Tag Archives: California

Courthouse News reports: Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the divisive official who was perennially at odds with most of the leading politicians in the region throughout his four years in office, sued the LA County Board of Supervisors on Thursday accusing the officials of libel and of violating his First, Fifth and 14th Amendment rights. The suit comes …

SF Gate reports: After a long, contentious debate, the city of Redlands announced that it will not fly a rainbow flag during Pride Month in June. The 3-2 vote drew a number of attendees and sparked intense conversation between City Council members who argued over the flag’s symbolism. The members who voted against the measure included Mayor Eddie Tejeda, Councilmember …

From the anti-LGBTQ Thomas More Society: The Los Angeles County Fire Department has agreed to partially accommodate lifeguard Captain Jeffrey Little for his religious beliefs and not require him to raise the ‘Progress Pride Flag’ as a part of his job for the remainder of June, which they have designated as ‘Pride Month.’ This partial concession follows a federal lawsuit …

CNN reports: Daily temperature records will tumble as sizzling early season heat from a summerlike heat dome sends thermometers skyrocketing into the triple digits in parts of California and the West this week. Death Valley, the hottest place in the world, is likely to reach a high temperature of at least 120 degrees by Thursday. The Southwest will start to …

The Christian Post reports: An Evangelical Christian lifeguard is suing the Los Angeles County Fire Department, claiming religious discrimination after he was allegedly punished for refusing to fly an LGBT pride flag at his beachside lifeguard facility last summer. Jeffrey Little, who has served Los Angeles County for 22 years, declined to hoist the Progress Pride flag at his lifeguard …

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports: San Diego state Assemblymember Chris Ward introduced legislation Wednesday, May 22, that would require school districts and charter schools to keep students’ gender identity and sexual orientation private, amid legal battles — including in San Diego County — over what schools should and should not tell parents of LGBTQ+ students. Assembly Bill 1955 would prohibit …

CBS News reports: State Assembly member Vince Fong, a California legislator backed by former President Donald Trump, has captured a special election to complete the remainder of the term of deposed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which runs through January. Fong — a McCarthy protege who also had the former speaker’s endorsement — defeated fellow Republican and Tulare County Sheriff …

San Diego’s CBS affiliates reports: Several people were hit with non-lethal rounds after at least four LGBTQ bars were shot at with a pellet gun early Saturday morning. According to San Diego Police, they received reports of a pellet gun being fired out of a vehicle just after 1 a.m. Saturday morning. As of Sunday evening, the locations police could …

The Sacramento Bee reports: California grocery and drug stores would be prohibited from operating self-service checkout stations without adequate staffing, under a proposed law being considered in Sacramento. The bill is being championed by organized labor and opposed by business groups. Under Senate Bill 1446, by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, D-Los Angeles, grocery and drug stores would be required to provide …

Los Angeles Magazine reports: Zack Scrivner, the Kern County Supervisor, is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting his pre-teen daughter, as stated by Sheriff Donny Youngblood during a press conference on Thursday. Scrivner, a Republican, is currently the Supervisor of Kern County and a long-time friend of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Sheriff Youngblood recounted the incident where …

Politico reports: In this deep blue state where Republicans rarely back Democratic colleagues in the Capitol, one issue is overcoming the partisan divide: line skipping at airports. A pair of Orange County state senators from opposing parties — who frequently fly between their districts and Sacramento — are both boosting a first-in-the-nation proposal critics say would ban the expedited security …

CBS News reports: Los Gatos man who starred in a real estate reality show was sentenced to jail and ordered to pay back nearly $10 million to his victims after being convicted of real estate fraud, prosecutors said Tuesday. According to Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s office, 58-year-old Charles “Todd” Hill received a four-year sentence. Hill starred in …

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a caller who identified himself as “Henry” called the National Suicide Hotline on March 28 and made several statements about bombing the TransLatin@ Coalition on Juneteenth. Police said he also talked about setting their building on fire with gasoline and made a statement about attacking the Pride Parade …

Reuters reports: The state of California sued the city of Huntington Beach over its voter identification law on Monday, saying the measure violates state law and that state election integrity is already protected by robust voter ID requirements. Voters in Huntington Beach on March 5 approved an amendment to the city charter that could require voter identification among other steps. …

The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is considering running as a Republican for governor in 2026, potentially bringing an outspoken conservative voice to what’s already a crowded field hoping to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he made headlines for calling Newsom a bully and refusing to enforce state-mandated business restrictions intended to …

CBS News reports: The Diocese of Sacramento announced that they had officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It comes months after the diocese announced its intentions to file for bankruptcy in the wake of more than 250 lawsuits claiming sexual abuse by clergy and other staff. In a statement, Bishop of Sacramento Jaime Soto said the filing was the …

The Hill reports: A California police department said it would no longer use Lego heads to obscure suspects’ faces in social media posts, after the Lego Group requested the department cease the practice, citing intellectual property concerns. “The Lego Group reached out to me on March 19th and respectfully asked us to refrain from using their intellectual property in our …

Los Angeles’s Fox affiliate reports: A Victorville pastor is behind bars for his alleged role in a murder-for-hire plot against his daughter’s boyfriend, according to the Riverside Police Department. The victim, who was not identified, told police he was driving in Riverside’s Orangecrest neighborhood the evening of Oct. 21, 2023 when another car pulled up next to his and shots …

The New York Post reports: A California mom of three has been accused of masterminding an organized crime ring that stole nearly $8 million worth of makeup from stores like Ulta, T.J. Maxx and Walgreens — and then resold it online to churn a profit. Michelle Mack, 53, ran the sprawling enterprise from her $2.75 million mansion in the San …

Yahoo News reports: The rainbow Pride flag and other nongovernmental banners will no longer fly on city property in Huntington Beach, California, an oceanside side community that has become a hotbed for broader culture wars.  More than 58% of voters cast ballots in favor of Measure B. Measure B prohibits the display of Pride, breast cancer awareness and religious flags, …