Tag: California

California Teachers’ Union Threatens Local School Board With Legal Action Over Flag Policy

California’s statewide teachers’ union sent a letter June 27 to the Chino Valley Unified School board criticizing its recent decision to allow only government flags on school property—and threatening to take legal action against the board if the policy is not reversed. The board voted 4–1 June 15 to allow only the California and U.S….


Groups Protest at Drag Story Hours in California, Part I

Commentary On Fathers’ Day weekend, as part of June Pride Month, four public libraries in Sonoma County, California, chose to hold “Drag Story Hours” with a “Drag King named Vera” as the presenter. The events on Saturday were in Petaluma (where the largest number of parents and children attended—132 in total at room capacity) and…


Newport Beach Votes to Ban Homeless Encamping, Increase Shelter Beds

The Newport Beach City Council voted unanimously June 27 to ban homeless encampments that block public access to such facilities as schools, daycare centers, and public restrooms, as well as “unpermitted structures”—such as those made of wood pallets or lean-tos—of any kind even if the city’s only shelter is full. Tents, tarps, and sleeping bags—as…


Newsom Doubling Number of Officers in San Francisco to Combat Crime, Fentanyl Crisis

With San Francisco plagued by unprecedented levels of crime and drug abuse, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced June 29 that the state will bolster its prior efforts to tackle the fentanyl crisis in the city, with a promise to double the number of California Highway Patrol officers dedicated to crack down on the issue in…


A California Scholar’s Research Into a Flowering Shrub Took Him to Mexico and a Violent Death

LOS ANGELES—For four years, Gabriel Trujillo trekked the breadth of the United States and south into Mexico in search of a flowering shrub called the common buttonbush. The plant is native to the varied climates of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Trujillo, a 31-year-old Ph.D. student at the University of California–Berkeley, wanted to know why…


2 Dead, 4 Seriously Injured in Lake Balboa Crash

A collision involving an alleged wrong-way driver in Lake Balboa left a 60-year-old woman and a 5-year-old boy dead and four other people injured, authorities said June 30. The collision was reported around 9:35 p.m. on June 29 on Woodley Avenue north of Burbank Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). According to…


El Dorado County Group Mulls Secession from California

Frustrated by what they call a lack of representation, some residents of El Dorado County, east of Sacramento, are exploring a plan to split from the Golden State and form their own state. If enough residents support the idea, the Republic for El Dorado State group will take the matter directly to Congress, bypassing the…


5 Killed in Crash on 710 Freeway in Long Beach ID’d

A car crashed into an attenuator on the Long Beach 710 Freeway and burst into flames killing five on June 26. Authorities have now identified all five people who were killed. The crash was reported at 4:12 a.m. Monday on the northbound freeway at the transition to the eastbound Artesia 91 Freeway, according to the…


Construction Worker Severely Beaten by Crowd in Garden Grove, Suspects Wanted

Authorities are asking anyone with information related to the June 20 assault of a construction worker to come forward, after the man was attacked in Garden Grove by a group of men, resulting in skull fractures and severe brain injuries. Carlos Ayala, 54, was beaten while working a job with co-workers paving the parking lot…


2 Robbers Steal Teens’ Shoes in Irvine Spectrum Center Restroom

Two suspects took several pairs of shoes belonging to a group of juveniles after following them into a restroom at the Irvine Spectrum Center in Southern California, on June 26, the Irvine Police Department reported on June 28. Cameras outside of the restroom caught the two suspects running out of the bathroom after following the…