.

• Turning off unnecessary lights.
• Using major appliances before 3 p.m. and after 10 p.m.
• Setting air conditioner thermostats to 78 degrees or higher.
• Use fans and keep drapes drawn.

How will I know when there’s an urgent need to conserve power?

Cal ISO has a notifications page where you can sign up to receive updates. Check you local utility’s page for other alerts. You also can check California’s power forecast here.

What happens if Flex Alerts aren’t enough?

Californians are familiar with Flex Alerts — a call for voluntary power conservation issued by Cal ISO in anticipation of high power demand. They usually happen during widespread extreme heat. The system operator also may issue the following alerts if the voluntary calls to conserve do not appear to be working.

• Energy Emergency Alert 1: Real-time analysis shows all resources are in use or committed for use, and energy deficiencies are expected. Market participants are encouraged to offer supplemental energy and ancillary service bids. Consumers are encouraged to conserve energy.
• Energy Emergency Alert 2: Cal ISO requests emergency energy from all resources and has activated its emergency demand response program. Consumers are urged to conserve energy to help preserve grid reliability. 
• Energy Emergency Alert 3: ISO is unable to meet minimum Contingency Reserve requirements and controlled power curtailments are imminent or in progress according to each utility’s emergency plan. Maximum conservation by consumers requested.

In August 2020, Cal ISO issued a Flex Alert followed by its first Stage 3 Alert since 2001. Eventually, the grid stabilized and utilities began restoring electricity that had been taken out of service. Temperatures around the state hit triple digits in many areas, and air conditioning use increased. In addition, cloudy weather from the remnants of tropical weather system reduced power generation from solar plants.

What happens when rolling blackouts are ordered?

Rotating outages can be a significant inconvenience, but they are a controlled measure used to manage emergencies. Without them, a widespread and more prolonged power disruption might result.

The California Independent System Operator declares a Stage 3 power emergency and directs utilities around the state to shed their power loads. If your local utility determines a need to shut off power, the blackouts typically last about an hour.

After Cal ISO issues the power outages alert, it’s up to local utilities to manage load. In Southern California during the summer of 2020, SoCal Edison announced that it had been instructed to begin rotating, one-hour service interruptions. Pasadena Water and Power also warned residents about the one-hour outages, while Anaheim officials said their outages would not last more than 15 minutes. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said the rolling blackouts did not affect residents of the city during the 2020 heat wave.

“The investor-owned utilities are responsible for determining the location and duration of the rotating outage within their service areas,” according to Cal ISO. “Because the utilities are responsible for managing the rotating outages, consumers experiencing a power outage need to contact their electric power provider to learn when power will be restored.”

When rotating power outages are declared, residents should check timing with their local utility company.

How can I prepare for a power outage?

Below, you’ll find a few tips to get you through a power outage.

• Update your contact information with your local energy company.
• Have a back-up charging method for your phone and other devices.
• Keep hard copies of emergency numbers and other important information.
• Stock your emergency kit with flashlights, batteries, cash and first-aid supplies.
• Do you know how to manually open your garage door? Try it out. 
• Save operation of power-heavy appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, for early-morning and late-evening hours. 
• Limit the opening and reopening of refrigerators.

Newsom called the Legislature into the special session Saturday after Democrats in the Assembly pushed back on his efforts to pass the energy package that he unveiled this week. California must act now to “prevent price spikes next year and beyond,” he said.

“It should be common sense for gas refineries to plan ahead and backfill supplies when they go down for maintenance to avoid price spikes. But these price spikes are actually profit spikes for Big Oil, and they’re using the same old scare tactics to maintain the status quo,” he said in a statement.

Californians pay the highest rates at the pump in the nation at an average of $4.64 a gallon for regular unleaded, compared to the national average of $3.33, according to AAA. Electricity bills in the state have also nearly doubled in the last decade and are expected to keep outpacing inflation through 2027 as California races to transition away from fossil fuel.

The proposals and possibility of a special session have divided Democrats, who hold a supermajority in the Legislature.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said his members wanted the special session to allow for more time to consider the proposals and applauded Newsom’s decision to call a special session. But members of the Senate, including Republicans, opposed the idea of coming back to Sacramento for more work after the legislative deadline on Saturday.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said in a statement responding to Newsom that the Senate “won’t be convening a special session this fall, but we look forward to continuing conversations with the Governor and Speaker about this critical issue in the days and weeks to come.” He instead wants the Legislature to pass the package Newsom is supporting Saturday.

It’s not immediately clear when the special session will start and how long it will last. With the Senate refusing to convene, it’s not clear how the Legislature would process. Veteran lobbyist Chris Micheli said there is no mechanism to force a chamber to convene a special session, but the governor could still take the Senate to court.

It’s not the first time Newsom has tried to apply pressure on the Legislature to pass oil and gas regulations. The Democrat called a special session in 2022 in an effort to pass a tax on oil company profits. He then said he wanted a penalty, not a tax. The law he ended up signing months later gave state regulators the power to penalize oil companies for making too much money.

At the center of the political fight is a bill to require oil refiners to maintain a minimum inventory of fuel, with a goal of avoiding gas price spikes.

Gas price starts to spike when companies have too little supply on hand, supporters said, and the measure could help save drivers millions of dollars. But Western States Petroleum Association said the bill would push refiners into withholding supplies and hurt consumers.

“When you withhold supplies, costs go up,” WSPA spokesperson Kevin Slagle said.

There were 63 days from June through October last year in which refiners in California maintained fewer than 15 days of gas supply, according to the California Energy Commission. That was up from 49 days during the same timespan in 2022 and 35 days in 2021.

Lawmakers also had concerns with a proposal to give households a one-time rebate for electricity bills and one to streamline renewable energy projects. They already sent Newsom a bill earlier this week to restore power to households that were previously not able to pay their electric bills.

Republican Sen. Kelly Seyarto said Newsom’s proposals “ridiculous” and supported McGuire’s decision to not convene for the special session.

The special session is needed, said Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair Rick Chavez Zbur, who sits on the Utilities and Energy Committee. The proposal to address energy affordability will be brought back next session, he said.

The special session will focus on reducing gas price spikes at the pump.

“The entire Assembly caucus is committed to working with the governor to make sure that we’re lowering gas prices and addressing energy affordability in the state,” Zbur said. “It’s something we need to do urgently, but it also requires us to do it right.”

___

Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna

The bill, passed by the California legislature on Thursday, would prohibit foods and beverages containing synthetic colorings that have been tied to neurobehavioral problems in some children from being offered to students during regular school hours. It was introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel and co-sponsored by both Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy health organization.

If Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signs the bill into law, California will become the first state to prohibit the additives from its school cafeterias. The legislation would go into effect in December 2027.

“California has a responsibility to protect our students from chemicals that harm children and that can interfere with their ability to learn,” Gabriel said in a statement Thursday. “This bill will empower schools to better protect the health and well-being of our kids and encourage manufacturers to stop using these harmful additives.”

Known as the California School Food Safety Act, Assembly Bill 2316 would ban Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3, which Gabriel has called “nonessential ingredients” that have natural alternatives — such as turmeric, beet juice or pomegranate juice. The bill would not ban any foods or drinks; instead, Gabriel said, it would require substitutions that could be as small as changing a single ingredient in the recipes.

The Food and Drug Administration has said it has not established a causal link between behavioral problems and synthetic dyes for children in the general population who haven’t been diagnosed with conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

But a comprehensive 2021 review by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment cited in the bill found that “synthetic food dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral effects, such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and restlessness in sensitive children,” and that evidence points to a link between food dye exposure and adverse behavioral outcomes in certain children “both with and without pre-existing behavioral disorders.”

California Aug 28

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The bill comes as ADHD diagnoses have risen nationally in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

A spokesperson for the FDA told NBC News on Friday that assessing new data on the safety of food chemicals is a “priority” and that the agency had read the literature review cited in California’s bill.

“The totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” the spokesperson said in an email. “The FDA will continue to assess the emerging science and ensure the safety of approved color additives.” 

AB 2316 follows last year’s passage of the California Food Safety Act, which was also introduced by Gabriel and banned four food additives that have been tied to potential health problems from products sold statewide, beginning in January 2027. Among the chemicals it banned was brominated vegetable oil, which is often used as a stabilizer in citrus-flavored beverages. Last month, the FDA announced it had concluded that brominated vegetable oil was not safe for human consumption and it revoked authorization for its use in food and drinks nationwide.

The California Food Safety Act also banned potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red 3 from grocery shelves across the state. The additives have been associated with health problems ranging from hormone disruption to cancer. 

Melanie Benesh, the Environmental Working Group’s vice president for government affairs, said she applauded the latest move from California state legislators.

“This is a big win for schoolchildren and parents in California. The evidence is pretty compelling that some kids are really sensitive to these dyes, and they shouldn’t have to worry about exposure to those dyes impacting their ability to concentrate and their ability to learn in school,” she said. 

Benesh urged the FDA to reconsider allowing synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply.

“The FDA should be taking action and taking steps to make sure that all of our children are protected from what’s in their food,” Benesh said. “Many of these brightly colored food dyes are only in food to make that food more appealing to kids. It doesn’t add any nutritional value. So this is very achievable. It puts the onus back on the industry, and it’s making our schools healthier, safer places for our kids.”

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Restaurant operators opposed the new law, claiming it would force them to raise their prices and cut jobs, but economists at UC Berkeley say their data contradicts those predictions.

The Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at UC Berkeley compared Glassdoor job posts and online food menu prices two weeks before the minimum wage raise and 2 weeks after. It found that wages increased by 18%, employment numbers remained stable and menu prices increased by only 3 to 7%, or 15 cents on a $4 burger.

Anneisha Williams said she knows the impacts firsthand. She’s been supporting her seven children on this minimum wage.

“I’ve seen new employees getting hired,” she said. “So I feel absolutely not. They’re not losing out on business. I feel that they’re growing more on business because if not, why are you guys still hiring employees?

California Jul 10

California fast food workers now earn $20 per hour. Franchisees are responding by cutting hours.

California Apr 1

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But what about the restaurant closures? Like 48 Rubio locations that shut down across the state.

“It’s very rare to really see a policy like the minimum wage lead to restaurants exiting the market unless they were already marginally on the edge of making it or not making it. And so, it’s really the other reasons that were causing the precarity of the restaurant,” said Dr. Enrique Lopezlira, the director of the Low Wage Work Program at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center.

But a survey given to fast food employers in July by the Employment Policies Institute, had very different results. The majority anticipated decreases in employment and significant increases in menu prices.

Though in the same month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed California had approximately 750,000 fast food jobs, roughly 11,000 more than when the higher minimum wage law took effect.

“The CEOs just need to be fair with their workers. You know, that’s what I feel overall, you know,” Williams said.

The study’s authors said that profit margins at fast food restaurants are relatively high compared to full service restaurants, companies have room to absorb higher wage costs.

The study comes as the California Fast Food Council considers further increasing the minimum wage in 2025 and in November voters will decide on a Prop 32 that would increase the statewide minimum wage for other workers to $18 an hour.

In an operation dubbed Sticky Fingers, California Attorney General Rob Bonta along with law enforcement leaders from Oakland and Santa Cruz County announced the charges against 22 suspects who they say combined to steal more than $1 million worth of cannabis products from dispensaries in Northern California counties.

“Our message to those involved in these crimes is and has been unwavering: If you organize coordinated retail thefts, if you steal from our businesses and put our people in harm’s way, if you try to make an easy buck off of other people’s hard work, we will come for you,” Bonta said.

The suspects broke into dispensaries overnight and stole gummies, edibles and a thousand pounds of plants, authorities said, adding that the items were then sold mostly through social media.

“We are not talking about shoplifting a couple of packs of THC gummies. Far from it,” Bonta said. “We’re talking about coordinated schemes, organized efforts that hurt our businesses and pose a threat to our communities.”

The 22 suspects combined have been charged with 32 felonies related to 15 incidents in the counties of Fresno, Kern, Merced, Monterey, San Diego, San Luis Obisbo, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma, authorities said.

Half the incidents took place in Santa Cruz County, and that’s where the suspects will be prosecuted, authorities said.

Most, if not all, the suspects were members of gangs in Oakland, they said.

Oakland police believe several of the suspects are involved in other crimes in Oakland.

“We know that these individuals are involved in weapons possession, weapons trafficking,” Oakland police Deputy Chief Frederick Shavies said. “There are some that have ties to auto thefts, carjackings and even felony assaults, including shootings.”

Bonta also addressed the state’s crackdown on organized retail crime in general.

“Customers deserve to walk into a store without needing to worry or keep an eye on emergency exits,” he said. “Workers deserve to clock in and out of their shifts safely, knowing they’ll be safe. And business owners deserve to lock up their stores after a day of hard work without worrying that their products, while they are sleeping for the next day of work, won’t be stolen and resold overnight.”

A couple of weeks ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state’s organized retail crime task force had arrested more than 167 people in July, more than double the number from June. Since January, the task force has recovered more than $7 million in stolen goods, the governor’s office said.

If passed, California would become the first state to grant undocumented immigrants state-supported home-buying loans.

“The social and economic benefits of home ownership should be available to everyone regardless of immigration status,” Assemblymember Joaquin Arambulo, the bill’s author, said. 

AB 1840 would amend the “California Dream for All” program, which gives qualified applicants a 20% down payment or up to $150,000 for their first home, to include undocumented immigrants.

“Undocumented individuals have historically been removed from housing initiatives because of federal restrictions,” Arambulo said. “Ensuring universal access by all borrowers will contribute to the overall success and vitality of California.”

Immigration Aug 23

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Backlash has been swift from conservative news outlets and Republican lawmakers.

“For every dollar going to an illegal immigrant, that’s a dollar that isn’t going to a veteran or a legal California citizen that also qualify,” State Senator Brian Jones, the GOP Minority Leader, said. “There isn’t an unending amount of money the state has for these homebuyer program.”

Gov. Newsom has not said whether he will sign the bill, which could complicate the Democratic party’s messaging during election season on the volatile immigration issue.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has endorsed funding for the border.

Harris has also backed a modest federal home down payment grant proposal, which excludes undocumented immigrants. 

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has already condemned the California legislation.

Parts of Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park in California were shut down after an estimated 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of snow fell overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Photos posted by the agency and local authorities showed a high-elevation blanket of white on Mount Rainier in Washington along with a dusting of snow at Minaret Vista, a lookout point southeast of Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada.

Madera County Deputy Sheriff Larry Rich said it was “definitely unexpected” to see snow at Minaret Vista in August.

“It’s not every day you get to spend your birthday surrounded by a winter wonderland in the middle of summer,” he said in a statement. “It made for a day I won’t soon forget, and a unique reminder of why I love serving in this area. It’s just one of those moments that makes working up here so special.”

Extreme Weather Jun 15

Much of U.S. braces for extreme weather, from southern heat wave to possible snow in the Rockies

In northern Nevada, rain fell in the runup to the annual Burning Man festival, prompting organizers to close the entrance gate for most of Saturday before reopening. Torrential rains upended last year’s festival, turning the celebration and its temporary city into a muddy quagmire.

It also snowed overnight on Mammoth Mountain, a ski destination in California, with the National Weather Service warning hikers and campers to prepare for slick roads.

Record rainfall moved through Redding, Red Bluff and Stockton in Northern California on Saturday, the weather service said, and rain showers south of Lake Oroville were expected to continue into the evening.

A dusting of snow fell overnight on the crest of the Sierra Nevada around Tioga Pass, the weather service said. August snow has not occurred there since 2003, forecasters said.

Tioga Pass rises to more than 9,900 feet (3,017 meters) and serves as the eastern entryway to Yosemite. But it is usually closed much of each year by winter snow that can take one or two months to clear.

While the start of ski season is at least several months away, the hint of winter was welcomed by resorts.

“It’s a cool and blustery August day here at Palisades Tahoe, as a storm that could bring our first snowfall of the season moves in this afternoon!” the resort said in a social media post Friday.

The “anomalous cool conditions” will spread over much of the western U.S. by Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

Despite the expected precipitation, forecasters also warned of fire danger because of gusty winds associated with the passage of the cold front.

At the same time, a flash flood watch was issued for the burn scar of California’s largest wildfire so far this year from Friday morning through Saturday morning.

The Park Fire roared across more than 671 square miles (1,748 square kilometers) after it erupted in late July near the Central Valley city of Chico and climbed up the western slope of the Sierra.

The fire became California’s fourth-largest on record, but it has been substantially tamed recently. Islands of vegetation continue to burn within its existing perimeter, but evacuation orders have been canceled.

The state’s wildfire season got off to an intense start amid extreme July heat. Blazes fed on dried-out vegetation that grew during back-to-back wet years. Fire activity has recently fallen into a relative lull.

Forecasts call for a rapid return of summer heat as the cold front departs.

Video of the back-to-school event last week at Buhach Colony High School showed Principal Robert Nunes running his hands down the mascot’s chest while the mascot sat in a chair. It appeared to be a Las Vegas-themed rally, with decorations of playing cards on the walls and someone saying, “What happens at Buhach stays at Buhach.”

The Merced Union High School District placed Nunes on administrative leave Monday, it said in a statement.

“The District is conducting a comprehensive review of the situation,” it said. “While the investigation is ongoing, Mr. Nunes will not be participating in any school-related responsibilities or activities.”

Ryan Attebery saw the video on his son’s Instagram account and reposted it to Facebook on Saturday, captioning it: “Am I a square or was this weird af for a principal to do?”

The reaction was a mixed, with many community members defending Nunes and others saying it was inappropriate for an educator.

Attebery told NBC affiliate KSEE of Fresno that he felt that there were some red flags in the video and that while others might not agree, “what’s weird is weird to me.”

“A lot of former students commented and were like, ‘Well, I kind of liked him, what happened?’” Attebery said. “I’m not into cancel culture. I’m just like, hey parents, you have the right to know.”

NBC News was unable to reach Nunes for comment Thursday after an email bounced back as undeliverable.

People have been commenting for days on Attebery’s Facebook page debating whether it was acceptable behavior from a school principal.

Other commenters came to Nunes defense, with one person writing that he was loved in the local community. The person, identified as Justin Rogers, urged Attebery to stop implying Nunes had bad intentions.

“This man is so widely respected and loved by everyone in his community,” Rogers wrote. “Teachers love him, students love him and co workers love him.”

One person suggested that perhaps a private conversation with Nunes would have been “more impactful.” Attebery wrote back Thursday that he agreed. 

“The original intention was asking my friends and family if I was being a ‘Karen’ it was a mistake not expecting this,” he wrote. “Could have done it so differently. Lesson learned. That was my mistake.”

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Under the first-in-the-nation agreement, the state and tech companies would collectively pay roughly $250 million over five years to support California-based news organization and create an AI research program. The initiatives are set to kick in in 2025 with $100 million the first year, and the majority of the money would go to news organizations, said Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, who brokered the deal.

“This agreement represents a major breakthrough in ensuring the survival of newsrooms and bolstering local journalism across California — leveraging substantial tech industry resources without imposing new taxes on Californians,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “The deal not only provides funding to support hundreds of new journalists but helps rebuild a robust and dynamic California press corps for years to come, reinforcing the vital role of journalism in our democracy.”

Wicks’ office didn’t immediately answer questions about specifics on how much funding would come from the state, which news organizations would be eligible and how much money would go to the AI research program.

The deal effectively marks the end of a yearlong fight between tech giants and lawmakers over Wicks’ proposal to require companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft to pay a certain percentage of advertising revenue to media companies for linking to their content.

The bill, modeled after a legislation in Canada aiming at providing financial help to local news organizations, faced intense backlash from the tech industry, which launched ads over the summer to attack the bill. Google also tried to pressure lawmakers to drop the bill by temporarily removing news websites from some people’s search results in April.

“This partnership represents a cross-sector commitment to supporting a free and vibrant press, empowering local news outlets up and down the state to continue in their essential work,” Wicks said in a statement. “This is just the beginning.”

California has tried different ways to stop the loss of journalism jobs, which have been disappearing rapidly as legacy media companies have struggled to profit in the digital age. More than 2,500 newspapers have closed in the U.S. since 2005, according to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. California has lost more than 100 news organizations in the past decade, according to Wicks’ office.

The Wednesday agreement is supported by California News Publishers Association, which represents more than 700 news organizations, Google’s corporate parent Alphabet and OpenAI. But journalists, including those in Media Guild of the West, slammed the deal and said it would hurt California news organizations.

State Sen. Steve Glazer, who authored a bill to provide news organizations a tax credit for hiring full-time journalists, said the agreement “seriously undercuts our work toward a long term solution to rescue independent journalism.”

State Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire also said the deal doesn’t go far enough to address the dire situation in California.

“Newsrooms have been hollowed out across this state while tech platforms have seen multi-billion dollar profits,” he said in a statement. “We have concerns that this proposal lacks sufficient funding for newspapers and local media, and doesn’t fully address the inequities facing the industry.”