West
California Republicans warn Newsom his oil refining ‘phase-out’ endangers military readiness
EXCLUSIVE: Nearly half of California’s Republican congressional delegation sent a letter Tuesday warning Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stringent fossil fuel policies endanger national security in part due to the Golden State’s military prominence.
The letter, led by Rep. David Valadao of the San Joaquin Valley, expressed “grave concerns” that Newsom’s “deliberate… hamstring[ing]” of oil refining hurts not only California taxpayers but the U.S. military.
Valadao said the state has more than two dozen active military installations that rely on fossil fuels like petroleum and oil, and that without California at a fuller refining capacity, those installations must rely on foreign sources.
“[S]hould your administration continue down this path of shortsighted energy management, we can expect the state’s military installations – as well as other first lines of defense – to be entirely dependent upon foreign fuels by the midcentury,” the letter reads.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom was recently ripped by critics for describing California as a “national model” for combatting homelessness. (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube channel)
The letter — also signed by Reps. Ken Calvert, Young Kim, Jay Obernolte and John Duarte — said California now hosts only nine remaining oil refineries and cited a 2021 Newsom memo seeking to “phase-out oil extraction.”
That memo denoted a 2045 deadline to halt all production, with the letter noting there is no contingency policy in place if residents continue their daily usage of 1.8 million barrels.
“When we depend on foreign oil, we are all too vulnerable to global supply disruptions and price spikes, which significantly impacts our economy and our ability to maintain a strong military presence,” the letter warned.
“By increasing our domestic energy production and reducing our reliance on foreign oil, we can protect ourselves against these risks and ensure that we have a stable and reliable energy source.”
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Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
The missive acknowledged Newsom’s quest to shift the state to green-sourced electrical power, but added a balance must be struck until such infrastructure is tested and available.
It also warned of potential catastrophe for both the military and civilian populations in California, as photographs of signage depicting gas prices there topping $6 and $7 per gallon have gone viral in recent years.
“Your call to prematurely end the fossil fuel industry in our state not only has serious consequences for the military infrastructure in California, but it is a potential catastrophe for the future lack of affordability and availability of transportation fuels,” the letter read, as photographs of $6 per gallon California gas prices often make national headlines.
An aerial view of the California State Capitol in Sacramento. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The letter went on to demand Newsom provide related information to lawmakers by Sept. 1, including whether and what strategies are in place to ensure energy sourcing to military installations remains operational.
The lawmakers also requested Newsom answer for the 55,000 fossil fuel industry jobs that could be displaced, as well as how to help Californians deal with expected price spikes and reliance on foreign oil sources.
In response to the letter, Newsom spokesperson Alex Stack criticized Republicans for doing “anything for their Big Oil donors.” “They should do their own research first,” he said.
“California gas prices are the lowest in three years and our new price gouging accountability measures will help save money at the pump. At the same time, the Department of Defense has elevated climate change as a national security priority and outlined the strategic need for clean energy – both of which California is leading on and providing the innovations that our military partners will utilize for our country’s national security.”
There are 40 Democrats and 12 Republicans in Congress representing California.
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San Diego, CA
Judge sentences rapper to time served in 2023 San Diego arrest
Rapper Boosie Badazz was sentenced Friday to credit for time served in the case stemming from his 2023 arrest in San Diego for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The 43-year-old, whose real name is Torence Ivy Hatch Jr., was arrested in Chollas View after police found two guns inside a vehicle in which he was riding.
Hatch was in town to shoot a music video and perform at a Gaslamp Quarter nightclub.
In a social media video clip recorded during the video shoot, Hatch was spotted with a gun in his waistband. Police then used a helicopter to track down his vehicle, after which officers conducted a traffic stop and discovered the firearms.
He pleaded guilty to a federal gun possession count last year. As part of his sentence, Hatch will also serve 300 hours of community service.
Defense attorney Meghan Blanco said in a statement released after Friday’s hearing, “The resolution brings a sense of relief, allowing him to finally put this chapter behind him. He can now focus on continuing his music career, dedicating time to his family, and being a positive and inspiring presence for his children and the wider community.”
Federal prosecutors sought a two-year prison sentence, arguing in court papers that custody was warranted due to Hatch’s “insistence on carrying a weapon despite his status as a convicted felon” and allegations that he threatened his security detail shortly after his arrest.
Blanco, in her sentencing memorandum, denied any such threats occurred, noting that the statements are not included in any police reports stemming from the arrest and that no recorded evidence of the threats exist.
The defense attorney wrote that Hatch’s gun was never fired, brandished or used to threaten anyone. She also said there have been no allegations that the weapons were intended for any other offense and that Hatch’s last criminal case had occurred around 10 years prior.
“The case represents an isolated lapse in judgment, not a pattern of ongoing criminal conduct,” Blanco wrote.
Hatch was initially charged by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. His defense attorneys have stated that Hatch intended to plead guilty at the time and was expected to be sentenced to probation, but the state’s case was dismissed before that plea deal could be reached and federal prosecutors took up the case.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Bencivengo, who sentenced Hatch on Friday, previously dismissed the case against him following a 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that said it was unconstitutional to prohibit convicted felons who served sentences for nonviolent drug offenses from possessing firearms.
But a larger panel of the 9th Circuit overturned its earlier ruling and San Diego federal prosecutors re-filed the charges against Hatch.
Hatch was previously convicted in Louisiana of marijuana possession. He also was indicted in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, but was acquitted by a Baton Rouge jury in 2012.
Alaska
Multiple small avalanches release in Juneau after city issues evacuation advisory
Two small avalanches released on a slide path of Mount Juneau, above the Behrends neighborhood, as Ezra Strong was on a walk this morning in the pouring rain.
The city issued an evacuation advisory about an hour earlier for Juneau residents in all known slide paths downtown and along Thane Road. Strong and his wife live on Gruening Avenue with their dog. He said he’s not heeding the advisory.
“I think in part because we’re a little bit protected by a rock wall and some other things behind us, in part because we have seen slides come down before on the main slide path that didn’t even get close to us,” he said.
During an online press conference Friday morning, the City & Borough of Juneau’s new Avalanche Advisor John Bressette said that many small slides reduce the hazard by decreasing the amount of snow that could be released in a larger slide.
“So it’s actually a good thing that we’re seeing smaller slides reducing the total snow load that is capable of producing an avalanche,” Bressette said.
Some avalanches released above the Flume Trail today. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities confirmed numerous small avalanches along Thane Road this morning. The agency expects more avalanches this evening since the forecast shows continued heavy rainfall, strong winds and warming temperatures. The closure of Thane Road could be extended multiple days.
Some residents of the Behrends neighborhood have evacuated to friends’ houses or Centennial Hall, the official shelter set up by the city and the American Red Cross.
Carlos Cadiente lives kitty-corner from Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé in the Behrends slide path. He evacuated at around 11:30 a.m. in one vehicle while his wife drove behind in another. At a stop sign, he told KTOO they were headed to a friend’s house just down the street.
“We already had a go bag going and we already had the cars loaded up and ready to roll, and so we’re rolling,” Cadiente said.
He said this is the first time they’ve heeded an avalanche evacuation advisory in the decades they’ve lived here.
“It’s kind of an extreme measure, you know, extreme weather that we’ve had,” he said. “So we’re just kind of trying to be proactive and not be a problem,” he said.
Britt Tonnessen is the community disaster program manager for the Red Cross of Alaska in Southeast. In coordination with the city, the Red Cross set up an emergency shelter at Centennial Hall downtown for residents on Friday.
At the shelter on Friday morning, she said the Red Cross has been preparing for the last week in case of an evacuation.
“We’ve seen multiple fatal landslides and avalanches in the past decade,” she said. “Evacuating to a congregate shelter is not people’s dream idea. It’s a safe place to go. We do the best to meet the needs and we have incredible, loving, warm volunteers to meet people.”
Tonnessen said that anyone from avalanche zones, as well as those who feel the load on their roof is becoming too heavy, are welcome at the shelter.
She said they are prepared to take 150 people, and around 30 people signed in by the early afternoon.
Avalanche, weather and road conditions are expected to worsen this evening.
KTOO reporter Clarise Larson contributed to this report.
Arizona
New study reveals how victimized Arizona women end up behind bars
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It’s a first of its kind study to better understand an often overlooked group of people: women behind bars.
“No other jail system in the country is doing this,” said Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, director of Arizona State University’s Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research. “Many of them have offenses that are related to other people’s interference. So whether they were forced to commit that crime with someone else, they were under someone else’s control.”
Roe-Sepowitz spearheaded the effort that explores the pipeline between victimization and incarceration for Arizona women. What she uncovered was even worse than she expected.
“The scope of trauma, the sheer amount of violent experiences was a surprise to me,” she said.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Brandon Smith teamed up with Roe-Sepowitz for this project.
Since 2018, they’ve worked together to identify and support sex trafficking victims inside county jails.
“A lot of them could be they were more of a victim than a suspect in a crime,” said Smith.
In May 2025, the pair decided to dig deeper with a survey to learn more about the life history of all female inmates.
“We didn’t want to re-traumatize them. We were very careful about asking appropriate questions in the right way,” said Smith.
More than 400 women in the Estrella Jail completed the questionnaire which represents 49% of the female population.
The results show most are mothers, locked up for drug offenses.
77% reported a mental health diagnosis, more than 78% have been homeless, just over 50% have been sex trafficked, and 80% said they were victims of domestic violence.
With that knowledge, there is hope that jail programs can help break the cycle.
“We’re able to tailor programming to that in order to hopefully keep them out of jail, become more productive members of society, be with their children,” said Smith.
About 14% of participants were there for their first arrest.
New trauma-informed programs and training will soon be implemented.
“We’re looking at what can we do for that 14% that are here for the first time to hopefully make sure it’s their last time,” said Smith.
“How to build hope for the future, how to stabilize their life, how to continue the relationships they have in healthier ways,” said Roe-Sepowitz.
More research is on the way. ASU just wrapped up a similar survey in the Perryville prison and plans to conduct it again at Estrella Jail this year to collect additional data.
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