Latest news with #CaliforniaLegislature
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Scientists issue warning over troubling new threat facing historic US landmark: 'Something we should be worried about'
Though Alcatraz is known as one of the most notorious jails and iconic landmarks in U.S. history, its location may soon be a thing of the past. Because of rising global temperatures and melting ice sheets in the Arctic, California's coast could experience massive sea level rise in the near future. According to a report by the California Legislature's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor, the Pacific Ocean could rise by around half a foot by 2030 and around seven feet by 2100. "Periodic events like storms and high tides will produce even higher water levels and increase the risk of flooding," the report reads. "Rising seas will also erode coastal cliffs, dunes, and beaches, which will affect shorefront structures and recreation." Specifically, areas such as Alcatraz face a significant threat in the San Francisco Bay. The island's shoreline is susceptible to increased erosion and flooding, which could impact buildings and ecosystems. Scientists and conservationists have been working to monitor and mitigate these effects through 3D mapping and other strategies. After 29 years of operation, the federal penitentiary at Alcatraz closed in 1963 because of high operational costs. President Donald Trump has recently said he wants to see it reopened, but since then, the island has not only become an in-demand attraction for over a million tourists a year, but it is home to a variety of wildlife as well. Alcatraz has developed into a haven, particularly for birds, because of its isolation and unique habitat. It's a popular spot for viewing colonial nesting of birds such as cormorants, gulls, night herons, and egrets. However, rising sea levels have led to the potential of habitat loss for many of these birds. "There are portions of the island that are eroding, and with this pinpoint in time we'll be able to do future scans and see what has changed and what parts of the island has had more impacts than others," Golden Gate National Recreation Area archeologist Peter Gavette told CBS News. "Sea level rise is something we should be worried about, the impacts that we will have on our coastal communities," Gavette added. In order to better forecast the impacts of sea level rise at Alcatraz, scientists have deployed 3D mapping of the island in order to evaluate which locations are most at risk of erosion. Pete Kelsey, owner of VCTO Labs and a member of the 3D mapping team, says that the technology has become a useful tool to raise awareness of the dangers of sea level rise. "We know what's coming," Kelsey told CBS. "So, the 3D map is not only immersive and engaging but it pertains to the broader conversation about sea level rise." Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Besides increasing the threat of sea level rise, rising global temperatures have also brought more frequent and severe extreme weather events to communities all around the world. The installation of solar panels, paired with a battery system, can make your home more resilient to extended power outages while also bringing your cost of energy down to near $0. EnergySage provides a free service that makes it easy to compare quotes from vetted local installers and save you up to $10,000 on a solar installation. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Epoch Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
California Bill Would Broaden Discrimination Protections in Schools
A committee in the California Legislature will consider a bill on May 21 that seeks to strengthen and broaden existing discrimination protections in K–12 schools to target anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Under The bill, introduced by Democratic Assembly members Rick Chavez Zbur of Los Angeles and Dawn Addis of San Luis Obispo, would also establish a state anti-Semitism coordinator who would ensure schools and staff, including contractors, are in compliance with existing anti-discrimination laws. To address specific forms of discrimination, the bill expands the definition of 'nationality' to include a person's actual or perceived shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics, or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity. It also explicitly defines religious discrimination to include anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, aiming to provide clearer protections against these forms of bias. It also prohibits schools from adopting, approving, or allowing any content in their teaching materials if its use would subject a student to unlawful discrimination. The bill unanimously passed the Assembly Education Committee on May 14 and will next be heard by the Appropriations Committee. Related Stories 5/19/2025 5/17/2025 Zbur, a member of the California Jewish Legislative Caucus, says the bill lays the framework to address a rise in anti-Semitism in schools. 'Jewish and all students deserve to be safe, affirmed and respected in our schools and communities,' Zbur said in a AB 715 is co-authored by the chairs of the other Ethnic caucuses, including the Black, Latino, Asian, and Pacific Islander caucuses. Zbur and Addis withdrew a similar piece of legislation last week that failed to gain ground in the Legislature. Assembly Bill 1468 had called for creating academic standards that would have laid out what could and couldn't be taught in mandatory ethnic studies courses. Opponents of AB 1468 and AB 715, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said the bill amounted to censorship and threatened academic freedom. 'AB 1468 was a blatant attempt to undermine Ethnic Studies and silence Palestinian narratives,' the CEO of CAIR's California Chapter, Hussam Ayloush, said in a The decision to replace AB 1468 was the result of collaboration with the other ethnic caucuses and aims to take a broader focus on discrimination that would apply to all schoolwork, not just ethnic studies, said lawmakers. In Since Oct. 7, 2023, when the Hamas terrorist group launched a land, sea, and air attack on Israel, tensions have increased among the Israelis and Palestinians amid the subsequent war in Gaza, especially on U.S. The U.S. Department of Education has in recent months On March 7, the department, along with the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration,
San Francisco Chronicle
10-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
California Dems keep using the same plan for political failure. Are they done being embarrassed?
Over the past several years, Democrats in the California Legislature seem to have developed a bizarre, five-point political playbook that goes something like this: Take a highly unpopular stance that's almost impossible to defend or coherently explain to average voters and residents. Face severe public pushback. Double down on that stance. Face even more severe public pushback. Battered and humiliated, reverse course and adopt the very same policy they'd argued so fiercely against. The latest about-face happened Tuesday, when Democratic leaders of the California Assembly backtracked on their opposition to a proposal to strengthen penalties for offenders who purchase 16- and 17-year-olds for sex. Last week, Assembly Democrats overwhelmingly voted to strip AB379, by Assembly Member Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento, of its key provision: strengthening punishments to match those for offenders convicted of purchasing kids 15 and younger for sex. Democrats then inserted amendments that vaguely promised to 'adopt the strongest laws to protect 16- and 17-year-old victims.' Of course, the strongest law would have been passing Krell's original bill. Legislative leaders not only didn't do that, but they also ignored strong pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom to do so. Predictably, severe public backlash ensued. Also predictably, Democrats backed down. They now plan to amend AB379 to impose felony penalties for adult offenders convicted of soliciting sex from 16- and 17-year-olds — as long as they're at least three years older than the minor, according to an outline of the deal Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas' office shared with me. (If the adult offender is less than three years older than the minor, the crime would still be classified as a misdemeanor.) The bill also creates a state grant program to help district attorneys streamline the prosecution of human trafficking. Krell is also being reinstated as a bill co-author after Assembly Democrats stripped her name from its original version. This bill recognizes what should long have been obvious: that buying minors for sex is an egregious and horrific crime, regardless of whether the kids are 15 or 17. And it takes a far more common-sense approach to resolving some Democrats' concerns that young adults in romantic relationships with minors (i.e., in a high-school relationship) could inadvertently be targeted. So why did legislators expend so much political capital dying on a hill they couldn't defend for more than a week — when a far more rational alternative was readily available? That remains to be seen. It's also unclear if they've learned anything. The state Senate still has to sign off on the bill if it clears the Assembly, where it's scheduled for a hearing Wednesday. Are Democrats ready to get to the serious business of improving outcomes in California? Or will they continue to give Republicans and other critics easy political ammunition to portray them as out-of-touch ideologues? After all, Democrats have been here before. In 2023, the Assembly Public Safety Committee killed a bill authored by state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, to classify human trafficking of minors as a 'serious' felony. The committee's reasoning? Such crimes could already be considered 'serious' if additional offenses had been committed — such as inflicting great bodily injury on the child victim. That absurd rationale sparked immediate backlash and left Democrats in damage control mode. Newsom and Rivas raced to intervene, and Grove's bill was revived and signed into law. Then, in 2024, Democrats embarked on a series of convoluted maneuvers — each more nonsensical than the last — in a failed attempt to head off a proposed November ballot measure to overhaul portions of Proposition 47, the controversial 2014 measure that lightened penalties for some drug and theft crimes. First, Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, floated a mob-like proposal to kill their own public-safety legislative package if voters approved the proposed ballot measure, later dubbed Prop 36. But their nakedly transparent effort to force the measure's proponents to withdraw it from the ballot alienated both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and Rivas and McGuire ultimately sacked the plan. This prompted Newsom to introduce his own last-ditch proposal for a competing ballot measure to reform Prop 47, even though Newsom, Rivas and McGuire had repeatedly said Prop 47 didn't need any changes. Knowing the proposal faced an uphill battle in the Legislature, Newsom proposed manipulating an arcane election procedure to circumvent the two-thirds super majority required to place it on the ballot and instead allow it to be passed with a simple majority. Less than 48 hours later, however, Newsom scrapped the proposal, stating that lawmakers couldn't reach a consensus on proposed amendments by the ballot deadline. To the surprise of absolutely no one who had set foot in California in recent years and had sensed voters' mounting frustrations with crime, Prop 36 passed with more than 68% of the vote. In all of these examples, Democrats have spent significant time, energy and resources fighting against what most Californians clearly view as common sense. In all of these cases, they've been forced to retreat with their tail between their legs. Does anyone know what kind of political strategy this is? Because it sure doesn't make any sense to me. Emily Hoeven is a columnist and editorial writer for the Opinion section.
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'May the 4th be with you': How Google celebrated Star Wars day
It started 'a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....' and is now celebrated by . Observed globally on May 4th each year, Star Wars Day is a yearly celebration of George Lucas's iconic Star Wars saga. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now For fans across the world, this day has become a special occasion, deeply linked with the popular phrase 'May the Fourth be with you.' How Star Wars Day celebrations began This date-specific pun, cleverly derived from the series' renowned line, "May the Force be with you," has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. On this day, enthusiasts, cultural organisations, and even businesses participate in various festivities to honor the enduring legacy of Star Wars. The playful twist 'May the 4th be with you' gained traction among fans in the years following the 1977 debut of the first Star Wars film. Interestingly, the phrase even found its way into a British political advertisement in 1979, celebrating Margaret Thatcher's victory as Prime Minister on May 4th of that year. While May 4th has become the widely recognized Star Wars Day, some dedicated fans consider May 25th, the original release date of the first film, as the true official celebration. The Los Angeles City Council even declared May 25th as Star Wars Day in 2007. However, in 2019, the California Legislature officially designated May 4th as Star Wars Day. Google has a 'Star Wars' surprise for fans Google has also jumped on Star Wars Day celebrations. When you go to Google and type 'Star Wars', confetti in the shape of R2-D2, Yoda, C-3PO, Darth Vader, and more characters fall from the top of the screens. Three buttons slide up from the bottom, giving users the option to quit, unleash more confetti, or share the experience with friends and family. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This year, the day is being celebrated both big and small. Disney+ is marking the occasion with the launch of a new series, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, while the second season of another fan-favorite, Andor, is also getting underway.
New Indian Express
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Here's why fans celebrate 'Star Wars Day' worldwide on May 4th
'It didn't begin a long time ago or in a galaxy far far away, but every May 4 it feels like images, memes and promotional deals involving 'Star Wars' have an inescapable gravity. May 4 — or May the 4th, as fans say — has evolved over the years into 'Star Wars Day', an informal holiday celebrating the space epic and its surrounding franchise. What is 'Star Wars' Day? 'Star Wars Day' was created by fans as a sly nod to one of the films' most popular catchphrases, 'May the force be with you.' Get it? Good, now May the 4th be with you too. It's not an official holiday but has become so well-known that even former President Joe Biden marked it last year when 'Star Wars' actor Mark Hamill dropped by the White House a day beforehand. 'I think it's a very clever way for fans to celebrate their passion and love for 'Star Wars' once a year,' said Steve Sansweet, founder and executive chairman of Rancho Obi-Wan, a nonprofit museum in California that has the world's largest collection of 'Star Wars' memorabilia. How did it begin? The phrase 'May the 4th be with you' was used by fans in the years after the first film was released in 1977, and even appeared in a British political ad in 1979 celebrating Margaret Thatcher's victory as prime minister on May 4 that year. For some fans, the official 'Star Wars Day' comes on May 25, the date of the first film's release. The Los Angeles City Council even declared the date to be Star Wars Day in 2007, although the California Legislature voted in 2019 to designate May 4 as 'Star Wars Day'.
