The California Review

06/09/2023

"If the dairy industry is so environmentally benign, what’s the beef with cows? Without them, we’re left with “meat” produced from tumors in industrial laboratories and “milk” alternatives from genetically modified monocrops grown at corporate farms. Instead of waging war on cows, environmentalists should be championing the cause of the small farmer."

According to a new study from University of California, Davis researchers, California dairies are set to be climate neutral — contributing no additional warming to the atmosphere — by as soon as 2027, thereby upending the prevailing narrative that cattle products must be abandoned for the enviro...

05/23/2023

According to a new study from University of California, Davis researchers, California dairies are set to be climate neutral—contributing no additional warming to the atmosphere—as soon as 2027, challenging the narrative that cattle products must be abandoned for the environment’s sake.

According to a new study from University of California, Davis researchers, California dairies are set to be climate neutral—contributing no additional warming to the atmosphere—as soon as 2027, challenging the narrative that cattle products must be abandoned for the environment’s sake.

05/19/2023

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) launched its La Sombrita prototypes, a “shade and lighting pilot” for its Gender Equity Action Plan. LADOT hired consultants to travel all across the world, from Quito in Ecuador to London and Hamburg in Europe, to best understand how to make the resulting $10,000 bus stop lamps “more gender inclusive.”

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) launched its La Sombrita prototypes, a “shade and lighting pilot” for its Gender Equity Action Plan. LADOT hired consultants to travel all across the world, from Quito in Ecuador to London and Hamburg in Europe, to best understand how to make ...

05/18/2023

"Instead of promoting punitive measures such as mileage taxes and congestion fees that punish lower income Americans for not being able to afford to live close to work, transportation advocates must recognize drivers as a significant part of their constituency in building transportation services that serve as many people as efficiently as possible."

Instead of promoting punitive measures such as mileage taxes and congestion fees that punish lower income Americans for not being able to afford to live close to work, transportation advocates must recognize drivers as a significant part of their constituency in building transportation services that...

02/23/2023

Just over a year after relocating Tesla’s corporate headquarters to Texas, chief executive officer Elon Musk is opening the firm’s engineering headquarters back in California, where the company was founded and previously headquartered.

02/17/2023

Culver City has now joined Santa Monica in banning camping in public spaces in advance of a now-affirmative vote by Los Angeles’ city council on February 15 to significantly expand enforcement of its own anti-camping ordinance.

Under these new enforcement measures, city staff offer shelter and housing opportunities, post notice in areas where enforcement is imminent, offer to store homeless individuals’ belongings, remove any lasting encampment material beyond an individuals’ bedding, and issue citations for noncompliance. Police officers are not able to take individuals into custody for non-compliance with these ordinances.

Culver City has now joined Santa Monica in banning camping in public spaces in advance of a now-affirmative vote by Los Angeles’ city council on February 15 to significantly expand enforcement of its own anti-camping ordinance.

02/16/2023

A new bill from Assembly Member Alex Lee could radically improve apartment building cost and design by allowing for the construction of single-staircase buildings more than three stories tall.

In a bid to improve the supply, quality, and ease of constructing housing, California Assembly Member Alex Lee (AD 24) introduced a bill that could allow for the legalization of single-staircase buildings over three floors as early as 2024.

02/15/2023

A potential constitutional amendment to create a ⅔ popular vote requirement for new or increased local taxes and both a ⅔ legislative vote in each chamber with a majority popular vote for state taxes is qualified for the November 2024 ballot.

On February 2, the California Secretary of State reported the constitutional amendment to create a ⅔ popular vote requirement for new or increased local taxes and both a ⅔ legislative vote in each chamber with a majority popular vote for state taxes is qualified for the November 2024 ballot.

07/01/2022

California’s legislature has approved a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion and contraceptive rights in the state constitution. Come November, voters will be able to approve or reject an amendment to the state’s constitution as California gears up to become “the nation’s abortion provider.”

California’s legislature has approved a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion and contraceptive rights in the state constitution. Come November, voters will be able to approve or reject an amendment to the state’s constitution as California gears up to become “the nation’s abortion provider...

06/28/2022

California Democrats have unveiled their latest inflation relief measure, this time in the form of up cash rebates of up to $1050 per household to offset record gas prices, while denying a motion to prevent an increase in California’s gas prices to 54 cents per gallon on July 1.

California Democrats have unveiled their latest inflation relief measure, this time in the form of up cash rebates of up to $1050 per household to offset record gas prices. Meanwhile, California Democrats have denied a motion to prevent an increase in California’s gas prices, which are set to rise...

06/22/2022

608 state-funded apartments under construction in California cost over $1 million to build, casting doubt on the effectiveness of what is the largest publicly-funded housing program in the nation.

06/18/2022

As Californians endure the highest gas prices in the nation — Alpine County residents pay an eye-popping $7.90 per gallon, almost half of which is taxes — a new threat is emerging: fuel thieves are drilling into gas tanks to steal precious fuel at a mass scale.

06/17/2022

The movement to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced that it has surpassed the 566,857 signatures it requires to initiate the recall against the embattled official blamed for the city's continuing crime spike.

The movement to recall Los Angeles (LA) County District Attorney (DA) George Gascon announced that it has surpassed the 566,857 signatures it requires to initiate the recall against Gascon.

06/16/2022

By replacing trucks and delivery drivers with drones, companies will be able to reduce delivery costs by as much as 90%. But are consumers — and citizens — ready for a world in which dozens of drones buzz by overhead every hour?

As it continues to attempt to get its turbulent drone delivery service off the ground, Amazon announced it has selected several farming towns in Northern California to host its drone delivery pilot program. While Amazon is still waiting for several FAA and local approvals, it nonetheless is preparin...

06/14/2022

California's budget "surplus" is a myth; a shrinking population, volatile income, and over $1 trillion in unfunded pension liabilities mean there's a 95% certainty California falls off the fiscal cliff by 2025. Instead of spending California's once-in-a-cycle windfall, Newsom must pay down California’s debt, cut spending, and commence with regulatory reform as fiscal armageddon looms.

With Governor Newsom announcing a $97 billion “surplus,” California lawmakers are falling over each other to buy voter favor as elections come near. Chief among these new proposals is Newsom’s $11 billion plan to send $400 gas rebates to every vehicle owner — not now, but in October, right w...

06/08/2022

To guarantee the safety of every Angeleno, LA Metro must crack down on violations such as drug use, public urination, violence and fare-evasion that have brought the system to ruin, writes Kenneth Schrupp.

With the return of Los Angeles’ notorious bumper-to-bumper traffic and gas prices approaching $7 per gallon, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has the opportunity to finally turn around its long-declining ridership. But rather than addressing rider safety conc...

06/08/2022

Chesa Boudin has been “overwhelmingly” recalled in an election seen as a bellwether for progressive district attorneys across the country -- including Los Angeles' George Gascon.

Chesa Boudin has been “overwhelmingly” recalled with nearly 60% of San Francisco voters supporting the effort. Boudin was a progressive district attorney who supporters lauded his focus on social justice and criminal justice reform. While in office he pledged to end cash bail, not prosecute qual...

06/07/2022

If the 2010s were a cultural era of nihilism, malaise and Walter White's good-man-gone bad anti-hero, today's Better Call Saul is a testament to a new era of strength, hope, and the end of the anti-hero as we know it, writes Jason Garshfield in his latest column for The California Review.

How the unlikely figure of Howard Hamlin stands in judgment of us all. Our modern media ecosystem is one in which the denigration of virtue has become common practice. In the name of “subverting” and “deconstructing” supposedly tired old tropes, storytellers – across literature, television...

06/07/2022

A court has ordered LA District Attorney George Gascon to enforce California's three strike laws as the Gascon recall looms.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón cannot bar prosecutors from seeking harsher sentencing under California’s ‘three-strikes’ law, according to a ruling from California’s Second District of Appeals. The decision supports a preliminary injunction issued in 2021 by Los Angeles ...

06/03/2022

On Tuesday the Supreme Court of the United States blocked Texas social media bill H.B. 20 by a narrow margin. The 5-4 decision was in response to an emergency action to vacate the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ previous reversal of a stay placed on the bill by a federal district court in Texas.

The bill was Texas Republicans’ apparent response to President Donald Trump’s seemingly coordinated ban from most large social media platforms in the wake of the Capitol Riots on January 6; the bill would disallow social media platforms with more than 50 million active monthly users from deleting, banning, or blocking user content on the bases of beliefs or views.

On Tuesday the Supreme Court of the United States blocked Texas social media bill H.B. 20 by a narrow margin.  The 5-4 decision was in response to an emergency action to vacate the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ previous reversal of a stay placed on the bill by a federal district court in Texas....

06/03/2022

Following a key vote deciding reparations eligibility, the State of California has released its interim report on the legacy of slavery, racism and discrimination, and proposed programs of reparations for the descendants of black slaves.

Following a key vote deciding reparations eligibility, the State of California has released its interim report on the legacy of slavery, racism and discrimination, and proposed programs of reparations for the descendants of black slaves. The task force behind the report was created by a law signed b...

05/30/2022

Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to sign more gun control measures, including pending legislation allowing victims of gun violence to sue individuals who circumvent firearm restrictions and gun manufacturers or retailers.

Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged to support more gun control measures, including allowing victims of gun violence to sue individuals who circumvent firearm restrictions and gun manufacturers or retailers.  The recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Irvine, and Uvalde have sparked a flurry of controvers...

05/25/2022

As California's drought worsens, a lucky few farmers are securing 18% of their water allocations while the vast majority get nothing; with so little water, the state is making devastating cuts to water for agriculture and wildlife.

Farmers in the Sacramento Valley face unprecedented cuts to their water allocations as California enters its third year of consecutive drought. California’s water reserves typically replenish during the rainy season, with 75 percent of annual precipitation falling between November and March. With ...

05/22/2022

Investigating the relationship between markets and human community via the works of Frederik Hayek, Ishaan Jajodia explores moral markets and the future of American capitalism.

"Capitalism is not inherently bad; neither is this a clarion call for socialism or non-market based economics. Oakeshott’s criteria for political activity comprehensively show why Hayek was wrong about markets and their position within the polis, and we ought to take the issues raised with serious concern at risk of failing to see what may lie ahead as its consequence."

Friedrich Hayek is best known for his scathing polemic against central planning and socialism, The Road to Serfdom, which has in recent years become the gospel for libertarians, many of whom are seen thumping it around as the Bible of their creed whilst pulling wool over their eyes at Hayek’s men...

05/19/2022

San Diego Gas and Electric (SDGE) has proposed a significant rate increase in its recent budget proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which includes a 5.6% percent increase in the cost of electricity and an 18.1% increase in the cost of gas. SDGE plans to spend these new funds on infrastructure improvements ranging from clean energy to reducing wildfire and power outage risk.

These rate hikes come as California faces a general electricity shortage, with the governor’s office warning that millions of Californians could be affected by blackouts in the coming summer driven by a projected 1700-5000 megawatt shortfall in energy production.

San Diego Gas and Electric (SDGE) has proposed a significant rate increase in its recent budget proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which includes a 5.6% percent increase in the cost of electricity and an 18.1% increase in the cost of gas. SDGE plans to spend these new fun...

05/18/2022

In a stunning move, the historically non-aligned nations of Finland and Sweden have formally applied to join NATO. However, with Turkish approval pending key concessions from Finland and Sweden, the two nations' future status with NATO remains uncertain.

In a stunning move, the historically non-aligned nations of Finland and Sweden have formally applied to join NATO, with their legislatures approving applications to the alliance on May 15 and 16th respectively.  According to Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, “It is the government’s as...

05/17/2022

A California Superior Court has ruled that a state law mandating the inclusion of women on corporate boards was unconstitutional.

http://calrev.org/2022/05/17/california-mandate-requiring-women-on-corporate-boards-ruled-unconstitutional/?v=7516fd43adaa

A California superior court has ruled that a state law mandating the inclusion of women on corporate boards was unconstitutional. The May 13 decision by Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis noted the law, requiring companies to have up to three female directors, violated the state constitution.....

05/13/2022

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled California’s ban on semi-automatic weapons purchases by citizens between 18 and 21 was unconstitutional, a decision that Second Amendment advocates hope will set national precedent for overturning similar bans across the country.

California’s ban on the purchase of semi automatic weapons by citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 was ruled unconstitutional by a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, May 11th, in a 2-1 decision that gun rights advocates hope will set a precedent for the repeal of simila...

05/11/2022

The California Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a controversial bill allowing children between the ages of 12 and 17 to be vaccinated without parental consent.

http://calrev.org/2022/05/10/contentious-bill-allowing-vaccinating-children-without-parental-consent-passes-california-senate-committee/?v=7516fd43adaa

The California Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill allowing children between the ages of 12 and 17 to be vaccinated without parental consent. If passed, SB 866 would leave California with the least restrictive medical consent laws of any state in the country. Under current California law, m...

05/06/2022

California’s population shrank by 117,552 people in 2021, representing an unprecedented two year decline in population for the most populous state in the country. California is set to lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history in 2022 as a result of its relative decline.

http://calrev.org/2022/05/06/california-population-declines-second-year-in-a-row/?v=7516fd43adaa

California’s population shrank by 117,552 people in 2021, representing an unprecedented two year decline in population for the most populous state in the country. California is set to lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history in 2022 as a result of its relative decline compared t...