More on #LesMoonves and the #sexcrimes at #CBS

Les Moonves

The CBS board of directors is expected to meet today and discuss the sex crimes said to have been committed by network CEO Les Moonves.

Some board directors have discussed whether Moonves should step aside. It’s interesting that there is any debate considering the egregious charges being made.

Moonves isn’t alone at CBS. Sex crime charges have been leveled at “60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager as well. Six former employees say Fager groped them.

via Les Moonves: How CBS reported on sexual misconduct allegations

#SanFrancisco rallies to continue exploiting #HetchHetchy

It’s lost in court, at the ballot, and in Washington, but the notion of ripping out the heart of San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy water and power system is rising from its policy coffin.

That’s because people around the world think what the city has done to Yosemite’s twin sister is just wrong, wrong, wrong.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, recently met with Restore Hetch Hetchy, a group that seeks to level the century-old O’Shaughnessy Dam and drain the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park.

Zinke tweeted his delight at meeting with the tiny organization, saying he’s all about “different opportunities and options to restore public access and recreation in the valley.”

It’s great news. and it has the elites in the Bay Area in a panic. Their days of exploiting the environment and the people of California and the nation, may be coming to an end.

The Bay Area elites have no problem exploiting the environment in the pristine valley for cheap water and electricity, just as they have no problem lecturing you on the environment. The sacrifice is yours, not theirs.

via Editorial: Preserve Hetch Hetchy reservoir – SFChronicle.com

Another #epicfail for the California #BoardofEqualization

California Board of Equalization

The California Board of Equalization has no shame. California’s brand new $290 million system for collecting sales tax is off to a rocky start.

What’s new?

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration is swamped with complaints.

Small business owners are furious, the anger is forcing Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration to waive penalties for people who file their returns late because of technical errors.

The quickly approaching deadline on Tuesday for businesses to report their second quarter sales tax is the first significant test for the department’s Centralized Revenue Opportunity System (CROS), a program that’s designed to modernize tax collection and to make it easier for the state to allocate revenue to various agencies.

The state has been developing the program since 2010, when the Board of Equalization sought to better manage the 36 taxes and fees it collected at the time. The agency contended it would increase tax revenue by creating an easier-to-use system.

It hired contractor Fast Enterprises to build it in August 2016, and the California Department of Tax and Fee administration took over the project last year when the Legislature stripped the Board of Equalization of almost all of its powers.

No matter how you look at it, the Board of Equalization is still an epic fail.

via CA sales tax program frustrates payers on July 2018 deadline | The Sacramento Bee

Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy who executed woman in her car faces manslaughter charges

Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Wall will make his first court appearance Monday on charges of voluntary manslaughter for fatally shooting a woman in 2017.

Wall shot Evin Olsen Yadegar as she began to drive around a patrol vehicle after briefly stopping in a Ripon neighborhood.

Wall is far from the first law enforcement officer, including a handful in Stanislaus County in the past decade, to fire upon a suspect in a moving vehicle. Experts agree shooting at or into a vehicle is dangerous and ineffective.

That didn’t seem to matter to Wall….after all it’s what trigger happy cops do in California.

Never mind that it is the policy of the Sheriff’s Department and other local law enforcement that officers should move away from the vehicle instead of firing at its occupants.

To the police, every citizen is the enemy.

via As deputy faces manslaughter charges, there’s debate over policy of shooting at cars | The Modesto Bee

#VingRhames nailed by cops for being black, held at gunpoint in his own home

Movie star Ving Rhames.

A police lieutenant said Saturday that the Santa Monica Police Department’s “Meet Your Neighbors” program began from two incidents of neighbors calling authorities to report two black people had supposedly broke into residences that turned out to be their own, one day after actor Ving Rhames told a radio audience that he was once held at gunpoint by police in Santa Monica in such an incident.

Rhames said Friday on Sirius XM’s “The Clay Cane” show that he was watching ESPN when he heard knocking at his door.

“I open the door, there’s a red dot pointed at my face from a nine millimeter,” said Rhames, who appears in the current release “Mission: Impossible — Fallout.” He was ordered to put his hands in the air, adding that there were at least four officers and a police dog at his house.

Rodriguez also said a similar occurred September 6, 2015 and involved Fay Wells, a black woman who had locked herself out of her apartment.

via After police hold ‘Mission: Impossible’ star Ving Rhames at gunpoint in his own home, Santa Monica PD starts ‘Meet Your Neighbors’ program – Press Telegram

The #LATimes hates it when their friends are held to the same standard as everyone else

James Gunn

The Los Angeles Times claims: “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn, targeted by an online mob after alt-right conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich dug up some incriminating tweets and blog posts that Gunn generated many years ago.

According to the Times, the remarks, some of them dating back more than a decade and most of them reflecting the ethos of Troma, the legendary kitsch-schlock-horror B-movie outfit where Gunn got his start, included jokes about rape and pedophilia. They were meant to be satirical, but they were also flat-footed, unfunny and just generally awful. Gunn apologized for them six years ago, which seemed to meet the 2012 standard of atonement.

Last week, Cernovich, a Trump defender who the Times claims routinely mobilizes his followers to go after ideological opponents with baseless smear campaigns, put mindless Twitter users to work tarring Gunn as a pedophile.

Or then again, maybe Gunn us just a creep who thinks rape and pedophilia are really funny. As for the L.A. Times, welcome to the real world where your friends are held to the same standards as everyone else.

via We’re all bound and gagged by a new boss — social media mobs

Slumlord Supervisor Catherine Stefanie sued by tenant

San Francisco Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who represents the Marina and Pacific Heights, is being sued for wrongful eviction by her tenant.

Stefani was appointed by then-mayor Mark Farrell and is facing an electoral challenge this November.

In the complaint, Stefani’s tenant, Clifton Thomas, alleges Stefani and Christopher Bankovitch engaged in “unfair business practices” as his landlords, and caused him to suffer severe “mental, emotional, and physical stress.”

He also alleges Stefani engaged in a “wrongful eviction” by essentially allowing ongoing construction to prevent him from staying in his apartment for eight-and-a-half months, and is asking for damages in excess of $100,000.

via Supervisor candidate Catherine Stefanie sued by tenant for ‘wrongful eviction’ – by j_rodriguez – July 29, 2018 – The San Francisco Examiner

#60Minutes #sexcrime bombshells continue to rock #CBS

The piece by Ronan Farrow concludes by detailing the situation at 60 Minutes, where there was what one producer describes as “a very toxic culture toward women.”

Farrow also publishes new allegations against the executive producer of 60 Minutes, Jeff Fager, who was previously the chairman of CBS news from 2011-2015.

According to six former employees, Fager would touch women inappropriately at company parties.

Others alleged that Fager shielded men beneath him who were accused of misconduct and even promoted them into leadership roles.

Said one former employee: “Fager seemed to encourage that climate. It wasn’t even that he turned a blind eye toward it.”

“A lot of my memories of ‘60 Minutes’ are of other women coming into my office, closing the door, and just breaking down because of working as a woman at CBS,” said another woman who eventually left the network. “Toward the end of my time there, I thought, God, I love the stories, I love the work, but this has to be easier somewhere else.”

via http://www.vulture.com/amp/2018/07/biggest-bombshells-from-the-les-moonves-harassment-report.html

Churches will pay taxes under GOP tax bill

The 2017 tax bill forces nonprofits, including churches, to pay a 21 percent tax on the value of certain employee benefits.

Short of legislative action, a public relations nightmare could be awaiting lawmakers who voted for the tax bill back home.

“This is an issue that will not go away,” said Dan Busby, president of the Evangelical Council for Fiscal Accountability. “When you stir up 100,000 houses of worship, and then hundreds of thousands of nonprofits on top of that, you have a pretty mighty force that is going to get attention on this issue.”

Tucked away in the new tax law congressional Republicans passed late last year with no Democratic support is a provision slapping certain nonprofits and charities, including churches, with a 21 percent tax on the value of some employee benefits.

The expectation is the tax would relate to parking spaces and public transit passes. But those affected by the provision are genuinely unsure what exactly would qualify as a taxable expense because they still haven’t received official guidance from the Treasury Department.

“Treasury is aware of the change … and we have been talking to the impacted constituencies about the concern,” said a Treasury spokesperson in a statement to McClatchy. “We are working to address the issue and provide clarity for taxpayers.”

The new tax on the value of employee benefits means that many institutions are going to have to prepare tax forms for the very first time — a convoluted and potentially costly exercise.

via Churches could pay taxes under GOP tax bill | The Sacramento Bee

Nazi white-supremacist deputies have L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell confused

Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell has launched a comprehensive inquiry into secret deputy cliques and is looking into whether gangs that condone illicit behavior are operating within his ranks, he said Thursday.

McDonnell’s announcement at a meeting of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission comes two weeks after allegations surfaced that as many as 20 deputies at the Compton Station have matching tattoos featuring a skeleton holding a rifle.

A Compton deputy recently admitted under oath that he was inked with the skull logo in June 2016, about two months before he was involved in a fatal shooting.

Watchdogs said the revelations were alarming given the department’s long history of secret societies that promoted excessive force and enforced a code of silence.

The Sheriff wants the deputy unions to join in the “examination” of the issue. He stopped short of calling his effort an investigation. His confusion about the matter is understandable since he’s in charge of one of the biggest and most racist police organizations in the nation.

via L.A. County sheriff announces inquiry into secret societies of deputies and their matching tattoos

Police, news media, side against Bay Area’s African-American community

John Lee Cowell (left) brutally murdered Nia Wilson (right)

John Lee Cowell apparently said nothing before he slashed two sisters with a knife on a BART platform Sunday, killing 18-year-old Nia Wilson, an African-American.

The police however so far say no hate motive has yet been linked to the stabbing.

KTVU, the Oakland-based news station ran an insensitive photo of Wilson. The picture purported to show her holding a gun…it was a cell phone.

Wilson’s uncle said Thursday he does not need the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office to tell him what he already knows: Cowell is white and his nieces are black.

Supporters calling for justice for Wilson also fear Cowell is already working on a mental illness criminal defense. His family told KRON-TV that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The African-American community in the Bay Area knows their lives are in constant peril in a society still steeped in prejudice. They also know the police, and the news media are not their friends.

via Black community sees racial hate motive in BART slaying – East Bay Times

Your kids learn nothing in school — California State Board of Education says “no problem”

At issue is whether the state will measure students’ performance over time, revealing which schools help students learn more from one year to the next. That would mean, for example, reporting how this year’s fifth graders compare to last year’s fourth graders at a given school. The current system instead measures how this year’s fourth graders compare to last year’s fourth graders, so it doesn’t reveal whether individual students are actually learning more.

Advocates for struggling students say measuring progress over time is key to closing the achievement gap that separates white, Asian-American and middle-class students from their black, Latino and low-income peers. For years, they’ve been lobbying state education officials to start measuring growth.

But after studying several ways growth could be measured, the state board of education delayed making a decision, saying the metric yielded volatile results that don’t necessarily show if achievement gaps are closing. Activists lined up at the board meeting this month to plead with the board to take action so that parents and educators can start seeing growth measures soon. But to no avail—the board voted simply to continue studying the idea.

via California Won’t Judge Schools On Whether Student Test Scores Improve Over Time—Not Yet, Anyway – capradio.org

Incompetent sex criminal doctor gets a free pass from the state Medical Board

A Bakersfield gynecologist who also practices cosmetic surgery will be placed on 42 months of probation starting Friday following allegations of gross negligence and sexual misconduct.

The terms of probation imposed by the California Medical Board on Dr. Jason Paul Helliwell, who has an office in northwest Bakersfield, include attending an ethics course, a program to assess his physical and mental health, and monitoring by another licensed physician who will submit quarterly written reports evaluating Helliwell’s performance.

Also, Helliwell, 46, is prohibited from practicing cosmetic surgery, with a few exceptions such as liposuction, according to the settlement. He must notify all patients he’s treating that he cannot perform cosmetic surgery, and keep a log of those notifications to be made available for inspection by the Medical Board.

During his probation, a third party must be present when Helliwell consults, examines or treats women patients in the office, according to the settlement.

The discipline stems from allegations made against Helliwell over a period of years.

So he’s a sex criminal and he’s incompetent. However the Medical Board, run by Helliwell’s pals let’s him stay on the job.  That’s California.

via Bakersfield gynecologist placed on probation by state Medical Board in connection with allegations of gross negligence and sexual misconduct | News | bakersfield.com

The LAPD didn’t protect anyone during Trader Joe’s incident

The fact that store manager Melyda Corado was killed by a bullet fired from an officer’s gun is concrete evidence that what the police did failed to protect the people in that store.

One expert on police shootings said, “The alternative was to surrender the lives of hostages inside the store.” Were lives inside the store saved because Corado died? Ridiculous.

Another expert said the officers “handled the situation with textbook calm,” yet undercut his opinion by describing the shooting as “risky given the distance, the backdrop and the moving target.”

The reality is, the LAPD arrived with the intent of shooting up the place. They don’t care how many civilians die in the process. They just don’t.

Stay smart Angelenos…stay away from the LAPD.

via The LAPD didn’t protect anyone by accidentally shooting a Trader Joe’s manager

Assemblyman freaks out, goes off on election worker

Assemblyman Ed Chau of Monterey Park

A Democratic assemblyman became so verbally abusive toward Secretary of State workers this spring that one of them pressed a “panic button,” drawing security officers who escorted the legislator out of the building.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon in which he described Assemblyman Ed Chau of Monterey Park as having become “alarmingly irate in front of several staff.”

Chau was upset at the ballot designation of his main Republican opponent, Burton Brink. Brink, who retired last year after 29 years a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, describes himself in a ballot designation as a “retired sheriff’s sergeant.”

via Legislator’s “agitated” behavior prompts election worker to hit panic button | CALmatters

Mexican President-Elect Obrador stealing a page out of President Trump’s play-book?

It what appears to come right out of the “Make America Great Again” playbook, Mexico’s president-elect, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, on Sunday released a seven-page letter he sent to U.S. President Donald Trump detailing how he plans to improve Mexico’s economy and security when he takes office in December so that Mexicans do not feel the need to migrate.

“There will be many changes,” he promised in the letter. “And in this new atmosphere of progress with well-being, I’m sure we can reach agreements to confront together the migration phenomenon as well as the problem of border insecurity.”

Lopez Obrador also suggested the two countries draft a development plan backed by public funds and invite Central American countries to join, with the aim of making it “economically unnecessary” for Central Americans to migrate.

Marcelo Ebrard, who is slated to become Mexico’s foreign minister, read the letter aloud to reporters gathered at Lopez Obrador’s political party headquarters. Ebrard said Trump had received the letter.

The incoming Mexican president plans to cut government salaries, perks and jobs. Savings from those cuts, he says, will be directed toward social programs and infrastructure. He also plans to reduce taxes for the private sector in the hopes of spurring investment and job creation.

Making Mexico Great Again….??? This isn’t going to set well with The Resistance.

via https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/07/22/mexican-president-elect-lopez-obrador-vows-to-deter-migration.html

Actors rush to defend #JamesGunn’s #hatespeech

Hollywood thinks jokes about rape, pedophilia, 9/11, and the Holocaust are hilarious.

After director James Gunn’s high-profile firing from the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” predictably, actors and celebrities have taken to social media to defend his indefensible behavior.

After all, hate speech can really only be committed by people Hollywood hates. Since Hollywood loves Gunn, what he says, even if it’s hate-based, is just fine.

After Disney announced that Gunn had been booted from “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” for tweets joking about rape, pedophilia, 9/11 and the Holocaust, Gunn’s friends went into action.

Selma Blair tweeted in defense of the heartless director this weekend, urging Disney to rehire him and sharing a Change.com petition directed at Marvel.

Dave Bautista, who stars in the “Guardians” series also took to Twitter in support of the director saying, “What happened here is so much bigger then G3, @JamesGunn, myself, @Disney, etc.”

Note to Ms. Blair, Mr. Bautista, and the rest of Hollywood: Rape, pedophilia, 9/11, and the Holocaust are not laughing matters.

via http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-2018-actors-take-to-twitter-in-support-of-1532300645-htmlstory.html

Prosecutor pals let sex criminal L.A. County attorney off the hook

A woman who was sexually assaulted by a Los Angeles County deputy public defender has been told to hit the road.

She was attacked in a Lancaster courthouse nearly three years ago but prosecutors have declined to file criminal charges citing “insufficient evidence.”

What are friends for, right?

Since she’s Mexican, so it’s easy for prosecutors to give her rapist lawyer a pass.

That’s why the L.A. County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division declined in June to file criminal charges after the Sept. 10, 2015 incident.

In a separate incident, a sheriff’s deputy recalled that a female inmate had said that the same attorney touched or groped her.

In yet another incident, a court clerk assistant, who had worked with the perpetrator, reported that he made several inappropriate sexual remarks, including that he wanted to “hook up” with her.

via L.A. County attorney accused of sexual assault of client; prosecutors decide against criminal charges – Press Telegram

San Diego County let child rapist keep foster children

San Diego County officials let child rapist Michael Jarome Hayes keep foster children.

When a 6-year-old boy identified as A.G. in court records told his social worker in January 2006 that his foster father was hurting him, she dismissed his request for a new home.

When staff members at a family recovery center saw A.G. acting out sexually in 2007 and told the county they suspected his foster father was abusing him, the county did not intervene.

When San Diego County sheriff’s deputies in 2008 took A.G. to the county’s emergency shelter for children after an incident involving a neighbor child, A.G. told social workers that he was being sexually abused. He was returned to his foster father, Michael Jarome Hayes, within 18 hours.

Those lapses are alleged in a 2016 lawsuit by A.G. and his twin brother, M.G. They are suing the county and 14 of its social workers for leaving them at Hayes’ mercy despite more than a dozen reports of suspected abuse from an educator, a lawyer, a psychologist and others.

County social workers ignored some reports completely. They failed to properly investigate others, deciding again and again to the keep the children in Hayes’ home, according to the lawsuit.

via County failed repeatedly to stop sexual abuse of foster children, lawsuit alleges – The San Diego Union-Tribune

Judge issues gag order in Perez’s conflict case; MALDEF asks AG to investigate DA

Kern’s days of being controlled by racist white elites may be numbered.

Racist Kern County just can’t seem to stay out of the news.

Attorneys for the civil rights organization known as MALDEF asked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to request a probe of D.A. Lisa Green’s office to determine if her decision to file charges against Supervisor Leticia Perez, who represents the Latino-majority 5th District, may have been “motivated by pressure from other County officials who seek to retaliate against Supervisor Perez as a result of her trial testimony” in a recent federal Voting Rights Act lawsuit filed against Kern County officials.

MALDEF won a court order in March requiring the county to redraw its supervisorial district lines — a change that creates a second Latino-majority district in the county’s northwest corner.

“Intimidation through prosecution is one of the oldest means of maintaining and reinforcing power structures that exclude minority group members,” MALDEF president Thomas A. Saenz said in a statement. “The timing of the inquiry and the unusual nature of these misdemeanor charges warrant an investigation to ensure that Kern County is not engaging in retaliation; such retaliation is unlawful and a grave threat to civil rights.”

via Judge issues gag order in Perez’s conflict case; MALDEF asks AG to investigate DA | News | bakersfield.com

DA clears Tehachapi cops who shot an unarmed man

Kern County District Attorney Lisa Green gives trigger-happy cops a pass….again.

To no one’s surprise, no charges will be filed against two Tehachapi Police Department officers who shot an unarmed man on May 24, 2017, according to Kern County District Attorney Lisa Green.

Green determined there “is no reasonable likelihood of a jury finding the officers violated the law beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to a statement released by the DA’s office.

Officers Jared McCombs and Bruce Medina shot Richard William Kollin for engaging in suspicious activity.

Green confirmed no gun was found on Kollin. Enjoy your Police State.

via DA announces no charges for two Tehachapi officers involved in 2017 shooting of unarmed man | News | bakersfield.com

Whites continue to shut #AfricanAmericans out of power in the Bay Area

As the celebration of London Breed’s inauguration as San Francisco’s first black female mayor fades, a more ominous statistic looms: There’s a chance the Bay Area will have no African American representatives in the Legislature after the November election.

That’s just how the rich white people who run the Bay Area want it.

The only African American on the ballot for a seat in the Legislature — Richmond City Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles — squeaked into the general election by 726 votes. She received half as many votes as primary winner and fellow Democrat Buffy Wicks in Assembly District 15, and she has a fraction of the cash on hand that Wicks has.

She’s toast.

The winner will replace Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, a Democrat who is now the only African American representing the Bay Area in Sacramento.

Rep. Barbara Lee is the only African-American member of Congress “between here and Los Angeles,” as the Oakland Democrat put it.

The war being waged by the Police State is a big reason why. In the 1970’s African-Americans made up more than 13 percent of the population in the Bay Area. That number is 6 percent today.

Lee said that when she first ran for Congress in 1998, her district was 34 percent African American. Now it’s 18 percent.

While Bay Area white elites wring their hands and pay lip-service to racial equality, the police continue to exterminate people of color. Extra-constitutional killings in the Bay Area are commonplace.

Meanwhile the wealthy continue to drive up the cost of rent and control who gets a job. In the Bay Area, African-Americans don’t have a chance.

via https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/London-Breed-is-the-exception-why-few-blacks-13086677.php

In California’s big battle over rent control – #CaGOP lines up behind the wealthy

Proposition 10 would overturn California’s Costa-Hawkins Rent Control Act and let local governments impose any form of rent control on any type of rental housing within their jurisdictions.

Wealthy Californians hate it.

What the measure boils down to is whether housing “is an essential, like a human right — something that everyone needs and deserves, or whether one views housing as just another commodity that should be bought and sold and rented without limits,” said Prop. 10 supporter Dean Preston, executive director of Tenants Together, a statewide nonprofit for renters rights.

If Prop. 10 passes, local jurisdictions could impose rent control on all property types, including single-family properties and new construction. They also could prevent landlords from charging whatever they want when a unit turns over. This is known as vacancy control.

The California Democratic Party voted to support Prop 10.

Its main sponsors are the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and its president, Michael Weinstein, and the Coalition for Affordable Housing. Other backers include the Service Employees International Union, the California Teachers Association, the California Nurses Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Backers have raised $2.36 million.

The Republican Party is against it. They remain solidly behind rich people.

Other opponents include the California Apartment Association and the California Rental Housing Association, which represent landlords, the California Chamber of Commerce, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California (a labor union), the California Realtors Association and the NAACP. (The NAACP usually sides with rich developers in return for a generous “donation” to their leaders.)

via California gearing up for big battle over rent control – SFChronicle.com

#Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies execute mentally ill #AfricanAmerican man on crowded freeway

A Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputy fired his weapon 19 times across six lanes of Highway 50 to execute a mentally-ill African American man.

Information about the extra-Constitutional killing of Mikel Laney McIntyre, 32, was finally released last week by Sacramento County.

The District Attorney’s review continues to take an unreasonably long time.  Clearly this is a police state crime that’s difficult for Sacramento’s white elites to cover up.

In all, three deputies — Gabriel Rodriguez, Ken Becker and Jeffrey Wright — fired 29 shots at Mr. McIntyre. McIntyre was unarmed.

Sacramento and the notorious St. Louis, Missouri suburb of Ferguson, have a lot in common when it comes to how justice is dispensed.

via New details lead to more questions in fatal freeway shooting by Sacramento sheriffs | The Sacramento Bee

GOP incumbents losing fundraising fight with Dems in key California races

In a sign of Democrats’ enthusiasm over the chance to take back the House of Representatives, Democratic congressional candidates outraised Republicans in nearly all of California’s most competitive House races over the last fundraising period.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/16/california-house-races-democrats-outraise-republicans/

In retaliation, #FBI agent says colleagues are fed up with GOP

Taking their political activism to a new public level, Josh Campbell, a former FBI supervisory special agent, told CNN on Friday that law enforcement officials are getting completely fed up with the Republican Party’s regular attacks on their work.

Campbell told CNN that many within the FBI are furious watching President Donald Trump and his party trying to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe by impugning the integrity of the FBI.

Recent hearings on Capitol laid bare the FBI’s aggressive campaign to undermine President Trump. This is the clearest signal yet that the FBI is planning on retaliating against Republicans, especially conservatives who have outed the agency for its pro-Clinton work and its disdain for the U.S. Constitution.

via Ex-FBI agent says colleagues are fed up with GOP attacks on their work | Salon.com

Feds aren’t with #SanFrancisco’s plan for safe injection sites

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has been warned by the city attorney that opening a real injection site, where drug users can shoot up under supervision, could get her in hot water with the federal government.

The Mayor and members of the the Board of Supervisors could be held criminally liable under federal drug statutes if they attempted to move ahead with the injection centers.

This is serious stuff. New guidelines issued by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in March apply the death penalty to numerous drug-related crimes under existing law.

City officials estimate that as many as 22,000 intravenous drug users shoot up in San Francisco, leaving behind tens of thousands of dirty needles in the process. San Francisco freely dispenses millions of clean needles a year on demand.

via Plan for safe injection site gets dose of reality over federal drug laws – SFChronicle.com

California Dems aren’t running on abortion rights

Democratic Party leaders and progressive groups portray Judge Brett Kavanaugh as a threat to abortion rights.

Except in districts where support for abortion rights isn’t the given that it is in the bluest parts of California.

Democrats running in the more conservative House districts that the party is trying to seize from Republicans aren’t rushing to make abortion their issue.

Most of the Democrats running in nine GOP-held House districts that the party thinks are in play aren’t taking their cues from the left.

via California Dems trying to flip the House aren’t running on abortion rights – SFChronicle.com

#HumboltCounty woman gets arrested all the time for narco-trafficking…never does much time

Nancy Burks loves drugs.

For at least the third time since July 2017, 69-year-old Nancy Lee Burks of Eureka was arrested on suspicion of narcotics activity.

Less than three and a half hours later she was released from Humboldt County jail.

California Proposition 47 reduced penalties for some crimes, Proposition 57 increased parole and good behavior opportunities for nonviolent felons and Assembly Bill 109 transferred the responsibility for housing some felons from the state prisons to county jails.

So people like Nancy can do as many drugs as they want with little fear of prosecution.

Burks gets arrested a lot, but never seems to do much time. That’s because American love drugs.

The sales of narcotics is still a felony, but lawmakers have labeled it as a nonviolent offense. So it’s really no big deal to be a narco-trafficker anymore.

a Eureka woman’s multiple arrests exemplify Proposition 47, 57 issues

Judge censors #LATimes to protect crooked #Glendale cop

Crooked Glendale cop John Saro Balian.

A federal judge has ordered the Los Angeles Times to remove information from an article that described a plea agreement between prosecutors and a Glendale police detective accused of working with the Mexican Mafia.

The Times decried the move as highly unusual and unconstitutional.

The agreement was supposed to have been filed under seal, but it was mistakenly made available on PACER, a public online database for federal court documents.

In response to the order from U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, The Times revised the article to eliminate information about the sealed document. The newspaper intends to contest the order.

“We believe that once material is in the public record, it is proper and appropriate to publish it if it is newsworthy,” said Norman Pearlstine, executive editor of the Los Angeles Times.

The detective, John Saro Balian, pleaded guilty on July 12 to three counts: lying to federal investigators about his links to organized crime, accepting a bribe and obstructing justice by tipping off a top criminal target about an upcoming federal raid.

After the article was published, Balian’s attorney sought a temporary restraining order, which Walter granted Saturday afternoon.

via http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-legal-dispute-20180714-story.html

California Dems dump #Feinstein, #elitemedia stunned!

A stunned California press corps is reporting that the California Democratic Party “took a step to the left” by endorsing” liberal state lawmaker” Kevin de León for Senate.

It was a stinging rebuke of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The endorsement was an embarrassment for Feinstein, who is running for a fifth full term, and indicates that Democratic activists in California have soured on her flip-flopping on important issues, and wealthy inside-the-beltway lifestyle.

De León received 65% of the vote.

“We have presented Californians with the first real alternative to the worn-out Washington playbook in a quarter-century,” De León said in a statement shortly after the endorsement was announced.

via In rebuke of Dianne Feinstein, Kevin de León wins endorsement of California Democrats in Senate race

Fed-up resident slams #SanFrancisco in full-page Chronicle ad

An anonymous resident of San Francisco placed a full-page ad San Francisco Chronicle Friday to draw attention to the city’s homelessness crisis after an alleged experience with a scissors-wielding homeless man in a downtown cafe left her feeling “horrified.”

The woman detailed her account in the ad, titled “Watch your backs — nobody else is.”

“The San Francisco city fathers and those who should be held accountable for our public safety have for years let us down by catering to the lowest common denominator,” the ad says. “We, the tax paying, responsible contributing members of society have had our quality of life as San Franciscans seriously compromised, dangerously so.”

The homelessness crisis continues to stoke tensions in San Francisco, as city residents increasingly complain that they don’t feel safe walking around highly-trafficked areas with large homeless populations.

via http://www.businessinsider.com/san-francisco-woman-homeless-crisis-full-page-ad-2018-7

#SanctuaryState became a haven for chain saw psycho

Californians might be all that excited abut their sanctuary state law after reading about Alejandro Alvarez Villegas.

Villegas attacked his wife with a chain saw in their home with their three children inside, according to Whittier police. The 32-year-old then fled the scene in a stolen car.

Villegas had been deported 11 times since 2005, immigration officials said.

Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Mr. Alvarez-Villegas is a serial immigration violator.

Immigration officers have lodged a detainer against Alvarez, requesting that local authorities notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement before his release to allow them to take the man into custody.

It remains to be seen what law enforcement officials do.

Besides blatantly and repeatedly violating U.S. immigration laws, Alvarez pleaded no contest in 2013 to one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and one count of using or being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Later that year, he pleaded no contest to driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08% or higher.

via Man suspected of attacking wife with chain saw was deported 11 times

Climate Scientists Call on Jerry Brown to End Oil Extraction in California

Over two dozen climate scientists sent a letter to California Governor Jerry Brown, urging him to phase out oil and gas production in the state before the start of the Global Climate Action Summit, a climate-focused conference in September.

The letter endorses earlier calls from more than 800 organizations and 100 local elected officials across the state for Brown to put an end to fossil fuel extraction in California, which is one of the nation’s top oil-producing states.

The climate scientists’ letter notes that the Paris Agreement’s target will be impossible to meet if oil and gas production continues unabated around the globe—and as the sixth-largest economy in the world, California is uniquely positioned to lead the way on a future without fossil fuels.

Shutting down thousands of wells and phasing out new extraction permits would reduce emissions by some 425 million metric tons over the next 12 years, the letter notes.

via Climate Scientists Call on Jerry Brown to End Oil Extraction in California – Pacific Standard

Microsoft calls for regulation of facial recognition, saying it’s too risky to leave to tech industry alone

Microsoft is calling for government regulation on facial-recognition software, one of its key technologies, saying such artificial intelligence is too important and potentially dangerous for tech giants to police themselves.

On Friday, company president Brad Smith urged lawmakers in a blog post to form a bipartisan and expert commission that could set standards and ward against abuses of face recognition, in which software can be used to identify a person from afar without their consent.

“This technology can catalog your photos, help reunite families or potentially be misused and abused by private companies and public authorities alike,” Smith said. “The only way to regulate this broad use is for the government to do so.”

via Microsoft calls for regulation of facial recognition, saying it’s too risky to leave to tech industry alone – The Washington Post

#CalPERS Reports 8.6% Gain, Beats Target

CalPERS haters just got a bit of bad news.

The system, with $351 billion as of June 30, had an estimated 71 percent of the funds it needs to meet its long-term liabilities, up from 68 percent at the end of fiscal 2017. Its annual target is 7 percent. In the 2016-2017 fiscal period Calpers reported an 11.2 percent gain. Public pensions are struggling to meet long-term liabilities as they face obligations from a wave of longer-living retirees and as risks rise that the nine-year bull market will end.

“While we are pleased with the positive returns, we’re focused on improving our funded status,” said Marcie Frost, Calpers chief executive officer, in the statement. “This will take time and will require us to explore new, forward-thinking approaches to our investments, particularly in private equity.”

via Calpers Reports 8.6% Gain on Investments, Beating Its Target – Bloomberg

#CEQA is great…for rich people

California’s planning bodies have shown themselves to be woefully inadequate when it comes to fast-tracking affordable housing — but when it comes to quick approvals of glittering sports arenas for billionaire team owners and millionaire players, they are amazingly fleet of foot.

via Follow the money in the quest for CEQA reform – Daily News

#EliteMedia pressures #Facebook to ban #conservative websites

Facebook invited a group of journalists to a presentation on how the social network is combating fake news, according to CNN. But when pressed about why Facebook won’t take down InfoWars, an extreme right-wing media outlet that peddles false conspiracy theories, Facebook said InfoWars did not violate its community standards and highlighted the company’s commitment to free speech.

On Thursday, Facebook — on Twitter — clarified its stance about why it will not remove InfoWars from its platforms, saying there are outlets on both ends of the political spectrum producing what some may consider fake news.

“We see Pages on both the left and the right pumping out what they consider opinion or analysis – but others call fake news,” tweeted Facebook. “We believe banning these Pages would be contrary to the basic principles of free speech.”

via Facebook: InfoWars won’t be banned from the social network

California ordered to restore $331 million to fund for homeowners

Governor Jerry Brown

When California received $410 million in 2012 as part of a nationwide settlement with major banks accused of abusive foreclosures, Gov. Jerry Brown used $331 million to pay state agencies in housing and other programs to cover their deficits.

Now a state appeals court has ordered the money be used for its original intent: to help homeowners who suffered foreclosures.

The money was “unlawfully diverted” from a settlement fund that was designated for programs directly assisting homeowners, the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento said Tuesday. A Sacramento County judge had reached the same conclusion but found he lacked authority to order the state to redirect the money, a finding the appeals court rejected.

via California ordered to restore $331 million to fund for homeowners – SFChronicle.com

Assemblyman Devon Mathis Reprimanded For Sexual Comments

California Assemblyman Devon Mathis was reprimanded last month for making sexual comments.

The Assembly Rules Committee says Mathis’ comments violated the chamber’s sexual harassment policy.

Mathis’s office says the unsubstantiated allegation stemmed from a political blog post accusing Mathis of sexual assault based on an anonymous interview with someone who claimed to have knowledge of it.

Mathis will be required to complete sensitivity training.

via California Lawmaker Reprimanded For Sexual Comments – capradio.org

Kern Count supervisors rush to throw more money at red-neck buffoon sheriff

Supervisors voted 4-0 to direct county counsel to draft the question that could appear on the ballot in November, potentially raising the sales tax in the unincorporated county from 7.25 percent to 8.25 percent.

Fifth District Supervisor Leticia Perez was absent from the meeting.

Facing an Aug. 10 deadline, the supervisors have one scheduled meeting left, on July 24, to decide on giving unincorporated county voters the opportunity to raise their sales tax 1 cent for every dollar spent.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood brought the proposal to the supervisors. He said his department needs the funds to bolster the ranks of deputies, which have been depleted after years of lean budgets.

Complicating the matter is a measure already approved by the Bakersfield City Council that could result in a 1 percent sales tax increase for city transactions.

If passed, the city plans to spend the money partially on public safety measures.

You may recall that this Youngblood is the same red-neck buffoon who said that it is better “financially” to kill suspects than to “cripple” them.

via Over objections, county sales tax measure survives first hurdle | News | bakersfield.com

Union stooge Joe Marshall rejected by Police Commission

Supervisor Sandra Fewer made the motion to reject Marshall’s reappointment Tuesday, saying “After watching the Rules Committee meeting yesterday I am compelled to make a motion to reject the mayor’s nomination for the reappointment.”

During that hearing, Board President Malia Cohen had a series of tense exchanges with Marshall where she called into question his willingness to stand up to the San Francisco Police Officers Association and his commitment to implementing police reform.

She also noted that Marshall sided with the union in his support for the controversial neck hold called the carotid restraint. The commission banned officers from using this hold in December 2016.

Police reform supporters had also criticized Marshall and called on the board to reject his reappointment.

They are of course correct. Marshall is a tool of the San Francisco Police Officers Association. His “leadership” is of no value to the community.  Good riddance.

via Board bucks Farrell, Breed, rejects reappointment of Joe Marshall to Police Commission – by j_sabatini – July 10, 2018 – The San Francisco Examiner

Hideous #racist #SanBernardinoCounty Prosecutor Put on Leave

The hideous racist gang prosecutor in San Bernardino County has been put on administrative leave while the District Attorney’s Office investigates discriminatory comments he made on social media.

San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney Michael Selyem made profanity-laced comments about Rep. Maxine Waters, former first lady Michelle Obama and Mexican immigrants.

In one post, Selyem wrote of Waters, saying “being a loud-mouthed (expletive) in the ghetto you would think someone would have shot this (expletive) by now.”

In another he speaks of a suspect in an officer-involved shooting, saying “That s-bag got what he deserved” and “had he stopped being a complete (expletive) and listened to the police, he wouldn’t have gotten shot.”

Both Selyem’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have been deleted.

Selyem, who has been a lead attorney in the Central Hardcore Gang Unit for 12 years, faces disciplinary action that could include termination.

He deserves to be fired.

via Top San Bernardino County Gang Prosecutor Put on Leave After Racist, Violent Comments Posted Online – NBC Southern California

Adios California…Tesla plans China factory that can make 500,000 vehicles a year

Adios California.

As expected, Tesla Inc. has reached a preliminary agreement with the Shanghai government to build a factory that would rival production from its lone U.S. assembly plant, as Elon Musk takes his biggest step yet to expand overseas.

The electric-car maker’s planned capacity for the factory is 500,000 vehicles a year, the Shanghai government said in a statement. Bloomberg reported earlier that Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, would be in the city for an event with the government Tuesday. A Tesla representative in China didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tesla shares rose in early trading Tuesday.

via Tesla plans China factory that can make 500,000 vehicles a year

White supremacists continue to dominate the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department

Deputies sport their own gang tattoos.

For decades, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has struggled to combat secretive cliques of deputies who bonded over aggressive, often violent police work and branded themselves with matching tattoos.

A federal judge called out the problem nearly 30 years ago, accusing deputies of running a “neo-Nazi, white supremacist gang” named the Vikings within the Lynwood station. Others followed with names such as the Regulators, Grim Reapers, Rattlesnakes and the Jump Out Boys. Inside the county’s central jail, the 2000 Boys and 3000 Boys ran roughshod over the lockup’s toughest floors.

Now, despite past attempts by sheriff’s officials to discourage internal cliques, fresh allegations have arisen of deputies in the department’s Compton station adorned with matching skull tattoos.

One deputy acknowledged in a recent deposition that he and 10 to 20 of his colleagues at the station had the tattoos but denied there was a formal clique. No rational person would believe him.

“Tolerant” Los Angeles remains dominated by white supremacist cops.

via After decades of problems, new allegations surface of a secret clique within L.A. County Sheriff’s Department

Appeals court says #SanFrancisco can keep trashing #HetchHetchy

The tolerant and environmentally friendly people of San Francisco can continue trashing the Hetch Hetchy valley.

The push to drain Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and restore the Sierra canyon to its natural state was rejected by the courts — again — Monday, though opponents of the dam said they plan to take their fight to the California Supreme Court.

In a legal case that has been a thorn in the side of the city of San Francisco, California’s Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno ruled that a Tuolumne County judge was correct two years ago when he tossed a lawsuit seeking to raze the city-run reservoir.

Restore Hetch Hetchy, a Berkeley group, has argued that San Francisco should not have rooted its water supply in a national park because it overran a pristine valley and violated a provision of the state Constitution requiring reasonable water use. But the appeals court agreed with the lower court that the city had federal permission to build the reservoir and didn’t need to meet the state standard.

via Appeals court rejects effort to tear down Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir – SFChronicle.com

CEQA is how rich lawyers get even richer

California Governor Ronald Reagan

For critics of the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, this case is a poster child for the need for reform. Signed by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1970 and often referred to as “see-kwuh,” the law calls for “preventing environmental damage, while providing a decent home and satisfying living environment for every Californian.”

Environmentalists say CEQA does just that, supplying some of the strongest protection and transparency in the nation.

“CEQA is the fundamental law in California for environmental protection that also protects the right of the public to be informed about projects that are going into our neighborhood,” said David Pettit, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

But critics, particularly developers, say court decisions and opportunists have broadened and weaponized the law so it actively impedes housing, particularly in urban areas.

“This is not about the environment,” said Jennifer Hernandez, an attorney at Holland & Knight and one of the state’s most vocal advocates for change to the law. “This signature environmental law is being hijacked to advance economic interests.

via Is California’s Legacy Environmental Law Protecting The State’s Beauty Or Blocking Affordable Housing? – capradio.org

Hate crime data suggests California probably doesn’t like you very much

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra

You’re probably not very popular with the “tolerant” people of California. 

The number of hate crimes reported in California surged more than 17 percent between 2016 and 2017, according to new data released Monday by the state Department of Justice.

The third straight year of double-digit increases. Local law enforcement reported 1,093 hate crimes last year.

Californians have real problems with Islamics, LGBTQ’s and people of color. They aren’t too keen on Jews and the homeless either.

via California hate crimes increased in 2017 | The Fresno Bee

#SanBernardinoCounty hasn’t done much to stop brutally #racist Deputy D.A.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Selyem

The lead hard-core gang prosecutor in the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is under investigation for a series of offensive rants on social media, triggering demands for his dismissal.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Selyem, who joined the D.A.’s Office 12 years ago, targeted outspoken U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, former first lady Michelle Obama, Mexican immigrants and the victim of a police shooting in Facebook and Instagram posts.

Selyem is the lead attorney in a unit tasked with cracking down on criminal gang activity. Selyem is now the subject of an internal investigation, sources said.

Selyem hung up on a reporter when reached by phone. He did not return calls and emails seeking comment on the posts that appeared under his name. Both his Facebook and Instagram accounts have been deleted.

Before his accounts were deleted, Selyem’s rants were captured in screenshots.

Selyem apparently is an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump. Beneath a Facebook post offering free tickets to Trump’s presidential inauguration, Selyem wrote, “I love that all of you liberal f—–g p—–s are so filled with hate. Gonna be a long 8 years for you scumbags. choo choo trump”

Basically this guy Selyem is a brutal racist thug. He shouldn’t be allowed to have a badge or a firearm. As long as he’s holding down a public position as an officer of the courts no one in San Bernardino County is safe.

via https://www.sbsun.com/2018/07/06/top-san-bernardino-county-gang-prosecutor-under-fire-for-offensive-social-media-posts/

#SiliconValley firms are facing a rise in anger from a new source: Their own employees

Thousands of tech workers from top companies, including Google, Amazonand Microsoft, have recently led large-scale internal rebellions against their employers. The wave of employee outrage is largely over the use of companies’ technology in controversial government contracts — from facial recognition software sold to law enforcement, to drone technology for the military and work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/05/tech-ceos-are-losing-unilateral-power-rapidly-in-a-new-unexpected-way.html

California Prosecutor Wonders Why ‘Ghetto’ Maxine Waters Hasn’t Been Shot

Zeke Hernandez, president of the Santa Ana League of United Latin American Citizens told The Sun, “It is disgusting that a public official sworn to protect the public would have these ugly viewpoints,” he said. “The district attorney needs to take any and all appropriate action to let the public know that it does not agree with Selyem’s hateful rhetoric.”

http://www.newsweek.com/san-bernardino-prosecutor-maxine-waters-ghetto-michael-selyem-posts-1013216

#JeffDenham threatens to block border wall funding

Rep. Jeff Denham

Failed Republican efforts on immigration reform could jeopardize support within the party for President Donald Trump’s wall funding — and Trump has threatened to shut down the government if he doesn’t get it.

Republicans who pushed a bill that would have granted a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers along with $25 billion in border security gave a range of answers when McClatchy asked if they would still support funding the wall without action for Dreamers. Their bill failed last week by a large margin.

But one leader in that effort, California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham, who took a 30-second pause before answering the question, said it does put his vote at risk.

“I’ve been very clear that I want a permanent fix for Dreamers …. that has to be a part of any solution,” Denham told McClatchy, referring to people who came into the country illegally as children with their parents.

via Immigration failure risks GOP support for wall funding | Merced Sun-Star

Lucio Lanza, #SiliconValley’s latest sex criminal

Lucio Lanza

Lucio Lanza has been sued by startup founder Rachel Danae Vachata, 29, who alleges a drunken Lanza groped and sexually harassed her in the summer of 2017 after sitting next to her on a red-eye commercial flight.

Three additional women who have told the Mercury News they were sexually harassed by Lanza, 73, who runs a venture capital firm in Palo Alto.

The women described strikingly similar incidents in which Lanza groped them suddenly and without permission in public settings.

The three women all worked in a tech sector in which Lanza is among the most important funders.

Naturally, Lanza denies any inappropriate behavior.

However the evidence seems to indicate he’s pretty much a drunken sex criminal.

via 3 women allege Silicon Valley venture capitalist groped them

San Francisco balks at funding additional sources of water, like desalination

San Francisco, as well as numerous urban and agricultural water suppliers, under the plan would face new limits on how much water it draws from the San Joaquin River and its tributaries in the Sierra Nevada.

While the restrictions would help move once free-flowing waterways closer to their natural states, providing a boon for the freshwater-starved Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and such threatened fish as coho salmon, the effort comes as cities and farms are already facing tighter water supplies because of changing climate and drought.

Many fear they won’t get the water they need or will have to pay a lot more for it going forward.

San Francisco officials were still reviewing the plan, but they said they, too, were yet to find improvements from a proposal released last year.

The Public Utilities Commission had warned that the initial plan, if left unmodified, would force new water restrictions on city residents or raise customer rates in order to fund additional sources of water, like desalination.

The agency, which serves San Francisco and many Bay Area suburbs, has largely been free of regulation because of privileged water rights at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite. Hetch Hetchy, however, sits on the Tuolumne River, one of the rivers now targeted for higher flows.

via SF would face new limits under state water proposal – SFChronicle.com

Berkeley doctors gave boy marijuana

The high-concentration cannabidiol strain had never been given to children and was illegal in the United States.

Now, after six years and a clinical trial led by UCSF, the drug is available for others.

It is the first time the FDA has approved a medicine derived from marijuana. It won’t work for every patient.

via Berkeley boy was ‘Patient X’ in first FDA-approved medicine derived from marijuana – SFChronicle.com