California
Sacramento Snapshot: New California bill would expand hunting and fishing opportunities for sick children
An effort is underway in California to expand opportunities for hunting and fishing for youth with life-threatening illnesses or who have lost a parent in service to the state or country.
Sen. Steven Choi, R-Irvine, last week introduced legislation that would task California’s Fish and Game Commission with establishing a program to help these youth access more opportunities to fish and hunt big game or upland or migratory game birds. Examples of upland game birds are pheasant, quail and wild turkey; migratory game birds include band-tailed pigeons and mourning doves.
“For some young people facing serious illness, time is not a luxury they have,” said Choi, calling Senate Bill 1021 a measure “about compassion and responsible stewardship.”
“This bill creates a narrowly tailored and carefully supervised opportunity for them to experience the outdoors while fully respecting California’s conservation framework,” he said.
According to the bill’s fact sheet, youth generally have a difficult time obtaining the needed permits to hunt in California, given the limited number that exist. It said some 1,880 youth applied for the 16 big game tags available to them in 2018.
“This will create unforgettable experiences for youth with critical diagnoses and their families,” the fact sheet said. The bill “will bring awareness to the vital role hunting plays in managing California’s wildlife resources, and it will aid in the recruitment of the next generation of our state’s declining conservationists.”
While eligibility could vary based on a case-by-case medical review, Choi’s office said someone who is between 5 and 18 years old at the time of a referral could qualify for the program, although it would be possible to fulfill someone’s hunting or fishing request after turning 18 because of planning timelines.
The proposed legislation mirrors a similar law in Georgia, where the state is able to give authorization for terminally ill people who are 21 years or younger to hunt big game or alligators.
Choi’s bill, though, would open the program to youth under 18 years of age who have a life-threatening illness, defined, his office said, as a “progressive, degenerative or malignant (cancerous) condition that places the child’s life in jeopardy,” Choi’s office said. Diagnoses could include chronic lung diseases, cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia, among others.
And since the program is to be established by the Fish and Game Commission, it would also need to utilize existing wildlife management tools and be supervised by qualified instructors and guides, according to Choi’s office, and not weaken existing conservation protections.
Senate Bill 1021 counts Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, as one of its co-authors. Sens. Christopher Cabaldon, D-Yolo, and Caroline Menjivar, D-San Fernando Valley, are also among the co-authors.
The bill is sponsored by Field of Dreams, a California-based nonprofit that helps children with serious medical diagnoses or special needs, as well as military and veteran families, to experience nature and outdoor activities.
Tom Dermody, the nonprofit’s founder, said the group is backing the bill “because it (Field of Dreams) recognizes that some kids cannot wait years for an opportunity that may never come. This bill gives them hope, dignity and a chance to create meaningful memories, all while respecting wildfire and conservation.”
In other news
• Gov. Gavin Newsom last week signed into law a bill meant to protect veterans. From Sen. Bob Archuleta, a Democrat whose district includes Brea and Placentia, the bill is designed to protect veterans from predatory and deceptive people or companies that claim to help them access their benefits.
“This is a clear victory for veterans and their families,” Archuleta, a U.S. Army combat veteran, said after the bill’s signing. “California is sending a strong message that exploitation of those who served will not be tolerated.”
The veterans bill had deeply divided legislators in the statehouse. Opponents, including Sen. Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat and a retired U.S. Army colonel, had expressed concerns that, while well-intentioned, it could create a system in which veterans are not allowed to choose how they file benefits claims.
• Newsom also signed legislation from Umberg last week: In this case, it was an antitrust bill meant to protect consumers and businesses with more clarity during merger reviews.
The new law will give the California attorney general earlier access to federal HSR merger filings, so the office will have more time to review and challenge anticompetitive mergers and give businesses earlier notice to address any potential concerns, according to Umberg’s office.
Umberg called the effort “a first-of-its-kind measure in the antitrust space, creating a fairer, more efficient merger review process that balances the needs of businesses while protecting consumers.”
• Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, is behind a new bill to ensure genetic data is protected.
Assembly Bill 1727 would make it illegal to intentionally sell or transfer someone else’s DNA sample or genetic data to a third party without their consent. An example Ta’s office used in a statement: Someone could throw away a used straw; the bill would make it illegal for someone to pick up that straw and extract their genetic data without knowledge or consent.
“Taking a person’s DNA is not a lighthearted act,” said Ta. “It is a planned and malicious crime to steal someone’s genetic material and use it for any reason. That is why it is critical that there be real consequences.”
The bill does exempt law enforcement and higher education institutions from its provisions.
Six of the top-polling candidates in California’s race for governor faced off at a debate in San Francisco Wednesday night.
This marked the first debate since former East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race for governor and resigned from his seat. Despite Swalwell’s exit as well as the departure of Betty Yee from the race, no clear Democratic frontrunner has emerged.
The debate was hosted by Nexstar/KRON in San Francisco.
The candidates at this debate included four Democrats: former Congresswoman Katie Porter, former California State Attorney General Xavier Beccera, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer. The two Republicans at this debate included former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
All candidates are trying to make an impression ahead of the June 2 primary. Ballots will be mailed out to California voters in early May.
Political analyst Larry Gerston examines the first California governor’s race debate since Eric Swalwell dropped out, hosted by Nexstar/KRON in San Francisco.
California
Federal appeals court blocks California law requiring federal agents to wear identification
LOS ANGELES — An appeals court has blocked a California law passed in 2025 requiring federal immigration agents to wear a badge or some form of identification.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit in November challenging the law, arguing that it would threaten the safety of officers who are facing harassment, doxing, and violence and that it violated the constitution because the state is directly regulating the federal government.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction pending appeal Wednesday. It had already granted a temporary administrative injunction to block the implementation of the law.
At a hearing March 3, Justice Department lawyers argued that the California law sought to regulate the federal government, violating the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.
The appeals court agreed unanimously, saying the law “attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions,” in an opinion written by Judge Mark J. Bennett. The panel was composed of two Trump appointees, Bennett and Daniel P. Collins, and Obama appointee Jacqueline H. Nguyen.
California lawyers argued that the law applied equally to all law enforcement officers without discriminating against the U.S. government, and that states could apply “generally applicable” laws federal agents. They also argued that the law was important to address public safety concerns.
People are more likely to attack officers in self-defense if there’s no visible identification letting the public know they are law enforcement, California lawyers said in a brief opposing the injunction.
“This confusion has resulted in federal law enforcement officials being mistaken for criminals and vice versa, creating serious risk of harm to peace officers and members of the public,” they wrote.
The appeals court judges said they did not consider the public safety factors because the federal government has demonstrate its constitutional rights would be violated by the legislation, and “all citizens have a stake in upholding the Constitution,” it ruled, quoting previous case law.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called it a “huge legal victory” in a post on X.
The California Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The initial lawsuit also addressed another California measure signed into law last year that would have banned most law enforcement officers from wearing masks, neck gaiters, and other facial coverings. It was blocked by a federal judge in February.
The legislation did not apply to state law enforcement and made exceptions for undercover agents, protective equipment like N95 respirators or tactical gear, and other situations where not wearing a mask would jeopardize the operation.
California
California Islamic calligraphy artist preserves ancient tradition during Arab American Heritage Month
As Arab American Heritage Month is celebrated, one Northern California artist is keeping the centuries-old tradition of Islamic calligraphy alive, one carefully measured stroke at a time.
Sehar Shahzad is a student calligrapher. Before starting any project, Shahzad said “one of the first things that calligraphers learn is how to cut their pens.”
Her tools must be in pristine condition.
“Your instruments are just as important as anything else in this art,” she said.
Shahzad said that as a young girl growing up in Toronto, she took up Islamic calligraphy while reflecting on her religion.
“It’s not like I’d never seen it before, but it was my first time kind of trying it,” she said. “And there’s no other way to say it except that I just fell in love with it.”
Now married with three children, Islamic calligraphy is very much part of her life.
“I remember thinking that this isn’t something that I just want to learn for fun,” she said. “I really want to be able to master it.”
Shahzad said that every angle and curve follows strict geometric rules and is measured with dots.
“For example, this letter here was just a little bit too long, so we use these nuqtas to help us guide and understand how long that letter should be,” she said.
Like the Arabic language, Islamic calligraphy is read from right to left. Its bold simplicity requires precision and a deep understanding of proportion.
“When you’re creating a composition, it’s not only about the letter itself,” Shahzad said. “It’s about composition as a whole and making sure that everything balances together.”
Even though she’s still mastering her form, Shahzad’s work is featured in the prayer room of a Muslim cemetery in Napa and in the domes of mosques in San Jose, Hayward, and San Francisco.
Still, she considers her work on paper the most special.
“A form of meditation, a form of worship, requires focus, requires discipline, really brings me to a different space,” Shahzad said. “And I think that’s what I love most.”
Proving that in this fast-paced world, this millennia-long tradition is far from disappearing.
Shahzad’s work will be featured at the upcoming Light Upon Light art exhibit at the Tarbiya Institute in Roseville from April 24-26.
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