Kevin Kiley is too focused on battle with Newsom to think of his constituents
'Kevin Kiley scores win against longtime nemesis Gavin Newsom,' (sacbee.com, May 22)
The idea that Kevin Kiley 'won' in his ongoing battle against his nemesis, Gov. Gavin Newsom, is as disturbing as it is illuminating. With his relentless pursuit to demonize Newsom through social media and legislative initiatives, Kiley shows that the politics of retribution are not limited to the executive branch.
But who are the winners here? Not Californians who need to breathe clean air. Not businesses connected to the electric vehicle industry. Not the voters of the third Congressional district, who have a right to expect their elected representative to pay attention to their needs instead of engaging in a years-long crusade against a fellow politician.
Those who pay attention to Kiley's words and actions know this will not be the last time he misuses his public office for political gamesmanship. When an elected official uses their office as a weapon for revenge, we all lose.
Barbara Smith
Auburn
'California updates track meet rules after Trump threat,' (sacbee.com, May 27)
California state law correctly protects the rights of all public school students, including trans students, to be free from discrimination while participating in school-sponsored activities.
To the extent that the President of the United States and California State School Superintendent candidate Sonja Shaw, who is running on an anti-trans platform, think they have the power to restrict California's students simply because they don't like our non-discrimination laws, it just goes to show what despicable bullies they truly are.
The 16-year-old trans student and her mother, who are now caught in the eye of this storm, are real-life heroines for not only standing up to the bullies holding positions of power in federal and local government, but also to hate-mongering individuals screaming at them from the track meet stands.
Like the state of Maine, I have no doubt that Attorney General Rob Bonta will legally challenge any unlawful action taken by the federal government against California and our students.
Wendi Ross
Roseville
'A Sacramento rabbi speaks out about rising antisemitism,' (sacbee.com, May 24)
Rabbi Reuven Taff expressed the painful reality of violent hate crimes Jewish people are experiencing at schools, synagogues, and Jewish communal facilities, like the Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.
Callous indifference appears to be mounting amid expressions of bigotry and discrimination against Jews. Anti-Jewish sentiment is widespread in America, and it is causing immense harm to Jewish Americans as individuals, as families, and as a community. People of conscience need to step up as allies and speak out in defense of freedom, equality and safety for Jews and in defense of the rights and welfare of Americans of all backgrounds and identities.
Noam Schimmel
Lecturer, UC Berkeley
'US Senate votes to overturn California bid to ban gasoline-powered vehicles,' (sacbee.com, May 22)
Congratulations to Congress for blocking California's unprecedented and short-sighted attempt to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035. In a stunning defeat for Gov. Gavin Newsom, this move restores some policy sanity to the once 'Golden State.'
In a state leading the nation in poverty, with some of the highest costs of living, Newsom seems determined to remake the state into a haven for only the wealthy.
Michael Pruden
Sacramento
'California waives the rules for wildfire rebuilding projects,' (sacbee.com, Jan. 29)
Safeguarding communities from wildfires is imperative, but the Fix Our Forests Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla, isn't the answer.
The bill ignores decades of science-backed research and promotes reckless backcountry logging that fails to keep people or communities safer. It doesn't mitigate fire behavior in extreme wind-driven wildfires. It may even worsen fire risk because forest floors will experience increased exposure to the sun's drying heat, and windbreaks will be lost.
We deserve legislation that protects forests and provides real defense against wildfires, not the faux fix of this bill.
Jennifer Normoyle
Hillsborough
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
35 minutes ago
- Fox News
'THIS IS ABSURD': Michele Tafoya Weighs in on Transgender Girls Track Champion
Former longtime NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, now host of The Michele Tafoya Podcast, joined The Guy Benson Show today to push back on the idea that the rarity of trans athletes in women's sports justifies their inclusion, and that calling it unfair, uncompetitive, and saying that the participation is harmful to women does not make you bigoted. Tafoya also blasted Democrats like Gavin Newsom for supporting these policies and took a swipe at her home state Governor Tim Walz, mocking his 'tough guy' act on behalf of Kamala Harris despite his CLEAR failure to help her win the presidency. Listen to the full interview below! Listen to the full interview below: Listen to the full podcast below:
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Search warrant leads to seizure of firearms, 3D printers, drugs in Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WFRV) – A search warrant led to the discovery of several illegal items at the end of May in southeast Wisconsin. According to the Milwaukee Police Department, officers, in conjunction with other personnel assigned to the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, served a search warrant on Milwaukee's north side on May 30. Man arrested after leading Wisconsin deputies on pursuit, getting stuck in field The following items were confiscated as a result of the search: Nine pistol machine gun conversion devices Five rifle auto-sears 16 pistols Three rifles Four rifle suppressors Five pistol suppressors 14 3D printers 16.37 grams of psilocybin mushrooms Man arrested after leading Wisconsin deputies on pursuit, getting stuck in field The HIDTA program, created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides assistance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. For more information on the program, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The easiest way to prevent the next antisemitic attack
Sunday's Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder on a Jewish gathering in support of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza is the latest horrific episode in a record-breaking spike of antisemitism not seen in a generation. The attack — reportedly planned by a lone wolf actor for more than a year — was predictable and preventable in ways that reflect an ongoing failure to stem the spread of antisemitic propaganda and its mobilization to violence. One of the top antisemitic narratives that circulate online is the false idea that ordinary Jews are responsible for the actions of Israel. That is the exact idea that mobilized violence in Sunday's attack, along with the killings of a young couple outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last week and the arson attack against Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's home on the first night of Passover. The Colorado, Pennsylvania and D.C. attackers all justified their violence against Jewish Americans as a response to the state of Israel's actions in Gaza. My research lab at American University, the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL), maps the most emergent, salient and fastest-spreading propaganda and conspiracy theory narratives across a wide range of harmful ideologies as part of our work to create digital literacy tools to educate Americans about manipulative propaganda and bad actors online. The targeting of Jews because of political disagreement about the state of Israel is one of the most dangerous, and fastest-spreading, such narratives. Since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, we have seen global acts of violence and vandalism against Jewish houses of worship and Holocaust memorial sites. Protesters shouted 'baby killers' at drivers near a synagogue in New Jersey, etched or spray-painted antisemitic graffiti at Jewish houses of worship and cemeteries, and made bomb threats against synagogues. Make no mistake: Nonviolent political protest is a hallmark of American freedoms. It is understandable that people want to protest the atrocities in Gaza, which are heartbreaking and nauseating, including the deaths of 27 mostly children gunned down by Israeli soldiers this week for 'straying' from the designated path of a food aid line. But violence is an unacceptable tactic that must be prevented and countered. Blaming Jews for the actions of the Israeli government is both wrong and antisemitic and has led to anxiety among Jewish Americans that 'simply existing in public as a Jewish person is increasingly dangerous.' Our failure to meaningfully address antisemitism as a country has many layers. The Biden administration launched a landmark national strategy to counter antisemitism in 2023, but made little progress on the more than 100 specific actions named. The Trump administration's actions to combat antisemitism have been accused by a coalition of Jewish organizations as eroding democratic norms, and by a group of senators as weaponizing antisemitism in ways that undermine 'legitimate, nonpartisan efforts to combat rising antisemitism.' The biggest failure, though, is also the easiest one to address: the spread of disinformation and propaganda that so clearly motivates and mobilizes violence. Both administrations utterly failed to meaningfully address the spread of disinformation and propaganda online, which makes targeted mass violence more likely. The Biden administration's effort to counter disinformation as part of national security efforts collapsed after just three weeks, following massive circulation of misinformation about its purpose and aims. The Trump administration has decimated federal funding for primary prevention of targeted violence as well as efforts to bolster the kinds of digital and media literacy that help fight online propaganda. These failures fly in the face of what we know about prevention of mass violence: It is preventable if we invest early enough in recognizing warning signs and help people be savvier about the content they consume online. There is strong evidence that people can be dissuaded from believing in harmful online propaganda and conspiracy theories in as little as 30 seconds, just by learning about the manipulative tactics of persuasive bad actors and becoming more skeptical. We also know that communities can be equipped to prevent violence. There is time to prevent harm in almost every case of radicalization — if we intervene early enough. And by now, the signs are more often than not there for anyone who will pay attention. There are simple steps that communities can take, for example, educate people about red flags and warning signs that make it more likely for family members, friends, colleagues, or others to notice behavioral changes or statements that might need to be escalated to authorities for further assessment. The Boulder attacker plotted his attack for more than a year. He learned how to shoot a gun and took a concealed carry class, but after discovering he was ineligible to purchase a gun as a noncitizen, he did online research on how to make Molotov cocktails. Safeguarding Jewish communities will only happen when we invest in the kinds of upstream prevention that would make every one of us safer — including digital and media literacy programming for everyone. Imagine a world where the Boulder attacker, and others like him, are dissuaded from believing propaganda that says ordinary Jews are accountable for the political actions of a state halfway across the world, or that violence is an acceptable response to political disagreement. No one deserves to be targeted for their identity, their religion or the false claim that they are somehow responsible for the actions of a state. Until we address the roots of the propaganda and the spread of disinformation that enables those beliefs, we will continue to see violence and harm like last weekend's horrific attack. This article was originally published on
