California Archives - Page 7 of 7

‘Nothing Left in the Bucket’: Wildfire Resources Run Thin

September 18, 2020September 18, 2020 The Associated Press

Justin Silvera came off the fire lines in Northern California after a grueling 36 straight days battling wildfires and evacuating residents ahead of the flames. Before that, he and his crew had worked for 20 days, followed by a three-day break.

Silvera, a 43-year-old battalion chief with Cal Fire, California’s state firefighting agency, said he’s lost track of the blazes he’s fought this year. He and his crew have sometimes been on duty for 64 hours at a stretch, their only rest coming in 20-minute catnaps.

California Mothers Sue California Gov. Newsom, Saying His Partial Reopening of Schools Hurts Special Needs Students, Causes Anxiety Over Grades

September 15, 2020November 9, 2020 Jason M. Reynolds

Four mothers have filed a lawsuit against California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his coronavirus education plan, claiming adverse effects including anxiety over poor grades and lack of special education access.

The lawsuit was filed Sept. 10 in Shasta County Superior Court by the Freedom Foundation on behalf of the northern California families. The complaint is available here.

The plaintiffs allege the plan that requires students to be in classes part-time denies them their constitutional right to a quality education as enshrined in the California Constitution.

Two California Deputies Shot in Apparent Ambush in Patrol Car

September 14, 2020September 13, 2020 The Associated Press

Authorities searched Sunday for a gunman who shot and wounded two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who were sitting in their squad car — an apparent ambush that drew an angry response from the president and sparked an anti-police protest outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated.

The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery Saturday evening, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a late-night news conference. Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago, he said.

Arrests Made After Looters Targeted Evacuated California Homes During Wildfires

August 25, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

More than a dozen people have been arrested for looting or planning on looting California homes that have been vacated by those fleeing wildfires, according to a Sunday report.

A total of 13 people have been apprehended as Californians continue to report looting cases, Sheriff Jim Hart told the Associated Press. Thousands have fled their homes in anticipation of wildfires spreading from south San Francisco, AP reported.

Golden State Killer Joseph James DeAngelo Apologizes at Sentencing for Victimizing 87 People

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020 The Associated Press

Just before receiving multiple consecutive life sentences, Joseph James DeAngelo, the former California police officer who lived a double life as the murderous sociopath dubbed the Golden State Killer, broke his silence to tell a hushed courtroom filled with victims and their family members that he was “truly sorry” for the crimes.

It was such an unexpected moment that it brought gasps from those in the gallery, many of whom sat through an extraordinary four-day sentencing hearing filled with graphic and heart-wrenching testimony from dozens of victims. It also reinforced that nobody ever seemed to know what DeAngelo would do and who he was, which helps explain how he eluded detection for four decades while committing at least 13 killings and dozens of rapes.

California Wildfires Some of Largest in State History

August 23, 2020August 22, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

Lightning-sparked wildfires in Northern California exploded in size Friday to become some of the largest in state history, forcing thousands to flee and destroying hundreds of homes and other structures as reinforcements began arriving to help weary firefighters.

More than 12,000 firefighters aided by helicopters and air tankers are battling wildfires throughout California. Three groups of fires, called complexes, burning north, east and south of San Francisco have together scorched 991 square miles (2,566 square kilometers), destroyed more than 500 structures and killed five people.

Victims Call Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo ‘Sick Monster,’ ‘Subhuman’ in Sentencing Hearing

August 19, 2020August 18, 2020 The Associated Press

Victim after victim lined up on Tuesday to describe Joseph DeAngelo as a “sick monster,” “horrible man” and “subhuman” who stole their innocence and changed their lives during a more than decade-long reign of rape and murder that earned him the nickname Golden State Killer.

US Attorney Fired by Trump Administration Awarded a Professorship at Stanford Law

July 21, 2020July 20, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

Stanford Law School welcomed a former Manhattan federal prosecutor to a visiting professorship for the fall semester after he was fired by President Donald Trump in June.

Geoffrey S. Berman received his law degree from Stanford Law in 1984 and will return as a visiting professor to teach an elective course titled “Prosecutorial Discretion and Ethical Duties in the Enforcement of Federal Criminal Law,” the school announced in a Wednesday press release.

Mass Celebrated after Fire Damages Centuries-Old Church

July 14, 2020July 13, 2020 The Associated Press

Mass was celebrated Sunday on the grounds of a historic Catholic church in Southern California that had been heavily damaged by fire a day earlier.

The blaze early Saturday destroyed the rooftop and most of the interior of San Gabriel Mission, which was undergoing renovation to mark its upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.

Lakers Star LeBron James Won’t Wear Social Justice Message on Lakers Jersey

July 13, 2020July 12, 2020 The Associated Press

LeBron James says his thoughts on social justice can’t be contained on the back of a basketball jersey.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar won’t wear one of the NBA-approved social justice messages on the back of his jersey when the NBA resumes competition later this month in the Orlando bubble.

Fire Destroys Much of 249-year-old Church in California

July 13, 2020July 12, 2020 The Associated Press

A fire early Saturday destroyed the rooftop and most of the interior of a Catholic church in California that was undergoing renovation to mark its upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.

Fire alarms at the San Gabriel Mission rang around 4 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke rising from the wooden rooftop in one corner of the historic structure, San Gabriel Fire Capt. Paul Negrete said.

California’s Alleged Golden State Killer Set to Plead Guilty

June 29, 2020June 29, 2020 The Associated Press

Forty years after a sadistic suburban rapist terrorized California in what investigators later realized were a series of linked assaults and slayings, a 74-year-old former police officer is expected to plead guilty Monday to being the elusive Golden State Killer.

The deal will spare Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. any chance of the death penalty for 13 murders and 13 kidnapping-related charges spanning six counties. In partial return, survivors of the assaults that spanned the 1970s and 1980s expect him to admit to up to 62 rapes that he could not be criminally charged with because too much time has passed.

St. Junipero Serra Statue to Be Removed from California City

June 21, 2020June 20, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

The statue of a Roman Catholic saint, Junipero Serra, will be removed from public display over accusations that statues of the missionary reflect oppression of indigenous peoples, according to city officials.

The mayor of Ventura, California, representatives from the Barbareno/Venureno Band of Mission Indians, and a pastor of the Mission San Buenaventura issued a joint statement agreeing to take down a bronzed, 9-foot statue of Serra and have it “moved to a more appropriate non-public location” on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

California Sheriff Deputy Damon Gutzwiller Killed, Two Others Injured in Ambush-Style Attack by Air Force Sgt. Steven Carrillo

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 The Associated Press

A Northern California sheriff’s deputy was killed and two law enforcement officers wounded Saturday when they were ambushed with gunfire and explosives while pursuing a suspect, authorities said.

The U.S. Air Force confirmed Sunday that the suspect was an active duty sergeant stationed at Travis Air Force Base.

SCOTUS Rejects Request from California Church to Block Worship Restrictions

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

The Supreme Court rejected a request from a church to block California’s restrictions on religious services.

South Bay United Pentecostal Church of Chula Vista, California, filed a petition over Memorial Day weekend saying that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus restrictions “arbitrarily discriminate against places of worship in violation of their right to the Free Exercise of Religion under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” according to CNN.

‘I Dial And Dial And Dial’: California’s Million-Dollar Aid Program for Illegal Aliens Clogged by Thousands of Calls

May 28, 2020May 27, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

California’s multi-million dollar aid program for illegal aliens has been bogged down by technical issues, with many applicants inundating phone lines every day to no avail, according to NPR.

The implementation of California’s Disaster Relief Fund, a $125 million initiative backed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that provides one-time cash payments to undocumented immigrants, remains rocky as there are simply too many callers for workers to handle. Reports of jammed phone lines and unanswered calls have plagued the program’s rollout.

Commentary: The Citizen Army Amassing in California to Recall Gavin Newsom and Challenge Democrat Supremacy

May 26, 2020May 25, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

Even in deep-blue California, it is possible to achieve the impossible. The technology to facilitate mass uprisings is mature and ubiquitous and will function with or without the complicity of the social media and search monopolies. The political realignment we are witnessing in California is not partisan, it is not conservative or liberal, Right or Left, or Republican or Democrat. It is comprised of old and young, rich and poor, black and white, and everyone else. This is a mass uprising.

California’s pandemic shutdown isn’t just pushing the economy to the brink, it’s taken away whatever remained of the trust that Californians had in their elected officials.

Illegal Aliens Can Begin Applying for Cash Assistance in California

May 19, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

by Jason Hopkins Illegal aliens can apply for direct cash assistance from the California state government as of Monday, marking the implementation of the first relief program of its kind. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced in April the launch of The Disaster Relief Fund, a $125 million coronavirus relief program…

California’s Gas Prices Inch Toward $4 Per Gallon At A Bad Time For Democrats

September 29, 2018September 28, 2018 Admin

by Chris White Gas prices in Southern California are hovering around $4 per gallon as Golden State Democrats attempt to defend an unpopular gas tax outgoing Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed in 2017. The average pump price for regular gas in the Los Angeles area is hovering around $3.736…

A New Report Details How Nonprofits Are Funneling Millions To Democratic Governors To Further Their Global Warming Agenda

September 12, 2018September 11, 2018 Admin

by Michael Bastach California Governor Jerry Brown’s upcoming global warming activist summit is part of an effort to funnels millions of dollars from nonprofits to state politicians to advance a liberal climate agenda, according to a new report. Brown’s so-called “Global Climate Action Summit” begins on Wednesday, and is…

‘Not Here, Not Now’: Gov. Brown Signs Bill Blocking Trump’s Offshore Drilling Plan

September 9, 2018September 8, 2018 Admin

by Chris White Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Saturday effectively prohibiting new federal offshore oil drilling along California’s coast, and announced that he opposes plans to expand crude exploration on public lands in the state. The legislation he signed blocks the Trump administration’s plan to expand offshore oil drilling…

SHOCK REPORT: California Would Lose Four Electoral College Votes If Only Citizens Are Counted In The Census

August 3, 2018August 2, 2018 Admin

by Evie Fordham The state of California would lose four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and therefore four votes in the electoral college, if only citizens were counted in the decennial national census. The report comes days after a lawsuit that argues against including a citizenship question in the…

Commentary: How Unchecked Progressives Turned California Dreamin’ into a Liberal American Nightmare

July 21, 2018July 20, 2018 Admin

by Jeffery Rendall Our plane’s tires screeched noticeably when we touched down in California last week, the conclusion of a journey that took us across the length of the country in a little more than five hours. Along the way I gazed out the window and tried to guess…

California Dems Snub Feinstein, Endorse Liberal Challenger For Senate

July 16, 2018July 15, 2018 Admin

by Will Racke California Democrats have declined to endorse Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s bid for re-election in 2018, rebuking a powerful senator the party’s activist base sees as too conservative for the famously liberal state. Instead, the state party’s executive committee voted late Saturday to endorse her challenger, state Sen.…

California Voters Prepare To Square Off Against Gov. Jerry Brown Over Gas Tax Repeal

July 13, 2018July 12, 2018 Admin

by Chris White Gov. Jerry Brown is leaving office after the midterms, but the California Democrat plans on engaging in one last brutal campaign to defend an extremely unpopular gas tax he approved in 2017. Brown is pledging to raise $25 million in a campaign to fight the repeal…

Commentary: California Dreaming

June 25, 2018June 24, 2018 Admin

by George Rasley A controversial plan to split California into three new jurisdictions has now qualified for the Nov. 6 ballot giving voters in the Golden State the first opportunity to split a state since the creation of West Virginia in 1863. The proposal aims to invoke Article IV,…