California Governor Gavin Newsom provoked mixed reactions from his liberal allies when he vetoed five reparations bills recently. Although Newsom signed other reparations bills into law, they were largely symbolic, reflecting the limousine liberal brand he represents in California politics. One bill will create a Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery, setting up a “structure” for reparations. Another bill allocates up to $6 million for the California State University system to research methods of verifying descendants of slaves who want to access benefits. In other words, the bills Newsom signed set up an outline for reparations, without doing anything tangible.…
Author: Cliff Rudsky
Caltrans, the public transit agency connecting San Francisco to the South Bay, has removed the statue of St. Junipero Serra along the I-280 freeway. The agency gave technical reasons for taking down the statue, claiming that it did not meet current Transportation Art Program requirements and was a frequent target of vandalism. Of course, the second rationale begs the question of why the vandals’ actions were rewarded. According to Caltrans, there are no plans to rebuild or replace the statue at this time. This is similar to the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue in San Francisco, back in 2020.…
Back when the COVID-19 shutdowns and mask mandates began in 2020, Americans were assured that these were temporary measures meant to slow the spread of the virus. Since then, though, it has become clear that masks are more like a lifestyle for a certain segment of the population. In the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding cities, most have moved on, but specific mandates have never completely gone away. Most recently, Santa Cruz County public health officer Lisa Hernandez issued an order requiring that masks be worn in specific healthcare facilities. The order will be in effect from November 1,…
A San Francisco man has been charged with murder after shooting and killing a nonprofit worker at close range. Edmund Bowen is accused of having shot and killed Joey Alexander after Alexander asked him to stop using drugs in public. Alexander was a member of Urban Alchemy, a nonprofit where ex-convicts attempt to deescalate situations in the city’s worst neighborhoods. While Urban Alchemy’s heavy presence around City Hall and the Tenderloin District may allow them to defuse scuffles and verbal conflicts, they are unarmed, which makes it impossible for them to resolve violent situations. According to District Attorney Brooke Jenkins,…
Back in the immediate aftermath of the 2024, it looked as though California Governor Gavin Newsom was cognizant of appearing too left-wing for his future presidential aspirations. On a podcast with the late Charlie Kirk, he agreed with the latter’s stance against transgender athletes in female sports, provoking a backlash from his own side. That was then, this is now. Since then, Newsom has been desperate to establish himself as President Trump’s foil ahead of a 2028 run. His latest target is the political compact the Trump administration has submitted to nine major universities nationwide, including USC. According to Newsom,…
President Donald J. Trump has continued to rail against efforts to release curated files related to Jeffrey Epstein, calling it a “Democrat hoax” intended to undermine his administration. In addition to Democratic pressure to release the files, Republican congressman and frequentn Trump critic Thomas Massie has called on the administration to release all government files on Epstein. According to President Trump: “We gave them everything over and over again, more, and more and more. And nobody is ever satisfied. From what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given.” Since first being elected in 2016, President Trump’s political…
California Republicans, led by State Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) are gathering signatures for a 2026 initiative that would require voter ID at the polls. The measure would also ensure that all registered voters in the state are U.S. citizens. The effort comes after DeMaio authored a voter ID bill earlier this year, which died in the Assembly Elections Committee. Prior to the 2024 election, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill prohibiting local governments from requiring identification to vote. Democratic politicians have long recited talking points claiming that voter ID laws unfairly burden black and Latino voters. Though California is…
In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, there have been widespread efforts to downplay, or outright lie about, the motivations of his assassin, Tyler Robinson. Prior to ABC suspending late-night talk show host and political commentator Jimmy Kimmel, he had this to say:”We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” Heather Cox Richardson, a liberal blogger with a large following, made similar comments connecting Robinson to the “far right,”…
Pro-Palestinian leftists disrupted former Vice President Kamala Harris’s at a recent book event in New York City, accusing her of leaving a “legacy of genocide.” Harris and other Democratic politicians have been consistently dogged by their radicalized base on the Palestinian issue since October 7, 2023. While vitriolic rhetoric against President Trump, immigration enforcement, and alleged “white privilege” unites Democratic politicians and their voters, the party increasingly faces a generational divide on policy toward Israel.Harris sought to defend herself at the event by expressing empathy with Palestinians in Gaza, and by accusing President Trump of giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill banning most law enforcement, including ICE, from wearing masks. The law will go into effect on January 1, 2026. Gov. Newsom’s decision comes after months of Democratic rhetoric casting ICE as a new-age Gestapo. Not long after the bill was signed into law, a man was arrested for shooting at a Dallas ICE facility, killing one detainee and injuring two others. The FBI believes the man was motivated by anti-ICE animus.Vice President JD Vance directly linked Democratic rhetoric to the shooting, saying: “When Democrats like Gavin Newsom say these people are part…