California
Leading ex-California Democratic state senator defects to GOP – Washington Examiner
A former California Democratic state Senate leader has defected to the Republican Party.
Former California State Senate Democratic Majority Leader Gloria Romero announced her decision at a press conference hosted by Republican commentator Steve Hilton, who livestreamed it on his X account. She was joined by several leading Republican legislators.
“In this Capitol behind me, I served as both Senate Democratic Caucus chair and the Senate majority leader. But today I say goodbye. Adios! I’ve had enough,” she said.
Romero recalled her role as the Democratic convention delegate for the Rev. Jesse Jackson, then for former President Barack Obama at three separate conventions. She said her heroes growing up were Democratic titans Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy.
“This is not the Democratic Party that I once championed,” she said. “I do not recognize it anymore, and I cannot continue. I changed my voting registration today as the sun was rising to Republican, which has, under Donald Trump, become the champion of working people … and indeed, I will vote for Donald Trump this fall.”
For her reasoning, she accused the Democrats of stifling democracy, going so far as to compare them to Latin American dictators. She said the party rigs primaries against candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and executed a “political coup” against President Joe Biden.
Romero also hit the Democrats on women’s rights, criticizing the undermining of Title IX protections, and going too far on abortion. Immigration, crime, and the rising cost of living were topics of her criticism as well.
“But perhaps my biggest disconnect with my old party now has been over school choice, education freedom, and the right to have quality schools for all, especially as congressman Kevin Kiley and I have fought together, especially for school choice for poor and minority children who are trapped in chronically failing schools,” she added.
Romero concluded that she left the party “with sadness, but it is with the belief that this is best for the future. I stayed for as long as I could. I tried reforms, I spoke out, I voted. Today, I turn to the future. A land of opportunity and free speech. I am excited to join a party that was started by the greatest American, Abraham Lincoln, and the challenges of building a new great republic.”
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After leaving office in 2010, Romero has been increasingly critical of the Democratic Party. In a November 2021 op-ed for the California Globe, she warned about a decline of the party unless an overhaul was undertaken.
“As a lifetime Democrat, I am horrified to see a Democratic Party I once revered—a party that sent us to the moon and back and inspired a new generation of youth like me with messaging replete with opportunity, hope, optimism, and belief in working-class Americans—now on the path to irrelevance and political extinction across major swaths of our country,” she wrote.
California
Are there northern lights tonight in California? Some lucky states may see the aurora Monday
Watch: Stunning aurora erupts above observers
Beautiful northern lights burst with colors above stargazers in Alaska.
Some lucky states in the United States have a chance at seeing the northern lights, or the aurora borealis, at night on Monday, June 2.
The Space Weather Prediction Center published on Monday its aurora forecast for North America, showing its prediction of the intensity and location of the northern lights over the continent. The forecast also includes the southern-most locations that an aurora may be seen on the northern horizon tonight.
That view line spans states such as Idaho, South Dakota, Wisconsin, New York and more.
Unfortunately, California isn’t one of them, at least not as of the forecast retrieved before 10 a.m. by the Desert Sun.
A strong geomagnetic storm was observed this weekend, and the stronger the storm, the more that people in central and southern reaches of the nation have a chance at seeing the aurora, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
States as far south as Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska may have a chance to see the lights, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
But the following states have the highest likelihood of seeing the light show in the sky on Monday:
- Alaska
- Montana
- North Dakota
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
Have the northern lights been seen in California before?
The northern lights have been seen from California before, and as recently as this past weekend. That’s according to a report from KRON, which published the work from a photographer who captured the northern lights from Windsor. Last October, Californians across the state witnessed the northern lights, including as far south as San Diego County, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
What’s the best time to see the aurora?
Go see the aurora at its best within an hour or two of midnight, or between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., said the Space Weather Prediction Center. So, plan to stay up late (or wake up extra early) and be sure to get away from city nights if the aurora is forecasted to be spotted from California.
USA TODAY reporter Julia Gomez contributed to this story.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com.
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY – Three people were arrested for allegedly stealing cherries and selling them at fruit stands across California, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday.
Deputies responded to an agricultural area near Waterloo and Fairfield, where they say they found three people picking and stealing cherries. The suspects had over $2,000 worth of stolen cherries and caused about $2,000 worth of crop damage, the sheriff’s office said.
During the investigation, deputies said the suspects were tied to a string of similar thefts across multiple counties and were allegedly selling the cherries at fruit stands.
Deputies said they seized thousands of dollars in cash.
The suspects were booked on felony charges that include theft, conspiracy and agricultural crimes.
“This wasn’t just a petty pick-it was a well-organized produce plunder,” the sheriff’s office said.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and actor Hailee Steinfeld tied the knot on Saturday, according to multiple media reports.
Pictures emerged from the power couple’s wedding that took place in Southern California, where both Allen and Steinfeld live.
Photos obtained by “People” magazine show Steinfeld, in a white strapless gown, walking down the aisle as well as the couple sharing a kiss.
The timing and location of the wedding were closely guarded secrets, though Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins let the cat out of the bag in March by revealing the date as May 31. He later backtracked, saying he didn’t know anything.
Despite the pending wedding, Allen was present for the start of the Bills voluntary series of spring practices, which opened on Tuesday. The Bills return to practice on Monday, though Allen isn’t scheduled to address the media until the Bills open their mandatory sessions on June 10.
Allen, who turned 29 last week, and the 28-year-old Steinfeld were engaged during the Bills bye week in November, when the quarterback proposed on a California cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The two were first linked in the spring of 2023, when they were photographed dining together in New York City. Steinfeld has since begun attending Bills home games and the couple was inseparable at the NFL Awards ceremony in February, when Allen credited Steinfeld upon accepting the league’s MVP honor.
Allen followed suit in April in being spotted with Steinfeld arriving for an after-party following premier of the movie “Sinners,” which stars Steinfeld.
Steinfeld began her acting career at the age of 10, and earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role as Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers’ 2010 remake of “True Grit.”
Allen is entering his eighth NFL season. In March, he signed a contract extension worth $330 million.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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