Tom Gerbier was hiking the tallest mountain in the contiguous US in Sequoia national park when he fell to his death
A pilot from France who disappeared while hiking California’s towering Mount Whitney was found dead after falling about 1,000ft (305 meters) off a cliff, the National Park Service said Friday.
The hiker was identified as Tom Gerbier of Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, who was a pilot for Air France, the park service said in a statement.
Continue reading...Lawsuit claims Maurice Monk’s death represents ‘unconscionable failure’ of staff at Santa Rita jail, one of the largest jails in country
Nearly two years ago, Maurice Monk, unable to afford his $2,500 bond, sat in a California jail for 34 days. He had missed a court appearance following an argument with a bus driver.
Before he entered Santa Rita jail in Alameda county, Monk had regularly taken prescription medication for high blood pressure, diabetes and schizophrenia. During a previous time at Santa Rita months before his death, he had received his prescriptions as usual.
Continue reading...Major investigation shows local governments are increasingly exploiting a loophole in the Clean Air Act, leaving more than 21 million Americans with air that’s dirtier than they realize
A legal loophole has allowed the US Environmental Protection Agency to strike pollution from clean air tallies in more than 70 counties, enabling local regulators to claim the air was cleaner than it really was for more than 21 million Americans.
Regulators have exploited a little-known provision in the Clean Air Act called the “exceptional events rule” to forgive pollution caused by “natural” or “uncontrollable” events – including wildfires – on records used by the EPA for regulatory decisions, a new investigation from The California Newsroom, MuckRock and the Guardian reveals.
Continue reading...The actor, who left acting in 1955 and finally returned to play mother to Sissy Spacek, died of old age, her manager said
Piper Laurie, the strong-willed, Oscar-nominated actor who performed in acclaimed roles despite at one point abandoning acting altogether in search of a “more meaningful” life, died early Saturday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91.
Laurie died of old age, her manager, Marion Rosenberg, told the Associated Press via email, adding that she was “a superb talent and a wonderful human being”.
Continue reading...System intended to rectify disproportionate number of abducted and sex-trafficked Black children overlooked as ‘runaways’
California has become the first state to create an alert system specifically geared towards finding missing Black women and girls. Senate bill 673 was signed by Gavin Newsom earlier this week amid a wave of bills that have come across the governor’s desk and were either approved or vetoed.
Ebony alerts would allow the California highway patrol to trigger emergency notifications on phones and road signs – similar to Amber and Feather alerts – to let people know that a Black person between the ages of 12 and 25 is missing in the area.
Continue reading...The Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park will get a cut for selling the winning ticket of the second-largest Powerball drawing ever
Janea Herrera, a clerk at a southern California convenience store, first thought it was a joke when she was told that a winning lottery ticket was sold at the store. And it wasn’t just any ticket. It was the winning ticket for the $1.765bn Powerball, which someone had bought at the Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, a small town north of Los Angeles.
“After 30 years of selling those tickets, we need a winner. I’m just happy for my customers,” Nidal Khalil, the store’s co-owner told the LA Times on Thursday. Khalil, 54, co-owns the shop with his brother and said they received congratulatory calls from across the state as well as from Syria, where they are from.
Continue reading...Delete Act signed by governor Gavin Newsom strengthens existing regulations so users will be able to scrub info from a single page
In a victory for privacy advocates and consumers, the California governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that would enable residents to request that their personal information be deleted from the coffers of all the data brokers in the state.
The bill, SB 362, otherwise known as the Delete Act, was introduced in April 2023 by the state senator Josh Becker in an attempt to give Californians more control over their privacy. Californians already have a right to request their data be deleted under current state privacy laws, but it requires filing a request with each individual company.
Continue reading...State prohibits the pseudoscientific diagnosis authorities have frequently cited to justify killings at hands of law enforcement
California has become the first state to ban the use of “excited delirium” as a cause of death, prohibiting the pseudoscientific diagnosis that authorities have frequently cited to justify killings at the hands of law enforcement.
Excited delirium – a term rejected by major medical groups, including the American Medical Association – suggests that people can develop “superhuman strength” due to drug use. Medical examiners and coroners have argued that the condition caused victims of brutal police force to struggle and collapse from cardiac arrest, essentially excusing the role of officers who were holding them down, choking or suffocating them.
Continue reading...Bill denial for the prescription drug price cap called ‘a major setback’ for diabetics in the state
Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have stopped insurance companies from charging more than $35 for insulin.
The bill would have banned health plans and disability insurance policies from imposing any out-of-pocket expenses on insulin prescription drugs above $35 for a 30-day supply. That would have included deductibles and co-pays.
Continue reading...Activists in the state are dealt a blow as Gavin Newsom says the state’s laws already offer civil rights protections
California activists against caste discrimination faced a defeat on Saturday as Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill that would add caste to a list of protected categories under the state’s existing anti-discrimination laws.
In a statement, Newsom called the bill “unnecessary”, explaining that California “already prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed”.
Continue reading...Gavin Newsom vetoes measure, saying state must set up thorough guidelines for treatment before he is willing to sign
California will have to put more work into decriminalizing hallucinogens before Governor Gavin Newsom will sign a bill, said a statement from the governor on Saturday, announcing that the bill had been vetoed.
The rejected law, which was anticipated to take effect in 2025, would have done away with criminal penalties for people possessing natural psychedelics for personal use. It also would have required the state to form a group to study and make recommendations about the drugs’ therapeutic use.
Continue reading...Kamala Harris and mayor London Breed make remarks in a private service as mourners pay their respects at San Francisco’s city hall
At a memorial for Dianne Feinstein on Thursday, Joe Biden praised the late senator as a dear friend and a woman of deep integrity who fought to protect what was important to the US: freedom, civil liberties, security and the constitution.
“She was always tough, prepared, rigorous, compassionate. She always served the people of California and our nation for the right reasons,” Biden said in recorded video remarks played at the memorial outside San Francisco city hall.
Continue reading...George Tyndall, 76, was awaiting trial on more than two dozen criminal counts of misconduct at University of Southern California
The former University of Southern California campus gynecologist at the center of more than $1bn worth of university payouts stemming from sexual abuse allegations by hundreds of women was found dead inside his home Wednesday, his lawyer said.
George Tyndall, 76, was awaiting trial on more than two dozen criminal counts of sexual misconduct between 2009 and 2016 at the university’s student health center. He pleaded not guilty in 2019 and was free on bond ahead of a trial that had not yet been scheduled. His lawyer, Leonard Levine, confirmed his death Thursday.
Continue reading...Universities may have divested from fossil fuels – but board members still have industry ties, new analysis finds
At least 20 board members at California public universities have direct ties to the fossil fuel industry, a new analysis has found, sparking criticism from climate advocates on and off campus.
Of the state’s 32 public universities, board members at one-third of them either work or have worked for oil and gas companies, as do two board members at the California State University’s foundation.
John S Watson, former Chevron CEO, sits on the University of California Davis chancellor’s board of advisers.
Stephen Strachan, who until this past December headed the oil and gas production firm Strachan Exploration Corporation, is a member of the UC San Diego Foundation’s foundation board of trustees.
Henry Perea, a government affairs manager for oil and gas giant Chevron, sits on the board of governors at the California State University foundation, as does Gillian A Wright, senior vice-president at gas distribution utility SoCalGas.
Megan Lopez, who is Chevron’s policy, government and public affairs representative, sits on the board of California State University, Bakersfield, as do higher-ups at oil company Kern Oil and Refining, fossil fuel exploration company California Resources Corporation, and oil and gas exploration company Aera Energy.
Continue reading...Butler becomes only the third Black female senator in history, following the death of Feinstein last week at age 90
In a unique and historic moment on Capitol Hill, former union leader and Democratic strategist Laphonza Butler was sworn in by Kamala Harris on Tuesday as the newest member of the Senate, replacing California Senator Dianne Feinstein after her death last week and becoming only the third Black female senator in history.
Butler, 44, was appointed by California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, on Sunday, just two days after Feinstein died at her home in Washington DC. Butler is a longtime fundraiser and strategist in California’s Democratic circles and was the head of Emily’s List, a national organization that raises money for female candidates who support abortion rights.
Continue reading...Butler will be the only Black woman, and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent the state, serving in the chamber
Gavin Newsom, the California governor, has named Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist and former labor leader, to fill the Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein, who died on Thursday.
The appointment fulfills Newsom’s pledge to appoint a Black woman to the Senate, while shirking calls to name Barbara Lee, a Black Bay Area congresswoman who is already running for the position in 2024.
Continue reading...Observers hail a ‘smart’ deal that allows for artificial intelligence as a tool, not a replacement – and could be a model for other industries
Hollywood writers scored a major victory this week in the battle over artificial intelligence with a new contract featuring strong guardrails in how the technology can be used in film and television projects.
One of the longest labor strikes in Hollywood history came to an end on Tuesday after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) approved an agreement made with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Writers and actors had been picketing for months as part of a historic “double strike” that brought the industry to a standstill.
Continue reading...Maga darling Joseph C Roberts arrested after Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner’s remains found on San Francisco Bay shoreline
A former San Francisco Republican official who claimed to be a victim of the #MeToo movement has been accused of dismembering his fiancee.
On 6 September, Alameda, California, officials arrested the 42-year-old Navy veteran Joseph C Roberts after DNA evidence from the autopsy of Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner, 27, allegedly pointed in his direction.
Continue reading...Former president and frontrunner for GOP nomination also warns ‘this country will die’ if Joe Biden wins election
Donald Trump called for shooting store robbers on Friday in a bleak speech to California Republicans –and warned “this country will die!” if Joe Biden remained president.
During the address to GOP members, Trump also railed that wealthy Beverly Hills residents smell because of water denials, and repeated election fraud lies, according to the Associated Press.
Continue reading...Lawsuit claims company knowingly sold defective car that led to Micah Lee’s 2019 death while Tesla blames ‘classic human error’
The lawyer representing victims of a fatal Tesla crash blamed the company’s autopilot driver assistant system, saying that “a car company should never sell consumers experimental vehicles,” in the opening statement of a California trial on Thursday.
The case stems from a civil lawsuit alleging that the autopilot system caused the owner of a Tesla Model 3 car, Micah Lee, to suddenly veer off a highway east of Los Angeles at 65 mph (105 kph), where his car struck a palm tree and burst into flames.
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