Latest news with #Tangipa
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Could California see the end of conjugal visits at state prisons amid deaths of women?
( — California is one of only five states in the U.S. that allow conjugal visits within the prison system, but after two recent deaths, could that soon be a thing of the past? Conjugal visits, also known as 'family visits,' are for incarcerated persons and occur in private, apartment-like facilities on prison grounds. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, they last about 30 to 40 hours and allow inmates to spend time with their parents, children, siblings, and most commonly, legal spouses. During visits with spouses, sexual relations are allowed. Camping World location closes amid controversy over flying American flag According to the U.S. Department of Justice, besides California, the only states in the country that allow conjugal visits are New York, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Minnesota. However, with two recent deaths of women during the specialized visits, talks of putting an end to them in the Golden State are underway. 'This bad policy has led to the death of 2 women killed while visiting unsupervised,' said Assemblymember David Tangipa. 'My office is committed to fight for normal, protect lives, and get rid of insane laws in California.' Popular Sacramento brewery abruptly closes all three of its area locations amid lawsuit The two women Tangipa referred to are 47-year-old Tania Thomas and 62-year-old Stephanie Brinson, who died during conjugal visits in Northern California. Both of them were allegedly strangled to death. Thomas died in July 2024, and Brinson died in November 2024. At the time, Thomas' domestic partner, Anthony Curry, 48, was already serving a life sentence for attempted second-degree murder. Brinson's husband, David Brinson, 54, was also serving a life sentence for murder. 'Prisoners serving life without parole get date nights, condoms, and up to four days unsupervised—On Your Dime,' Tangipa said. He is working on legislation to put an end to conjugal visits in California. 'If you are a murderer, why would you get the option to visit with your family? When I think about the victim's family who will never get the option to see their family member again,' Tangipa said in an interview with CBS47/KSEE 24. 'I think this is irresponsible. I think murderers need 24-hour supervision. I think they should not have conjugal visits. They have not earned it.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Author of California child sex trafficking bill forced to exclude felony charge for buyers of teen victims
A California human trafficking bill to combat child sex trafficking is being gutted with the reluctant agreement of the bill's author to remove a provision that targets consumers in an effort to get the legislation passed. State Assemblywoman Maggy Krell, a Democrat, agreed to remove a clause from Assembly Bill 379 that states buyers of 16 and 17-year-olds for sex would face felony charges, leaving the solicitation of those minors by adults to be treated as a misdemeanor. "In order to get a hearing on the bill, we were forced to remove the piece of the bill that ensures the crime of purchasing a minor for sex applies in all cases where the victim is under the age of 18," Krell told Fox News Digital. Harvey Weinstein's Team Stresses Sex Crime Retrial Could Lead To Death, Requests Hospital Stay "I wholeheartedly disagree with that amendment," she added. "This has been my life's work and I will continue to partner with sex trafficking survivors and law enforcement to ensure all minors are protected from the horrors of sex trafficking." Krell noted that the bill still criminalizes "the creeps who are loitering to buy teenagers for sex and sets up a fund to help victims. Those will be powerful tools in the fight against sex trafficking — it's a good start." Read On The Fox News App California Assembly Republicans quickly criticized Democrats over the change. "Why are some @AssemblyDems planning to cut felony charges for adults who buy 16- and 17-year-olds for sex?," California Assembly Republicans posted on X. "There are no excuses. Protect the kids. Not the predators." Earlier, media reports stated that lawmakers wanted to hold off on the bill and possibly hold information hearings on the issue in the fall. The bill came together after older teens were left out of a state law that went into effect this year that makes it a felony to purchase a child, ages 15 and younger for sex. Last year, California State Sen. Shannon Grove authored a bill that made it illegal to buy minors for sex, but it excluded 16 and 17 year-olds. Son Of Suspected Would-be Trump Assassin Arrested On Child Porn Charges Currently, traffickers, not the buyers, face the harshest consequences when convicted of trafficking anyone under 18. AB 379 faced a key deadline this Friday and was dropped from the Public Safety Committee agenda for Tuesday's meeting. State Rep. David Tangipa, a Republican, said the move was a way to kill a bill that lawmakers don't want to be heard. If Krell didn't want to accept the amendment, then the committee chair, Rep. Nick Schultz, would have discretion over whether the legislation should be heard, Tangipa said. "Apparently, what they want to do is remove the 16 and 17-year-old portion of the bill and then just increase penalties and fines," Tangipa, who has a relative who was previously trafficked, told Fox News Digital. "What that actually sounds like is just California participating in the prostitution and the trafficking themselves." Fox News has reached out to Schultz's office and the state Democrats. In a post on X, the California Republican Party criticized the state Democratic Party, saying that it was "sad and disgusting that this is even a debate over at the pro-criminal" article source: Author of California child sex trafficking bill forced to exclude felony charge for buyers of teen victims
Fox News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Author of California child sex trafficking bill forced to exclude felony charge for buyers of teen victims
A California human trafficking bill to combat child sex trafficking is being gutted with the reluctant agreement of the bill's author to remove a provision that targets consumers in an effort to get the legislation passed. State Assemblywoman Maggy Krell, a Democrat, agreed to remove a clause from Assembly Bill 379 that states buyers of 16 and 17-year-olds for sex would face felony charges, leaving the solicitation of those minors by adults to be treated as a misdemeanor. "In order to get a hearing on the bill, we were forced to remove the piece of the bill that ensures the crime of purchasing a minor for sex applies in all cases where the victim is under the age of 18," Krell told Fox News Digital. "I wholeheartedly disagree with that amendment," she added. "This has been my life's work and I will continue to partner with sex trafficking survivors and law enforcement to ensure all minors are protected from the horrors of sex trafficking." Krell noted that the bill still criminalizes "the creeps who are loitering to buy teenagers for sex and sets up a fund to help victims. Those will be powerful tools in the fight against sex trafficking — it's a good start." California Assembly Republicans quickly criticized Democrats over the change. "Why are some @AssemblyDems planning to cut felony charges for adults who buy 16- and 17-year-olds for sex?," California Assembly Republicans posted on X. "There are no excuses. Protect the kids. Not the predators." Earlier, media reports stated that lawmakers wanted to hold off on the bill and possibly hold information hearings on the issue in the fall. The bill came together after older teens were left out of a state law that went into effect this year that makes it a felony to purchase a child, ages 15 and younger for sex. Last year, California State Sen. Shannon Grove authored a bill that made it illegal to buy minors for sex, but it excluded 16 and 17 year-olds. Currently, traffickers, not the buyers, face the harshest consequences when convicted of trafficking anyone under 18. AB 379 faced a key deadline this Friday and was dropped from the Public Safety Committee agenda for Tuesday's meeting. State Rep. David Tangipa, a Republican, said the move was a way to kill a bill that lawmakers don't want to be heard. If Krell didn't want to accept the amendment, then the committee chair, Rep. Nick Schultz, would have discretion over whether the legislation should be heard, Tangipa said. "Apparently, what they want to do is remove the 16 and 17-year-old portion of the bill and then just increase penalties and fines," Tangipa, who has a relative who was previously trafficked, told Fox News Digital. "What that actually sounds like is just California participating in the prostitution and the trafficking themselves." Fox News has reached out to Schultz's office and the state Democrats. In a post on X, the California Republican Party criticized the state Democratic Party, saying that it was "sad and disgusting that this is even a debate over at the pro-criminal" Democrats.
Politico
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Katie Porter gets in
Presented by DRIVING THE DAY — Former Rep. Katie Porter is officially entering the 2026 governor's race, shaking up a field that is still bracing for the possible entrance of former VP Kamala Harris. Our Melanie Mason has more. THE BUZZ: SHADES OF RED — California's small but growing Assembly Republican Caucus is navigating stark divisions over style and strategy that could determine whether it capitalizes on electoral momentum or fades into irrelevance. Tasked with managing the internal tensions is pugilistic Leader James Gallagher, who remains popular by straddling the caucus' left and right flanks but is unable to run for Legislature again in 2026 due to term limits. Preliminary discussions about who will succeed Gallagher — and when — are intensifying private debates over which approach statehouse Republicans should take. 'The debate is this: Are we supposed to be this obstructionist party that tries to bomb the Dems at every opportunity, or a small but powerful caucus that has the sway to swing votes,' said a person intimately familiar with the caucus' internal debates. Part of it is a generational divide. One bloc would prefer a greener leader such as freshman Assemblymember David Tangipa or fellow rookie Alexandra Macedo, who could serve for a decade-plus, while others would like to elect a seasoned member such as Heath Flora, Gallagher's No. 2. Senior members 'have that institutional, 'Hey, we tried all the fighting stuff that you guys did, and we got completely shellacked to the point where the super minority is so beat up,'' Tangipa told Playbook. 'We just want to be a little bit more outspoken … and that's just two different ideological mindsets based off of our lived experience.' 'There may be tension here and there,' Tangipa added. Some disagreements are over policy — whether to focus on gender issues in schools or pocketbook concerns like gas prices, for instance — but the vast majority are over strategic decisions. One example was a letter that eight outspoken members sent to the Senate ethics committee asking for an investigation into state Sen. Susan Rubio's alleged role in a cannabis bribery scheme. (Rubio has not been charged with a crime and has denied wrongdoing.) Gallagher joined them in signing on, a move that could be seen as him placating the party's right wing. The caucus is also split over when to find a replacement. Some members would prefer to start whipping votes within the next couple of months while others say Gallagher should serve out his entire term as leader. Gallagher demurred when asked when planning for the transition of power should begin. 'I trust that process,' Gallagher told Playbook. 'When it comes, I will help whoever that new person is transition, because I think what's really important for us is that we just keep what we've got going.' The priority and tradition of the caucus is to find someone in a safe seat with strong fundraising prowess. That would rule out many moderates in battleground districts, but could include someone closer to the ideological middle of the party, such as second-term Assemblymember Kate Sanchez. Less likely is someone on the right flank, such as Assemblymember Bill Essayli, or Carl DeMaio, who is publicly critical of the California GOP's fundraising techniques and organization and has founded his own group to fundraise for battleground members. 'I have no temperament or charm to be leader. I'm not interested in it,' DeMaio said. 'I know where my strong suit is, and that certainly is not it.' Others are tellingly leaving the door open for themselves to make calls in search of the leadership post. 'If there's anything that I can do, whether it is leading or not, whether it's following and listening,' Tangipa said, 'I just hope that the next leader has that same passion.' Gallagher, for his part, projected confidence in the contenders as well as unity within his 20-member group. 'The divisions seem to be much greater in the Democratic Caucus,' he said. 'I don't think it's been as difficult on our end, because I think we know what we're about.' DON'T MISS: REPUBLICAN LOOK AHEAD — Blake will moderate a panel on the future of the California GOP today at the UC Student and Policy Center in Sacramento. He'll be joined by Assemblymembers Carl DeMaio, Josh Hoover and David Tangipa and state Sens. Suzette Martinez Valladares and Roger Niello. Register here for the Sac Press Club luncheon, which will run from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. CAMPAIGN YEAR(S) FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: CARRILLO'S COMEBACK — Former Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo is about to launch a bid for outgoing state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo's seat, preparing to seek a return to the Legislature after forfeiting her seat last year to try and oust then-City Council member Kevin de León. In a brief interview, Carrillo stressed basic quality-of-life issues like a prohibitive cost of living after an election that showed 'voters have lost confidence in Democrats.' She tellingly placed less emphasis on big swings at volatile issues like immigration, despite having repeatedly sought in the Assembly to shield more criminally convicted immigrants from deportation (the type of push Gov. Gavin Newsom has already swatted down), calling it a 'yes, and' issue. Carrillo will have competition. Los Angeles Community College District Trustee Sara Hernandez also jumped into the rapidly developing field, opening with a launch video that stressed high costs and public safety. As we reported last week, Durazo is set to run for Los Angeles supervisor. — Jeremy B. White NOT JOSHING AROUND — A local Democratic party official complained in a letter to Newsom that one of the governor's top aides, Josh Fryday, used state social media channels and websites to elevate his profile before announcing his bid for lieutenant governor. Eugene Fields, a regional vice chair in Orange County, sent the complaint to Newsom, alleging that Fryday promoted himself on Instagram and Facebook profiles that were also used for official content. He included a screenshot in which the Instagram account for the California Volunteers, which Fryday heads, reacted with heart emojis to Fryday's campaign announcement. 'Josh takes immense pride in building and continuing to run the nation's largest state service force while maintaining clear boundaries between his official duties and campaign activities,' a spokesperson for Fryday's campaign said in a statement. 'Josh Fryday's campaign will continue to focus on lowering the cost of living by making it easier to build in California, accelerating the clean energy transition, and creating service and job pathways for every Californian.' NEWSOMLAND TLDR: EPISODE TWO — Newsom debuted the second episode of his podcast on Monday, featuring Michael Savage, the conservative radio personality. Unlike his incendiary first episode with Charlie Kirk, Newsom's conversation with Savage was relatively low-key — well, in the sense that it won't make national headlines or upend the California Democratic Party's status quo on transgender rights. The two also reminisced on their decadeslong relationship and shared love of San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. Three highlights: 1) On Savage's former nickname for Newsom Newsom: 'I was joking with Trump the other day in the Oval Office. I said, 'You know, you calling me Newscum is not novel. Savage had a version of that early on when I was mayor.'' The radio host said he adopted the nickname — 'any twosome Newsom' — after Newsom began granting gay marriage licenses at San Francisco City Hall in 2004. Shortly afterward, Savage recalled running into Newsom's late father, the retired Judge William Newsom, at a restaurant in North Beach. Savage: 'And I said, 'Judge, your son just made the biggest career error of his life. He's finished.' And he said, 'You know, I agree with you.' Well, guess what, we were both wrong.' 2) On the governor's relationship with Trump Newsom: 'We're getting along, Trump and I, we spent an hour and a half…' Savage, interjecting: 'How can you ask him for $300 billion dollars to rebuild California and spend $50 million attacking him?' Newsom: 'We didn't spend $50 million attacking. We hope we don't use a penny of it … So look, we didn't put that money up to go after, proactively, Trump. We're doing it to protect Ronald Reagan's leadership at the California Air Resources Board.' 3) On rebuilding Los Angeles after the fires Newsom: 'I'm not looking to upzone the Palisades. We're not looking to make this sort of developer friendly. In fact, I waived the Coastal Act and I waived CEQA, which is our environmental reforms, to allow people to rebuild like units.' FOR GOOD MEASURE VOTER ID KICKS OFF — DeMaio and Essayli are forming a coalition and committee called Californians for Voter ID in an effort to qualify an initiative for the 2026 ballot. The measure would, 'at a minimum,' require California residents to present government-issued identification when voting and add some type of citizenship verification to obtain voter registration. 'The message from the public is loud and clear in support of requiring Voter ID as the best way to restore public trust and confidence in our elections,' DeMaio said in the announcement. According to a release, the coalition includes 'a number of federal, state and local elected officials,' along with unnamed political advocacy groups. Political consultant Julie Luckey, Orange County conservative Teresa Hernandez and Rep. Ken Calvert, a Republican representing the Inland Empire, are also quoted in support of the measure along with the two assemblymembers. DeMaio has been fundraising off the back of a potential voter ID initiative for months through his grassroots organization Reform California, and has tried to advance a similar measure in previous cycles. Although the coalition hasn't detailed any specific language for their proposed initiative this time around, it likely would be modeled on parallel voter ID legislation introduced by DeMaio and Essayli in late February. — Will McCarthy SILICON VALLEY A VALLEY APART — Assemblymember Alex Lee and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, both prominent Democrats from Santa Clara County, are feuding on X over the mayor's striking proposal to arrest homeless residents who refuse shelter. Lee kicked off the jabfest with a tweet that labeled Mahan's plan 'immoral, ineffective, and stupid,' arguing it embraces a false conservative narrative that homelessness is a choice. Mahan fired back with a chippy post over the weekend: 'Leaving people to live and die on our streets is immoral, ineffective and stupid.' He argued that allowing treatment and shelter to be purely voluntary is inhumane because many people aren't well enough to make rational choices. Lee, who chairs the Legislature's progressive caucus, kept the banter going with a string of posts on Monday. He argued that Mahan's approach creates a 'false dichotomy' between arresting homeless people or allowing them to suffer on the streets, and he suggested the city hasn't done enough to offer housing to those who want it. 'Let's not pretend we've solved this and only those who refuse (and there's lots of valid reasons to refuse) are the last homeless people left,' Lee quipped. Mahan replied that he's 'not criminalizing homelessness' and is only calling for arresting people who repeatedly refuse shelter or housing. Lee says potato, Mahan says potahto. But the spat speaks to a growing ideological chasm emerging between Democrats in Silicon Valley. Lee hails from the deep-blue region's progressive movement, while Mahan is a so-called 'new Democrat,' a tech-aligned moderate quick to question his own party's thinking on issues like crime and homelessness. ON THE HILL WILDFIRELY UNHELPFUL — Democratic pushback to the GOP's budget plan has focused on how it empowers Elon Musk's slashing DOGE operation. Rep. Mike Levin added a line of attack yesterday, lambasting the bill for omitting wildlife recovery funding days after the entire California delegation united behind an aid ask. 'This bill fails our communities,' the San Diego Democrat and Appropriations Committee member said in a statement. — Jeremy B. White WATER WARS — Levin is also piling onto Democratic criticism of Trump's order to dump 2 billion gallons of water that ultimately wasted some of the resource. He's leading a letter, which will be sent this morning to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, calling for an accounting of what happened when the Army Corps of Engineers released the flow. Other California Democrats have been railing against the move since January. CLIMATE AND ENERGY INTO THE BIN — Newsom sided on Friday with plastics, retail and farming groups over environmentalists and a dozen state lawmakers in hitting restart on draft rules to cut back on plastic waste, citing costs. Already, the decision is reverberating in a statehouse across the country and reviving talks of an anti-plastics ballot measure. Read more about what happened and what's next in last night's California Climate. Top Talkers TRUE CRIME — Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed a motion to rescind former District Attorney George Gascón's request to resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez, the Los Angeles Times reports. In the motion, Hochman outlines that he does not believe the brothers have taken full responsibility for their actions. 'The Menendez brothers have continued to lie for over 30 years about their self-defense — that is, their purported actual fear that their mother and their father were going to kill them the night of the murders,' he wrote. He says that if the brothers admit fault and acknowledge their 'lies of self-defense,' then his office could reconsider. A judge is still expected to hear the brothers' resentencing request. THINKING AHEAD — Orange County Supervisors Doug Chaffee and Vicente Sarmiento want to remind the public that U.S. citizen children have rights, regardless of their parent's immigration status, and ask if the county is ready to care for those who are separated from their families, The Orange County Register reports. 'It is simply a reality that children separated from their parents could be left without any support and will require the intervention from the county to ensure their well-being,' Chaffee said in a statement. A proposed resolution from the two supervisors would ask county agencies to assess their readiness to address family separation and report back to the board. AROUND THE STATE — In the California Legislature, only 11 of the 2,278 bills filed by last week's deadline had Republicans and Democrats as joint lead authors, a CalMatters analysis finds. (CalMatters) — Tech leaders say that Silicon Valley's rising home prices are limiting their ability to grow locally. (Mercury News) — Wickey Two Hands awaits trial in Fresno County, where he will be prosecuted over an anti-camping ordinance adopted by the city council in September. (Fresno Bee) — compiled by Nicole Norman PLAYBOOKERS BIRTHDAYS — consultant Drexel Heard … Courtni Pugh, partner at Hilltop Public Solutions … Nick Shapiro … Rupert Murdoch … Apple's Madeline Broas … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Monday): Irene Villarruz with the Assembly Budget Committee … Rick Rubin … (was Saturday): Jared Morgenstern … Emma Brodie (was Friday): Preston Romero of the Log Cabin Republicans Sacramento WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
