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Biden’s new California monuments will ban drilling on 849,000 acres

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Biden’s new California monuments will ban drilling on 849,000 acres


President Joe Biden is signing off on two new national Native American monuments in California that will ban drilling on 849,000 acres of land.

Chuckwalla National Monument will sit in the south and Sáttítla National Monument in the north of the state.

Why It Matters

Biden is using the final weeks of his presidency to build on long-established policy targets, in this instance conserving at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through his “America the Beautiful” initiative. The Chuckwalla and Sáttítla National Monuments join a growing list of protected areas under Biden’s administration.

However, this isn’t the first environmentally-charged proposition to come from the Biden administration during his last month in power—on Monday, he announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters.

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President-elect Donald Trump claims last-minute calls like this only serve to make their power transition more complicated.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a reception for new democratic members of the United States Congress in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. The designations…


Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

What We Know

The White House emphasized that these monuments will protect water resources, preserve culturally significant sites, and ensure access to nature for communities.

The designations block development activities such as mining and drilling, safeguarding ecosystems that are home to diverse plant and animal species.

Both monuments will be co-stewarded with tribes, enhancing tribal sovereignty and involvement in land management, continuing a trend of comanagement that began with Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument.

Why the Land is Important to Native Americans

The Chuckwalla National Monument covers 624,000 acres in Southern California, spanning from the Coachella Valley to the Colorado River. Sáttítla National Monument includes 225,000 acres of pristine landscapes in Northern California.

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Native Americans revere the land because of its deep cultural and spiritual importance, including the Cahuilla, Mohave, Pit River, and Modoc tribes.

Sáttítla is near California’s northern border with Oregon. It encompasses mountain woodlands, meadows, and habitats for rare wildlife. Chuckwalla National Monument, named after the large desert lizard native to the region, protects public lands south of Joshua Tree National Park.

A stock image of Joshua Trees (Yucca brevifolia) during golden hour in the Mojave Desert mountains of Joshua Tree National Park, California, Jan. 16, 2016. The Chuckwalla National Monument will sit on 624,000-acres near Joshua…


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What People Are Saying

President and CEO of the nonprofit Trust for Public Land Carrie Besnette Hauser said the designation of the monuments “marks a historic step toward protecting lands of profound cultural, ecological and historical significance for all Americans.”

A statement from Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe read: “The protection of the Chuckwalla National Monument brings the Quechan people an overwhelming sense of peace and joy [ …] tribes being reunited as stewards of this landscape is only the beginning of much-needed healing and restoration, and we are eager to fully rebuild our relationship to this place.”

President-elect Donald Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, told Newsweek in an email [regarding the ban on offshore oil and gas drilling]: “It’s despicable what Joe Biden is doing, and he is going against the will of the people who gave President Donald Trump a historic mandate to Make America Great Again.”

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Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social “Biden is doing everything possible to make the TRANSITION as difficult as possible, from Lawfare such as has never been seen before, to costly and ridiculous Executive Orders on the Green New Scam and other money wasting Hoaxes.”

A group of environmental activists projects a slide on a building with a silhouette depicting U.S. president-elect Donald Trump that reads, “Climate crisis won’t stop for a climate denier” on Nov. 18, 2024, in Rio…


LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

What’s Next

With Biden’s term nearing its end, additional conservation announcements may follow as the administration seeks to solidify its environmental legacy.

Trump appears determined to unravel that, declaring on Monday to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that, after he’s inaugurated on Jan. 20, Biden’s drilling ban will “be changed on day one.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press

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Republican governor candidate Chad Bianco says he’s the ‘antithesis to California state government’

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Republican governor candidate Chad Bianco says he’s the ‘antithesis to California state government’


We are counting down to the California governor’s race. Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, is one of the two biggest names running on the Republican ticket.

In a one-on-one interview with Eyewitness News political reporter Josh Haskell, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, “I am the antithesis to California state government because I am going to take a nuclear bomb into that building and absolutely destroy everything that they do to us behind closed doors.”

Although he’s been elected by the voters twice, Bianco says he’s not a politician — which is why he believes his campaign for California governor is resonating, as reflected in the polls.

“President Trump, in one year, from 2025 when he took over, until now, did absolutely nothing to harm California. What’s harming California is 30 years of Democrat one-party rule that have created an environment here that no one can live in anymore. They’ve only been successful here in California because we vote D no matter what. You vote D or die. I mean, that’s it. Charles Manson would be elected in California if he was the only Democrat on the ballot,” Bianco said.

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Bianco isn’t the only conservative Republican running for governor, and according to polling, he’s neck-and-neck with former Fox News host Steve Hilton.

SEE ALSO: CA governor candidate Steve Hilton says ‘everybody supports’ Trump’s immigration policies

Leading in some polls in the wide-open California Governor’s race as the June primary creeps closer is Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.

“Steve has no chance of winning in November. The Democrats know that I’m going to win in November, and so they have to do everything they can to keep me out of that,” Bianco said.

When asked about the affordability crisis in the state, Bianco said, “Almost the entire issue of affordability in California is because of regulation, excessive regulation imposed by government. Every single regulation can be signed away with the governor’s signature.”

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“It is a drug and alcohol addiction problem that, and a mental health problem,” he said about the homelessness crisis. “Every single bit of money that is going to these nonprofits that say ‘homeless,’ zero money. You’re getting absolutely nothing. I can’t tell you that we would end what we see in the homeless situation within a year, but I guarantee you we would never see it again after two years.”

When challenged on that prediction, pointing to how the state doesn’t have the facilities to treat the number of people living on our streets, Bianco responded, “We have been conditioned to believe that buildings take five years to build. It takes 90 days or less to build a house, but in California, it takes three to five years because the government won’t allow it. The regulations that are destroying this state are going to be removed with me as the governor.”

Bianco also said California jails shouldn’t have to play the role of treatment facilities.

Although he says he supports the Trump administration and wants the president’s endorsement, Bianco has been traveling the state — meeting not just with Republicans, but Democrats and independents as well. He says all of our state government officials have failed.

The primary election is June 2.

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No clear front-runner in race for California governor, new poll shows

A new poll shows there’s still no clear front-runner in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.

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PlayOn Sports fined $1.1 million by California watchdog over student data violations

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PlayOn Sports fined .1 million by California watchdog over student data violations


California’s privacy watchdog has ordered PlayOn Sports to pay a $1.10 million fine and change how it handles consumer data after finding the company’s practices violated state law in ways that affected students and schools in the state.

The California Privacy Protection Agency Board issued the decision following a settlement reached by CalPrivacy’s Enforcement Division.

The decision is the first by the board to address privacy violations involving students and California schools.

Schools across the country use PlayOn Sports’ GoFan platform to sell digital tickets to high school sporting events, theater performances, and homecoming and prom dances, with attendees presenting tickets at the door on their mobile phones.

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Schools also use PlayOn Sports’ platforms for other sports-related activities, including attending games, streaming them online, and looking up statistics about teams and players.

In California, about 1,400 schools contract with PlayOn Sports for these services.

[RELATED] X faces possible fines as EU probes Grok nonconsensual, sexualized deepfakes

GoFan is also the official ticketing platform for the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports.

According to the board’s decision, PlayOn Sports used tracking technologies to collect personal information and deliver targeted advertisements to ticketholders and others using its services.

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The company allegedly required Californians to click “agree” to tracking technologies before they could use their tickets or view PlayOn Sports websites, without providing a sufficient opt-out option.

“Students trying to go to prom or a high school football game shouldn’t have to leave their privacy rights at the door,” said Michael Macko, CalPrivacy’s head of enforcement. “You couldn’t attend these events without showing your ticket, and you couldn’t show your ticket without being tracked for advertising. California’s privacy law does not work that way. Businesses must ensure they offer lawful ways for Californians to opt-out, particularly with captive audiences.”

The decision also describes students as a uniquely vulnerable population and warns that targeted advertising systems can subject students to profiling that can follow them for years, expose them to manipulative or harmful content, and develop sensitive inferences about their lives.

Instead of providing its own opt-out method, PlayOn Sports directed students and other users to opt out through the Network Advertising Initiative and the Digital Advertising Alliance, which the decision said violated the company’s responsibility to provide its own way for consumers to opt out. The company also allegedly failed to recognize opt-out preference signals and did not provide Californians with sufficient notice of its privacy practices.

“We are committed to making it as easy as possible for all Californians — from high school students to older adults, and everyone in between — to make the choice of whether they want to be tracked or not,” said Tom Kemp, CalPrivacy’s executive director. “Californians can opt-out with covered businesses, and they can sign up for the newly launched DROP system to request that data brokers delete their personal information.”

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Beyond the $1.10 million fine, the board’s order requires PlayOn Sports to conduct risk assessments, provide disclosures that are easy to read and understand, and implement proper opt-out methods.

The order also requires the company to comply with California’s privacy law prohibiting the selling or sharing of personal information of consumers between 13 and 16 without their affirmative opt-in consent.



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California bill to bar police from taking second job with ICE advances in state Assembly

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California bill to bar police from taking second job with ICE advances in state Assembly


Wednesday, March 4, 2026 4:43AM

CA bill to keep police from moonlighting with ICE advances

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) — A bill that would prevent police officers from moonlighting with federal immigration enforcement agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is advancing through the California State Assembly.

AB 1537 passed the State Assembly’s committee on public safety on Tuesday.

The bill also requires that officers report any offers for secondary employment related to immigration enforcement to their place of work.

Those failing to comply could face decertification as a peace officer in California.

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The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, whose district includes Mar Vista, Ladera Heights, Mid-Wilshire and parts of South Los Angeles.

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