Edward Ring, co-founder of the conservative nonprofit California Policy Center :“I don’t think you can stereotype the voters who are feeling alienated and frustrated by the policies coming out of Sacramento.”
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A spokesperson for Siebel Newsom told my colleague Laurel Rosenhall: “What is being alleged is a complete fabrication. It’s disappointing but not surprising to see political opponents launch these false attacks just days before the election. Their (McGowan and Siebel Newsom’s) limited correspondence has been strictly as fellow survivors of sexual assault and in Jennifer’s former capacity leading the Representation Project, an organization that fights limiting gender stereotypes and norms.”
Lawmakers passed bills to overhaul the state’s beleaguered unemployment department , pay people struggling with drug addiction to stay sober , make it easier for terminally ill patients to end their own lives , remove mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes , reform conservatorship laws , prevent police from blocking journalists covering protests and demonstrations, hold fashion brands liable for fair wages, return prime beachfront property to descendants of the Black couple who built the resort and require many local governments to continue allowing residents to access meetings remotely . They also approved billions of dollars for wildfire and drought prevention .Legislators also passed a bill that would decriminalize loitering with the intent to commit prostitution — but the author, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, took the rare step of blocking it from being sent to Newsom’s desk until January 2022.
Energy. The Biden administration on Friday approved an emergency request from the manager of California’s electric grid to run some gas-powered plants at full capacity this fall, even if it means exceeding air-pollution limits. It’s the state’s latest attempt to stave off rolling blackouts: Newsom, who already suspended certain environmental requirements, is also offering to reimburse industrial customers for reducing energy use .Drought. With the state slashing water allocations for thousands of farmers , many have accepted the inevitable: They will have to learn how to grow crops that need less water. But will science and technology — such as wifi-connected orchards — move quickly enough to offer the solutions they need to survive? CalMatters’ Julie Cart takes a look .Fire. Around 1,100 lightning strikes hit the state Thursday night, sparking fires in Northern California and temporarily closing the entrance to Sequoia National Park , while parts of Southern California were under shelter-in-place warnings for flash floods, rock falls and mudslides . On Friday, Newsom requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster recovery from the Caldor Fire, which quieted enough over the weekend for some evacuations to lift . Meanwhile, the Route Fire ignited near Castaic on Saturday, temporarily closing Interstate 5 in both directions . And the monstrous Dixie Fire, which continues to force new evacuations, is nearing 1 million acres — and the title of the largest blaze in state history.
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