California in Focus

(The Center Square) – Los Angeles’ initial response to the fast-spreading Palisades Fire was hampered by communications breakdowns and problems with the Los Angeles City Fire Department leadership, according to the city’s after-action report. But the report also praised firefighters’ heroic efforts to save lives and properties during one of the most destructive blazes in the history of Los Angeles. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_7cf3c52b-5d1f-4b55-af05-ada8fac5162f.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) - Federal taxpayers might be on the hook for more than $1 billion over the lifetime of three downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers designed to house the homeless, state records show. State and city programs provide the funding and financial tools to construct the three towers. But federal Section 8 Housing vouchers will be used to repay the state and city and fund private developer fees and investor returns over the 55-year life of the buildings. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_e17c6231-118f-4fa3-84e8-15bc7784bb3f.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – California is scrambling to avoid an automatic 3.7% payroll tax increase to cover its projected $23.2 billion debt to the federal government for COVID-era unemployment benefits payouts, according to information uncovered through a public records request by The Center Square. With the California State Auditor reporting the state “materially misstated” the finances of its unemployment benefits fund, experts warn these detrimental findings — along with the fund’s growing and sustained deficits — could cause the state’s tax waiver application to fail. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_abcd69d6-0edc-4a17-84c1-c6c7263fda97.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) - The California Legislature passed a bill to provide $10 million in state funding for a governor-overseen news media subsidy program that media leaders say will erode the incentive for news organizations to hold the government accountable for its actions. The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for approval. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_563cb001-17e4-4730-8c30-1ed22ce67993.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Despite a Trump administration executive order defunding gender ideology in public education, Los Angeles Unified School District materials instruct elementary children how to be transgender activists, warn parents that failing to support "gender-affirming care" could endanger their children, and the district allows students to socially transition at school without parental notification, an investigation by The Center Square found. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_500b63ed-1f57-4578-892b-2c7fdd82c1f8.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – U.S. senators from Florida and Wisconsin are starting an investigation into the devastating Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. The blaze burned 23,448 acres between Jan. 7 and Jan. 31, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It resulted in 12 deaths and the destruction of 6,837 buildings, including homes, schools and businesses, in the coastal Pacific Palisades neighborhood between Santa Monica and Malibu. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_ac5c6926-cec9-477e-8a54-bcee5903989e.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has responded to California’s lawsuit accusing the county of not acting to address poor conditions in its jails. The department said late Monday afternoon that it has been “fully engaged, cooperative and transparent with the California Department of Justice” since Sheriff Robert Luna took office in December 2022. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_29fc4edb-a33e-45f7-ade8-a72fdd16be8c.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – New California Highway Patrol teams will work with local law enforcement to fight crime in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley and Southern California’s Inland Empire. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the CHP teams in the state’s major cities during a week that also saw Attorney General Rob Bonta reveal an agreement to reform the Torrance Police Department in the Los Angeles area. The pact came in response to an investigation that officials said revealed antisemitism, racism and homophobia among officers. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_55831fe7-b7ec-4405-8f0c-a71030251fcf.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – California continues to have America's second-highest unemployment rate, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. California’s unemployment rate was 5.5% in July. The only place with a worse rate was Washington, D.C., at 6%, the bureau said. The nation's capital also had the highest unemployment rate in June at 5.9%, with California in the second worst spot at 5.4%. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_add7872e-7610-4a2a-996c-a7d8e44928ba.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Republicans are calling for 35 inland counties to secede from California and create a new state. The GOP announced the plan Wednesday as their response to Democrats’ congressional redistricting efforts. “I want to take a step back from all of the chaos we had and talk about the forgotten people of California,” Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher said, presenting a map during a news conference in Sacramento. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_bd2416a8-0227-4b34-aaee-d207fd26b960.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – The Trump administration terminated a federal grant that provided funding for sex education classes in California. The federal government terminated the Personal Responsibility Education Program, or PREP, after California refused to remove lessons on gender ideology as part of its program. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_baf5c97f-0cce-4bca-a245-ced881230242.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) - Less than 1% of aid recipients from the official charity of the office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reported receiving the earned income tax credit, leading Republican leaders to wonder why so much of the charity’s aid is going towards non-working households. According to a report from Loyola Marymount University studying the impact of the mayor’s “We Are Los Angeles” eviction legal aid program, only 0.3% of surveyed aid recipients reported receiving the earned income tax credit for working households legally in the United States. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_b54ae01c-42ad-4d50-bac7-f6307625fa1f.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) - President Donald Trump condemned the possibility of building low-income housing in the Pacific Palisades, and the City of Los Angeles’s slow issuance of rebuilding permits for the fire-ravaged community. "You see what’s happening now, they didn't get their permits," said President Trump at a press conference Monday. “This is among the most beautiful areas — was — in the country. Now they're talking about putting low-income housing there, can you believe this?" Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_940636ad-9baa-4bfe-b7c0-927ad56c7157.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) - The budget of a little-known California agency ballooned to over 68 times its original size over the last decade, but few people have taken advantage of the ScholarShare Investment Board scholarships that the agency funds, an investigation by The Center Square found. Since the 2015-2016 fiscal year, SIB's budget grew from $2.9 million to $198 million as the state created a universal scholarship claimed by only 11% of eligible students, state data shows. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_eefe7099-2e23-4413-859a-7e86da0ffdad.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) - A California bill nearing the governor’s desk would create “Climate Resilience Districts” to in part finance income-restricted “affordable” housing in disaster-impacted areas such as the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, similar to the “Resilient Rebuilding Authority” bill put on hold in July. According to the bill’s analysis by the State Assembly Committee on Local Government, the CRDs would bypass some existing public input requirements and lack a formal protest process residents could use to block a CRD’s adoption. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_aba59dba-55a0-4875-ac74-119ce9c9882f.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.