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Michelin honors 13 more California restaurants as ‘new discoveries’

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Michelin honors 13 more California restaurants as ‘new discoveries’


The dining world’s prestigious Michelin Guide on Wednesday dropped another one of its occasional midseason lists of “new discoveries” — restaurants that impressed its inspectors.

“Their discoveries are too good to keep secret,” the announcement said.

Of the 13 discoveries, three are in San Francisco, one is in Oakland and one’s in Healdsburg. The other eight are located in Southern California, with six in Los Angeles, one in Santa Barbara and one in La Jolla.

These establishments are listed as “New” on guide.michelin.com. Michelin highlighted “new discoveries” for the first time in the summer of 2021, and has done so every year since.

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Will the praise for these restaurants be elevated to Michelin stars in August, when the 2024 star announcements are held in Half Moon Bay? Or become Bib Gourmand honors, the Michelin awards given to restaurants that offer “excellent food at reasonable prices” to diners? It’s a wait-and-see situation for these chefs.

The summer 2023 star announcements solidified California’s reputation as a culinary mecca, reaffirming all six of the state’s three-star restaurants and all 12 two-star restaurants and praising hundreds of others for impressive cuisine, affordable meals or high sustainability standards.

Here are the Bay Area additions, along with dining notes from the Michelin inspectors:

BURDELL, Oakland: “Chef Geoff Davis named this nostalgic, homey Temescal spot after his grandmother, whose cooking informs his own fresh personal take on soul food. The small menu is a blend of staples like collard greens and fried chicken (though these are tweaked with the addition of berbere and pickle brine, respectively), novelties like an appetizer of chicken liver mousse with cornmeal waffle, and more broadly contemporary, Southern-inflected fare like a halibut crudo with buttermilk and grapefruit, or dry-aged duck with cherry “drippings” and dirty rice. Desserts follow a similar style, like strawberry shortcake with strawberry rhubarb jam and sorghum whipped cream. A particularly thoughtful wine list offers a wealth of options for aficionados, and who doesn’t love fried chicken with champagne?”

AZALINA’S, San Francisco: “Chef Azalina Eusope continues to make her mark as an ambassador for Malaysian cuisine in this cleverly designed space that calls to mind a tropical hideaway ensconced in the rough-and-tumble Tenderloin. The menu is a frequently changing seasonal prix fixe with dishes that offer her own interpretation of flavors she grew up with — think California meets Penang. Quality ingredients and creativity are hallmarks, seen in a dish of ‘economy noodles’ with fermented chili paste, topped with barbecued quail and toasted hazelnuts, or steelhead trout baked in banana leaves. Her pastry training is evident in a complex dessert of pandan custard with water chestnut and coconut granita, served with a take on kuih kasturi, a mung bean fritter filled with jackfruit and sweet red bean.”

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HED 11, San Francisco: “Perched in a swanky space at the corner of the Kimpton Hotel Enso, this ambitious Thai project from Chef Piriya “Saint” Boonprasan and owner Naruephon “Billie” Wannajaro gives a hint to its concept right in the name: an 11-course menu that celebrates regional Thai flavors with a contemporary style. The price point doesn’t lend itself to dining on a budget, but despite its variety, the meal won’t over-tax your schedule, with most of the courses arriving together as a sort of miniature banquet for the main. Sweet and savory are blended throughout the menu, whether in bites like a coconut pancake with lime and caviar, a take on khanom jeen sao nam with seared scallop paired with chilled rice noodles, tangy pineapple, and garlic, or even a Thai-style cheesecake with crispy fried onions and passionfruit syrup.”

TIYA, San Francisco: “Brothers Sujan and Pujan Sarkar combine their talents as co-chefs at this boutique space at the edge of Cow Hollow. Their cooking deploys seasonal produce like squash blossoms, artichokes and ramps to lend a Californian edge to an intriguing contemporary take on Indian cuisine. Both a la carte and tasting options give equal billing to vegetarian dishes and feature lively textures, whether it’s tender, keema-style jackfruit with crunchy potato, or an eggless take on a bhurji roll, made with paneer and crispy kataifi. The elegant room adds an additional layer of sophistication, down to a well-appointed bar, which offers unique cocktails named in honor of San Francisco neighborhoods.”

MOLTI AMICI, Healdsburg: “Wine country certainly has no shortage of this sort of casual Italian eatery, with a menu featuring the expected wood-fired pizzas and house-made pastas — but few of them manage to hit their mark quite so dead on as they do here. They may not be reinventing the wheel, but those pizzas are ideally blistered and feature simple but compelling toppings like squash blossom with fontina and balsamic, and the pastas, like a satisfying take on bucatini amatriciana topped with crunchy bread crumbs, offer an ideally al dente chew. On one of Healdsburg’s not-infrequent balmy days, the enclosed patio, complete with bocce court, is indeed an excellent spot to gather with ‘many friends,’ as suggested by the name.”



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29 youths busted with fake IDs at California restaurant

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29 youths busted with fake IDs at California restaurant


Twenty-nine people were busted with fake IDs inside a sushi restaurant on California’s Central Coast on April 23, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

Undercover agents with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control busted the underage drinkers at HaHa Sushi and Ramen on the 1000 block of Olive Street. Inside the restaurant, agents saw “a large group of youthful-appearing individuals” ordering and drinking alcohol, the San Luis Obispo Police Department said.

“In accordance with state law, agents contacted and identified the members of the group, discovering no one was 21 years old and every person was in possession of a fake identification card,” police said.

HaHa Sushi And Ramen in San Luis Obispo. (Google Street View)

During the investigation, 29 people were cited and released for possession of a fake ID. Six of these suspects were arrested for being minors in possession of alcohol. All of the suspects were cited and released from custody at the restaurant.

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“Preventing the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors helps increase public safety by reducing DUI arrests and collisions,” the San Luis Obispo Police Department said. “Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a collision than older drivers. About 25% of fatal crashes involve underage drinking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”



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California junior college athletes speak out on trans controversy that’s now in the Trump admin’s crosshairs

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California junior college athletes speak out on trans controversy that’s now in the Trump admin’s crosshairs


Santa Rosa Junior College was just supposed to be a stepping stone for Madison Shaw. Instead, she stepped right into a transgender athlete scandal that is now being investigated by the federal government.

With her graduation coming up, she has to move forward without being able to chase her dream of playing NCAA volleyball, which was the whole reason she went to Santa Rosa in the first place.

“It was the only plan I had,” Shaw told Fox News Digital of transferring to an NCAA program.

“I was planning on going to Chico [State University] and transferring, and getting set up through the recruiting process in that. And I wasn’t even able to upload any film or have a coach come out for my sophomore year. Because that year I was forced to be off the team.”

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Shaw had to step away from her volleyball team in the fall because she didn’t want to share a locker room with a biological male, and felt her Title IX rights to privacy, safety and equal opportunity were being violated. She had to throw away her plans for her sophomore season, and any chance of making it to an NCAA program.

Because Santa Rosa, as a junior college and not affiliated with the NCAA, and did not have to comply with the NCAA’s updated policy to prevent biological males from competing in women’s sports, Madison and her teammates ended up on the same roster as a trans athlete.

The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) allows transgender athletes to participate based on their gender identity. Biological males can compete on women’s teams after one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment.

Santa Rosa and the CCCAA as a whole have been under Title IX investigations by the U.S. Department of Education, and the federal Title IX task force, since January, after Madison and two teammates sent an S.O.S.

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SANTA ROSA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OPEN UP ON TRANS TEAMMATE’S ALLEGED SPIKES TO THE HEAD

Madison, and her freshman teammates Brielle Galli and Gracie Shaw, Madison’s sister, filed a Title IX complaint last September that brought attention to what was going on with their team.

Once the complaint became public, and garnered national media attention, multiple tense on-campus incidents allegedly occurred.

The three women allege Santa Rosa President Dr. Angélica Garcia led a pro-trans rally before a volleyball game, handed out packets to attendees.

“The president of our school had a rally to support our male athlete and had packets that were being hand handed out that said that our school is a gender inclusive closet,” Gracie Shaw alleged, with Madison Shaw and Galli corroborating the allegations.

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INSIDE GAVIN NEWSOM’S TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL CRISIS

Santa Rosa Junior College students Gracie Shaw, Brielle Galli and Madison Shaw (Fox News)

Teammates who had once been friends began distancing themselves, and in some cases, they said, actively excluded them.

“We were completely ostracized,” Gracie Shaw said. “We were left in the dark.”

They said teammates created separate group chats without them and held meetings they were not invited to, effectively cutting off communication.

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The players said they received backlash on social media and, at times, felt uncomfortable on campus. In one instance, they recalled being recorded and photographed by other students after being recognized in connection with the complaint.

The incident occurred when two other students set up a table with a sign that read “We are Christians, ask us anything.”

The women claim that the two men at the table were being told by other students that they were “hateful people.”

And soon, the anti-Christian crowd realized who the three women were, and two other students allegedly began to record Gracie Shaw and Galli, non-consensually.

The women say the only time the college and its administrators expressed concern for their well-being was in an investigative interview after news of their Title IX complaint had gone public.

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“Those interviews really rubbed me the wrong way,” Galli said.

“They kept pushing the same questions on us trying to get a different answer and trying to make us say something that wasn’t true. They kept stating that or they wanted us to state that it was our choice when really we were left with no choice with the way that we were made to feel uncomfortable and unsafe…

“They kept in bringing up the fact that there are so many resources available to us, so many counseling options and just so many resources that are just the school will provide for us. And that was a little ridiculous to me because throughout the whole season when we were participating, we had made it clear to our coach that we didn’t feel safe coming to the games.”

Santa Rosa Junior College provided a statement to Fox News Digital responding to the three women’s statements.

“Santa Rosa Junior College is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students and employees. The District complies with California Community College Athletic Association regulations, which govern student eligibility and participation in our athletic programs,” the statement said.

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“We respect the legal privacy rights of all students and cannot discuss individual circumstances. What we can affirm is that SRJC takes all reports seriously and responds through established procedures.”

But there were some moments when the women felt they were being supported, not by administrators, but male athletes at a competing school.

When Santa Rosa Junior College faced Sierra College in Rocklin, California, weeks after the complaint was filed, a “save women’s sports” protest broke out outside of the gym.

One of the protesters, local women’s sports activist Beth Bourne, handed out protest signs to students who attended the game and said it was the first time she’d seen college students protest the issue in person.

Sierra’s men’s athletes even joined in on the protesting. 

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California college students protest the participation of a transgender volleyball player at a women’s game. (Beth Bourne)

“There were men that were college students… that were holding those signs in support of us. Even though they probably didn’t know who we were. They knew that this was something that, that they could, even if it’s a small thing, just like just holding a sign up, they knew that it would make an impact,” Galli said.

It was a rare bright moment in an otherwise grueling school year. But now the summer is coming.

The women can at least move forward knowing their activism caught the attention of the federal government, as the Title IX investigations into the college and the entire CCCAA press on.

And as the three women look to regroup and determine the next step in their education, they each expressed gratitude for President Donald Trump’s administration for having their backs.

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But they’re still dealing with the irreversible effects on their futures, and are now navigating life after missing a chance at their NCAA dreams.

Madison Shaw said she is currently working three jobs as she tries to save up for tuition.

“Coming from a very athletic family, we all played sports,” she said. “For them to see this opportunity taken away was very hard on them, knowing that I wasn’t going to get the same opportunities they had when they played sports. And even just financially, this was a way for me to move on past the JC, so it was hard for them to watch.”

Galli found herself in the same situation.

“I saw it as my opportunity to pursue [NCAA sports],” Galli said of her decision to play at Santa Rosa. “I wanted to reach out and try to get recruited, and like Madison said, we didn’t really get the opportunity to play so we didn’t have any film that we could send to the coaches.”

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Gracie Shaw did not step away from the team right away, and continued practicing, but wouldn’t play in games as a form of protest. But eventually she just couldn’t take it anymore. she stepped away from the team as the situation progressed, and more national attention befell the team.

“I always wanted to get recruited and play at the next level, that was the plan,” Gracie Shaw said.

Madison Shaw continues to work her jobs and explore opportunities outside of playing sports, while Galli and Gracie Shaw are currently set to do another year of junior college.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Tom Steyer, California governor candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire

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Tom Steyer, California governor candidate, 2026 primary election questionnaire


Ahead of the June primary election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.

Name: Tom Steyer

Current job title: Climate Advocate

Age: 68

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Political party affiliation: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Other political positions held: Co-Chair, Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery (2020)

City where you reside: San Francisco

Campaign website or social media: tomsteyer.com

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What is your top economic development priority for the state? How will you work with cities to achieve this? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

My top economic priority is building an economy that works for everyone, not just the billionaires and biggest corporations. As governor, I’ll call a special election to get this done and make sure our economy grows from the bottom up, not the top down.

This starts with fixing the inequities in our tax system created by what I call the “Trump Tax Loophole.” Closing this loophole will force corporations and the billionaires who control them to pay their fair share — even Donald Trump himself. Right now, cities are starved of revenue because large commercial property owners are paying artificially low, outdated tax rates and that holds back local investment in schools, housing and infrastructure. I’ll partner with cities by giving them the resources they need by closing this loophole and returning billions of dollars to local communities.

Affordability continues to be top of mind for Californians. What is one specific area where the state could bring about immediate relief for residents? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

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The fastest way we can deliver real relief is by lowering the cost of housing for both renters and homeowners who are being squeezed every month. That means putting money back into people’s pockets now — expanding the Renter’s Tax Credit while also providing targeted relief to help homeowners stay in their homes and manage rising costs. I will fully enforce California’s Tenant Protection Act to ensure renters are protected statewide, including the cap on excessive rent increases, just-cause eviction standards and relocation assistance for displaced tenants.

At the same time, we need to make sure people can access the support they need, from housing counseling to homelessness prevention, so fewer Californians fall through the cracks. This will provide immediate relief while we build more housing and fix the underlying affordability crisis for the long term. But short-term fixes alone won’t solve this crisis. That’s why we’re committed to building 1 million new homes over the next four years — funded by closing corporate tax loopholes and making sure big corporations finally pay what they owe. Expanding housing supply remains the most durable solution to the affordability crisis and will serve as a cornerstone of this agenda.

Legislative Republicans this year called for a one-year suspension of the state’s gas tax. Meanwhile, another legislative proposal would consider charging drivers based on how much they use the roads as opposed to the fuel consumed. As governor, would you support any of these proposals? How else would you hope to alleviate prices at the pump for California drivers? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

I support a windfall profits tax on the oil companies that are making billions in extra profits at the expense of California families, and paying it out directly to the citizens of California. The companies that caused this crisis should pay for it. We need to provide immediate relief to Californians, but do it in a way so we can maintain our roads. Any solution that can’t lower costs and maintain our critical infrastructure is not a serious solution.

How do you propose to manage the state’s budget to ensure long-term fiscal stability? What areas would you consider for spending cuts, and, similarly, where would you like to see increased investment and why? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

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I will never balance the budget at the expense of working people — especially not when some of the wealthiest corporations and people on earth aren’t paying their fair share in taxes to the state of California. Long-term fiscal stability starts with fairness: closing the Trump tax loophole created by Proposition 13, which costs California cities, schools and communities $15 to 20 billion a year, is the single biggest step we can take. That revenue would allow us to invest in education, health care, affordable housing and local services without raising taxes on working families. At the same time, I’d ensure every dollar the state spends is accountable and effective, focusing on programs that deliver real results. This approach balances fiscal discipline with bold investments in the people and communities that make California strong.

One of the main concerns cited by opponents of a proposed billionaire tax is that it would push the state’s wealthiest residents to move elsewhere. Should this tax proposal qualify for the ballot and be approved by voters, what would you do as governor to ensure California remains a place where entrepreneurs and innovators want to live, so that the Golden State can continue to benefit as one of the world’s largest economies? And if it doesn’t pass, how would you propose the state pay for health care amid the Trump administration’s funding cuts? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

California is the best place in the world to start and grow a business. We imagine and build the future here like no place on earth. To keep it that way, locally, we need to expand Film Tax Credits to keep arts and entertainment in Los Angeles and keep an industry in California that employs tens of thousands of people. Broadly, the single most important thing we can do to ensure that entrepreneurs and innovators want to stay in California is to bring down costs — and I have plans to bring down the cost of housing, energy, health care and more.

Regardless of what happens with the specific billionaire tax on the ballot, I’m proposing we close the corporate property tax loophole in Proposition 13, which would bring in $15 to 20 billion every year for California schools, health care and local services. It’s a long-term solution that ensures everyone pays their fair share and that communities get the resources they need year after year.

Speaking of health care, should the state provide free or subsidized health care, such as Medi-Cal, to undocumented immigrants? Should there be any conditions placed on their eligibility? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

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Health care must be a right for every Californian, and that includes undocumented immigrants who are here participating in our society, working in our society, paying taxes and bringing up their families. Ultimately, I’m fighting for a single-payer system, which is the only way to make coverage universal, affordable and equitable. But the answer is not to turn people away from hospitals when they need medical care — access to care shouldn’t depend on income, status or luck. It’s to make corporations and billionaires pay their fair share, and to structurally change the system so we can afford to deliver health care as a right to everybody in California.

Would you continue to implement CARE Court, which is meant to help get people with severe mental illnesses off the streets? What changes, if any, would you make to the program? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)

CARE Courts may play a role in connecting people with severe mental illness to treatment, but they are not a substitute for housing or comprehensive support. My focus as governor would be on preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place and getting those who are on the street off it as fast as possible and into stable, supportive housing. We must treat this emergency with the urgency and depth of policy it deserves. We need to make sure people are paired with real housing, mental health services and case management, because treatment without a home doesn’t work. The priority has to be a full continuum of care — emergency interim housing, permanent supportive housing and mental health services — so people can rebuild their lives safely and sustainably.

As part of combating homelessness, elected officials often talk about the need to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place. What policies or programs should the state adopt to make housing more affordable for renters and homeowners? What do you propose the state do to incentivize housing development and expedite such projects? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

I have released a comprehensive housing plan that addresses many of these questions. We have to tackle housing affordability on both fronts — keeping people in their homes today and building the homes we desperately need for tomorrow. That means expanding the Renter’s Tax Credit, protecting homeowners from rising costs and making sure renters know their rights and can access homelessness prevention services.

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To quickly get unsheltered Californians off the streets, I will conduct a comprehensive spending review and partner with local governments to urgently expand interim bridge housing paired with robust stabilization services, ensuring we match the right type of housing and level of care to the specific needs of every individual.

At the same time, public dollars should bring investments to the table, not scare them away. Housing finance in California is too fragmented, burdensome and restrictive, and adds time, costs and complications that disincentivize the private investments that are vital for affordable housing. We need to cut the red tape that slows development, use publicly controlled land and give cities and developers real incentives to build affordable and mixed-income housing while confronting NIMBYism that too often blocks progress. This is about moving quickly to get people off the streets, into stable homes and finally creating the housing supply California families need.

What is a policy or project from the Newsom administration that you’d like to expand or continue? Is there something you’d change about the approach? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

Gov. Gavin Newsom has made real progress in positioning California as a global leader in clean energy and climate action, and that’s something I would absolutely build on. We should accelerate investments in clean tech — scaling renewable energy, electric vehicles and energy storage — because that’s how we create good-paying jobs and lead in the industries of the future. I’d focus on expanding these efforts so that every community shares in the benefits, from lower energy costs to cleaner air and new economic opportunities.

Conversely, name a policy or program from the Newsom administration that you’d want to eliminate or make major revisions to and explain the changes. (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

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Gov. Gavin Newsom has done a good job standing up to Donald Trump and defending California’s values, and he’s made real progress on some of the toughest issues we face. But what he hasn’t been able to do yet is make billionaires like me and the largest corporations pay their fair share in taxes. As governor, I will. That starts with closing loopholes, especially in our commercial property tax system, so we can generate stable, ongoing funding for schools, health care and local services. It’s about strengthening the foundation we already have and making sure California’s prosperity is shared more broadly.

Artificial intelligence has become a ubiquitous part of our lives. Yet public concerns remain that there aren’t enough regulations governing when or how AI should be used, and that the technology would replace jobs and leave too many Californians unemployed. How specifically would you balance such concerns with the desire to foster innovation and have California remain a leader in this space? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

I am the first and only candidate in this race to have released a comprehensive AI policy plan because this issue is too important to ignore or get wrong. AI is a threat to our safety, mental health and kids, but if we get it right, we can support our schools, businesses and communities. That’s why my plan ensures companies are held accountable with stronger regulations, requires data centers to pay their own way and creates a “Golden State Sovereign Wealth Fund” by taxing AI-driven profits. That fund will be reinvested directly in Californians — supporting education, job training and new opportunities — so workers benefit from this boom, not just the companies at the top. We cannot let AI be a technology that helps a handful of tech billionaires become tech trillionaires while putting millions of Californians out of work.

Last summer, President Donald Trump not only deployed federal immigration agents to California to carry out his mass deportation policy; he also federalized the National Guard and sent them to Los Angeles. How would you respond as governor should the president deploy more federal agents or troops to California again? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

ICE, as it exists today, should be abolished and demolished — it’s a criminal organization that has operated without accountability and has caused real harm to families and communities across this state. When an institution is broken from top to bottom, you don’t patch it — you replace it with something that reflects our values and the rule of law. As governor, I’ll use every legal tool to stop federal overreach, protect our residents, stop masked ICE agents from terrorizing California citizens and make sure California stands for dignity, justice and accountability.

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What’s a hidden talent you have? (Please answer in 250 words or less.)

Looking into the future.

OK, not literally. But I was a professional investor, and the job of an investor is to try to think about the future, anticipate it and figure out how to respond to it, knowing that you can never actually “know” what’s going to happen. And when we look at the problems that the California government has been having, that the institutional thinking has been having, we really haven’t seen a consistent focus on what’s going to happen — just a focus on what has happened, or what is happening now.



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