Latest news with #RosilicieOchoaBogh
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill to protect pets from stalkers moves forward in California Legislature
A bill that would allow prosecutors to charge stalkers who threaten a victim's pet, service animal, or horse is moving forward in the California Legislature. Senate Bill 221, introduced by Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), passed the Senate floor with unanimous support and now heads to the Assembly. Under current law, stalking includes threats that cause a person to fear for their own safety or the safety of immediate family members. SB 221 would amend California Penal Code Section 646.9 to also include credible threats made against a person's animals. Trump threatens California with heavy 'fines' over trans athlete's victories at CIF finals 'Stalkers often use pets as a way to terrorize their victims, and California law has largely ignored this issue,' Ochoa Bogh said in a statement. 'With the introduction of SB 221, we aim to put an end to this. Threatening to harm an animal in order to control or intimidate someone is a form of psychological abuse and should have consequences.' Stalking affects millions of Americans each year. Data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey shows that one in three women and one in six men in the U.S. have experienced stalking. Advocates say pets are frequently used as tools of coercion and fear. According to a National Crime Victimization Survey, 40% of stalkers threaten not just victims but also their families, friends, co-workers, or animals. More than 87,000 stalking cases involving threats against pets have been reported. If enacted, SB 221 would allow those convicted of stalking under the expanded definition to face up to one year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or longer prison terms for more serious or repeated offenses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
21-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
California's controversial new fuel rules rejected by state legal office
In a surprising twist, California's controversial new fuel standard — a key part of its effort to replace fossil fuels — has been rejected by the state agency that reviews the legality of state regulations. The fuel standard enacted by the Air Resources Board last year was the subject of a rancorous debate, largely because it will potentially increase the price of gasoline and diesel fuels by an unknown amount. The rules were rejected by the state Office of Administrative Law, a state agency whose mandate is to ensure 'regulations are clear, necessary, legally valid, and available to the public.' The law office informed the air board that the rule does not conform with a provision in state code that requires 'clarity' in rulemaking 'so that the meaning of regulations will be easily understood by those persons directly affected by them.' The air board said it would review the order and then resubmit the rules, which would be required within 120 days. Any substantial changes, however, would require a delay, including a public comment period. The low carbon fuels program, which offers financial incentives to companies to produce cleaner transportation fuels, aims to help transition the state away from fossil fuels that contribute to smog and other air pollution and greenhouse gases that warm the planet. The program, which has existed since 2011, is a $2-billion credit trading system that requires fuels sold in California to become progressively cleaner, while giving companies financial incentives to produce less-polluting fuels, such as biofuels made from soybeans or cow manure. In an initial assessment released in 2023, the air board projected that the new rules could potentially raise the price of diesel by 59 cents per gallon and gasoline by 47 cents. But air board officials later disavowed that estimate, saying that the analysis 'should not be misconstrued as a prediction of the future credit price nor as a direct impact on prices at the pump. ' A report by the University of Pennsylvania's Kleinman Center for Energy Policy predicted that the fuel standard changes could increase the cost of gas by 85 cents a gallon through 2030. Republican legislators, who protested the rule and introduced a bill to repeal it, applauded the law office's decision to reject them. 'Families in this state are already grappling with soaring living costs, and a gas price hike of 65 cents or more will only deepen their financial strain,' Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, a Republican from Redlands, said in a statement. 'It's deeply frustrating that the governor's administration ignored calls for reconsideration from the start.' Supporters say the new rules are necessary to keep California on track for its ambitious climate goals, including net-zero emissions by 2045. But critics have warned that the new standards could push gas prices even higher in a state where drivers already pay some of the highest fuel costs in the nation. ___
