Category: Northern California

California Governor Signs Laws Aimed at Ensuring Access to Abortion

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed two laws that are meant to make sure women have access to abortion. California Assembly Bill 1356 boosts penalties for crimes established by the California Freedom of Access to Clinic Act, including posting the home address or home telephone number of abortion providers. The bill elevates the crimes from…


Audit Finds California Regularly Sends Pension Checks to Dead People

An audit of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, America’s largest public pension fund, found regular payments to pensioners well after they died, so much so it’s challenging to get the money back. Around 1,800 CalPERS pensioners die every month, according to a June memorandum from the fund’s Office of Audit Services that recently become…


How to Save American Higher Education From Itself

In American higher education today, the equivalent of the holy trinity consists of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The impact of this pseudo-religion is difficult to overstate. For example, new faculty are often required to sign a loyalty oath pledging their fealty to “diversity,” while administrative positions with “equity” and “diversity” in their titles proliferate. In…


National Demand Makes Monoclonal Antibodies Hard to Get in California

By Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money From Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES—Health officials in California are warning of shortages and distribution problems for a medical treatment that can keep COVID-19 patients from falling critically ill. Monoclonal antibodies have been developed as a treatment for COVID-19. They are thought to be a way to counteract…


Memories of a UC Berkeley Firebrand

During the late fifties, while I was an undergrad at UC Berkeley, a campus with some 20,000 students at that time, I met a fascinating young man who was enrolled at Boalt Hall, the university’s law school. Donald Warden, recent graduate of Howard University, the historically-black institution of higher learning located in Washington, D.C., would…


Silicon Valley Hosts 21st Annual Antique Auto Show

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Polished and vibrantly colored antique cars of all shapes and sizes lined the streets of San Jose’s History Park. Silicon Valley held its 21st Antique Autos in History Park, the largest annual antique car show in the West, on Sept. 19. The show is hosted by members of the Santa Clara Valley Model…


California Prevents Insurance Cancellations on Homes Near Forest Fires

With Northern California fires continuing to burn and devastate structures, the state imposed a mandatory one-year moratorium that prevents homeowner insurance cancellations and non-renewals following an emergency declaration on Sept. 20. Approximately 325,000 policyholders in 22 counties living within the perimeter or in zip codes of a declared wildfire disaster will benefit from the moratorium….


San Francisco Mandates Vaccines for All Airport Workers

SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco is requiring all workers at San Francisco International Airport to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing if employees are exempt. The mandate announced Tuesday applies to all on-site personnel, of which there are about 46,000. Mayor London Breed’s office said the mandate, which goes into effect immediately, is the first…


The World’s Largest Tree Remains Standing Amid Nearby Wildfires

As wildfires continue to run throughout Northern California and the Sequoia National Park, the world’s largest trees remain standing. Earlier last week, officials rushed to cover the base of the 275-foot-tall, 25-foot-wide General Sherman Tree with fire-resistant material as the upstate blaze threatened its stability. As of Sept. 19, Southern Area Blue Team’s Operations Section…


San Francisco Mayor Responds to Criticism After Violating Her Own COVID Mask Mandate

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who was seen apparently breaking her own administration’s COVID-19 masking rules last week at a nightclub, responded to the criticism over the move, which some felt was hypocritical. Breed, a Democrat, told local media outlets that attention should not be directed at her for breaking the mask rules but rather…