California
Small town California mayor allegedly sucker punched by homeless man near congressional staffers, police chief
A Northern California city council member is pointing to his state’s lenient policies on crime after he and a mayor were allegedly attacked and punched in a daytime attack by a homeless person.
Marysville City Councilman Dom Belza told Fox News Digital he and Mayor Chris Branscum, Chief of Police Christian Sachs, along with two congressional staffers for Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-CA, was downtown assessing damage to a historic building that had been recently devastated by a fire when the incident occurred Aug. 22.
“We were standing on the sidewalk near the site having a casual conversation. An individual was crossing at the crosswalk. And right as he got to the mayor, who had his back turned, the individual reached back and swung and hit him right square in the back,” Belza said.
“There was no communication, no altercation. There was nothing that instigated the punch. It was just a complete random act of violence.”
OAKLAND HOMELESS WOMAN STEALS CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE’S FUNDRAISING MONEY: ‘I WAS LEFT TO FEND FOR MYSELF’
Marysville City Councilman Dom Belza, pictured, was with Mayor Chris Branscum and Chief of Police Christian Sachs when the incident occurred. (Fox News Digital)
Mayor Branscum described the attack as “out of nowhere,” telling KCRA-TV that “I thought I was hit by a car.
“I was hit so hard. The next thing I know, there’s this guy sliding by me, running, and I yelled an expletive at him.”
Following the alleged attack, Belza said his “instincts kicked in” and he bolted after the fleeing suspect.
The suspect, who was later identified as 36-year-old Derek Hopkins, took off running after the incident.
“I saw the attacker take off running down the street, so instinct kicked in, and I ran after the attacker,” Belza said. “As I was gaining on him, and we were about halfway down the block, he turned around and saw me over his shoulder.”
The suspect was identified as 36-year-old Derek Hopkins. (Yuba County Sheriff’s Department)
Belza said Hopkins stopped and came in for a second punch, successfully hitting him on the side of his head.
“After that, I engaged him and took him down to the ground and restrained him until the chief of police was able to get there. We held him in custody until he was officially arrested,” Belza said.
Hopkins is facing eight charges that include felony assault of a public official and felony elder abuse. His bail is set at $50,000.
Belza said the incident sheds light on the crime crisis happening in communities across California, as Democratic policies impact ordinary citizens and elected officials.
“In a bigger light and a larger picture of this whole situation, this is something that we’re dealing with on a regular basis,” he said. “Maybe not necessarily where an elected official gets attacked, but where there’s many more of these types of crimes and these types of attacks in communities across California.”
“This attack is really a result of the soft-on-crime policy that California has implemented.”
“It speaks to a much bigger issue in the state. This attack is really a result of the soft-on-crime policy that California has implemented over the last 10 years,” he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, arrives for a campaign rally in Savannah, Ga., Thursday. Harris was California attorney general in 2014 when Proposition 47 was signed into law. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Belza zeroed in on Proposition 47, which was signed into law in November 2014 and reclassified six minor felony offenses as misdemeanors, including shoplifting of merchandise valued at less than $950 and drug possession.
“Prop 47 is the anchor of that soft on crime,” he said.
OAKLAND POLICE REFUTE CLAIMS IT IS DISTORTING MASSIVE CRIME FIGURE DROP
He pointed to California’s attorney general in 2014 — Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee — as the leader behind the legislation.
“She was the one who really pushed this heavily, and since then, we’ve just seen crime go rampant in California,” he said. “I think we should all be really concerned that if she is running for president, or if she becomes president, that the entire nation is going to deal with the same issues that California is dealing with for the last 10 years.
“That should be a huge, huge concern for all of us.”
Along D Street in the politically conservative city of Marysville, Calif. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Belza said that despite his city’s small size, it has been forced to deal with the result of progressive legislation, like Prop 47.
“We’re a small community in Northern California, and we’ve been dealing with homelessness, substance abuse, vagrancy, loitering and vandalism,” Belza said. “One of our local coffee shops last year just randomly had a chair thrown through its window.
“We’ve just seen a huge increase in those types of crime, not to mention the increase in hard crimes, like murders.”
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS REACT TO ‘CRAZY’ BILL THAT WOULD GIVE UNDOCUMENTED FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS MONEY
In 2024, California reported that violent crime had significantly declined. Belza disputed the claims, saying the new classification of reporting crime has impacted the data.
“When you report it [crime] differently, it’s not necessarily that the crime is going down,” Belza said. “What used to be reported as a felony, now is reported as a misdemeanor, and what used to be reported as a misdemeanor is now reported as a lighter infraction crime.
“And so it’s not that crime has gone down,” he added. “I would say the reality is we’ve seen crime go up to the point where most of our residents in Marysville are afraid to go to the store. They’re afraid to walk down the street.
“Situations like this are proof that California is not a safe state and that these small, rural communities aren’t safe.”
“And situations like this are proof that California is not a safe state and that these small, rural communities aren’t safe anymore,” he said.
“And that’s the real issue – people don’t feel safe,” he said. “I had a call from a lady that I know, an elderly lady in town, who went to the local (drug store) to pick up her medications. And as she was trying to get back to her car from the storefront, she was confronted by two individuals in the street that wanted to harass her. She doesn’t have anybody there to help her or to protect her.”
A view of the California Capitol in Sacramento. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for National Urban League)
Belza said communities in California have created coalitions to combat crime.
“Because of the results of what we’re experiencing with crime in California, the people spoke up. We got enough signatures to get Prop 36 on the ballot,” he said. “Prop 36 really changes what prop 47 did and brings serious ramifications for repeat offenders, especially in retail theft and especially in heavy drugs, like fentanyl.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I created an organization last spring called Free California, and it is designed to help partner state legislators and others that are trying to combat this issue on a policy level and also bring awareness to California residents to say that we the people can make changes to things that we’re not happy about. We have a responsibility to step up as California citizens and to help make this a safe state.”
The Harris campaign and LaMalfa did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
NCAA Football: California at Auburn
Sep 7, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) warms up before the…
Sep 7, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) warms up before the game against the California Golden Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images
California (1-0) at Auburn (1-0)
2:30 p.m. CDT Saturday (ESPN2)
Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn
1 Previous game between Auburn and California. The Tigers beat the Golden Bears 14-10 on Sept. 9, 2023.
3 Interceptions for California in its season-opening 31-13 victory over UC Davis last week. Cal was the only team in the nation with three interceptions in Week 1.
3 True freshmen caught TD passes in Auburn’s season-opening 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M last week. Malcolm Simmons had three receptions for 91 yards, including a 57-yard TD; Perry Thompson had two receptions for 82 yards, including a 70-yard TD; and Cam Coleman had two receptions for 66 yards, including a 44-yard TD. Five Auburn players had at least one TD reception in the opener. Last season, seven Tigers had TD receptions.
5 Victories without a loss for Auburn on Sept. 7. All the games were played in Auburn, and the Tigers outscored their opponents – Southwestern Louisiana, Fresno State, Western Carolina, Arkansas State and Tulane – by a combined score of 229-22.
5 Games for California in the Eastern or Central time zones this season after the Golden Bears played in five such games in the previous five seasons combined. California is playing its first season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.
6 300-yard passing games for Auburn QB Payton Thorne, although only one has come with the Tigers. In last week’s 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M, Thorne completed 13-of-21 passes for 322 yards with four TDs and no interceptions. Thorne’s other five 300-yard passing games came while he played for Michigan State.
6 Victories and 11 losses for California against SEC opponents. Saturday’s game will be the Golden Bears’ 10th on an SEC member’s home field. Cal has played at Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and Tennessee and has a 2-7 record in those games.
7 Years since Auburn’s previous game against an opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference, which California joined for the 2024 season. The Tigers lost at Clemson 14-6 on Sept. 9, 2017, in its most recent game against an ACC member. Auburn’s most recent victory against an ACC member came on Sept. 5, 2015, when the Tigers downed Louisville 31-24 in Atlanta. Auburn has a 34-12 record against ACC opponents, with a 19-5 home mark.
22 Consecutive games with at least one reception for Auburn WR Robert Lewis. All but the most recent of those games came with Lewis playing for Georgia State. He had 70 receptions for 877 yards and seven touchdowns for the Panthers in 2023. Lewis had an 8-yard reception in Auburn’s season-opening 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M on Saturday.
77 Rushing yards are needed by Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter to become the 15th Auburn player with 2,300. Hunter ran for 53 yards on 11 carries in Auburn’s 14-10 victory over California last season. He also ran for 53 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ season-opening game last week against Alabama A&M, although he needed only four carries to reach that total in Auburn’s 73-3 victory.
143 Games have been played by Auburn since it was most recently shut out, the second-longest streak in school history. Auburn’s most recent shutout loss came 49-0 to Alabama on Nov. 17, 2012. Auburn’s record scoring streak lasted 149 games, starting with a 55-16 victory over Richmond on Oct. 4, 1980, and ending with a 17-0 loss to Alabama on Nov. 26, 1992. Auburn’s current scoring streak is the 10th-longest in SEC history, and its record streak is the ninth-longest.
450 Auburn games at Jordan-Hare Stadium when the Tigers take the field on Saturday. Auburn and Florida tied 7-7 in Game 1 on Nov. 30, 1939, and the Tigers have a 347-95-7 record in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
1,325 Rushing yards for California RB Jaydn Ott in 2023, the most in the Pac-12. In the Golden Bears’ 14-10 loss to Auburn last season, Ott had 78 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
California
California passes ban on plastic grocery bags again, this time nixing thicker plastic bags
California lawmakers have passed a second plastic bag ban after admitting the state’s first ban failed its goal of reducing plastic waste.
State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, told The Los Angeles Times more sweeping legislation was needed to address a “loophole” in the initial legislation, which actually led consumers to use more plastic over the past decade.
The Democrats’ new proposal, offered in bills Senate Bill 1053 and Assembly Bill 2236, revises the state’s single-use bag ban to stop grocery stores from selling thicker plastic grocery bags and requires grocery stores to only offer recycled paper bags at checkout.
The legislation was passed in late August and now sits on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk awaiting his signature. If signed into law, the ban would become effective in 2026.
California’s new plastic bag ban would only pertain to checkout bags at grocery stores. (Photo by ROMEO GACAD/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
CALIFORNIA PLASTIC BAG BAN LED TO MORE PLASTIC WASTE, CONSUMER ADVOCACY GROUP CLAIMS
“Instead of being asked do you want paper or plastic at checkout, consumers will simply be asked if they want a paper bag,” Blakespear told the Times. “This easy change eliminates plastic bags from the point of sale and helps California significantly reduce the plastic waste that is contaminating our environment and waters.”
In 2014, the Golden State passed SB 270, a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery, drug and convenience stores, in efforts to reduce the amount of plastic waste and encourage the public to use reusable bags. However, Democrats admitted the plastic bag ban failed to reduce waste, because consumers would opt to pay a small fee for the heavier “reusable” plastic bags offered by grocery stores instead. However, consumers typically threw these bags away.
As a result, consumer advocacy group CALPIRG claimed there’s been a 47% jump in plastic bag waste tonnage over the past decade.
“157,385 tons of plastic bag waste was discarded in California the year the law was passed. By 2022, however, the tonnage of discarded plastic bags had skyrocketed to 231,072 — a 47% jump. Even accounting for an increase in population, the number rose from 4.08 tons per 1,000 people in 2014 to 5.89 tons per 1,000 people in 2022,” the Times said of the report’s findings in February.
The new legislation received support from both environmental groups and the California Grocers Association, the Times report said.
The paper pleaded for lawmakers to pass the “do-over” plastic ban in an editorial last month.
California grocery stores would only be allowed to sell paper bags at checkout under the new bill. (iStock)
LA TIMES ADMITS CALIFORNIA PLASTIC BAG BANS ACTUALLY MADE WASTE PROBLEM WORSE: ‘UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES’
“Retailers handed them out like candy, and consumers couldn’t have recycled them even if they wanted to. No recycling facility in the state accepts these bags,” the editorial read.
“This can’t go on,” it continued. “We need a do-over — a second plastic bag ban that fulfills the promise that lawmakers made in 2014 by passing Senate Bill 270, and that voters embraced two years later when they rejected an industry-led ballot measure to overturn it.”
An alliance of California recyclers and manufacturers announced they were disappointed by the bills.
“This ill-advised approval will create a cascade of problems for every Californian. These lawmakers chose to enact legislation that they know is flawed despite specific examples, studies, and polls that show banning plastic film grocery bags hurts consumers, businesses, is not what Californians want, and does not help the environment or limit plastic waste,” Roxanne Spiekerman, spokesperson for the RRA and Vice President of Public Affairs for PreZero US, said in a statement.
Fox News’ Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Alabama football vs South Florida score today: Live updates, highlights from Week 2 game
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/36YCUVOR55ATFKKD7CUYH3F4OU.JPG "Wondering where the fish have gone")
Wondering where the fish have gone
Buffalo Bills vs. Arizona Cardinals match player stats for Week 1
Arkansas fumbles away upset over No. 16 Oklahoma State after forcing double overtime
Pregame sights ahead of Auburn's game vs. California
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At least 2 dead as tornadoes hit Alabama, damage homes across Southeast
Stefanik files ethics complaint against Trump trial judge alleging Harris campaign paid his daughter’s company
Russian strikes kill at least three people in eastern Ukraine
Dick Cheney's Reason for Endorsing Harris Over Trump
Conservative economists pour cold water on Harris' new small-business tax proposal
Voting under way in Algeria’s presidential election
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoSaripodhaa Sanivaaram Movie Review Rating
-
World1 week agoEconomic portfolios are key in talks to chose new EU commissioners
-
News1 week agoHarris kicks off Georgia tour as Trump posts grievances on social media
-
Politics1 week agoEx-California resident slams state bill that gives illegal immigrants housing loans: 'Asinine'
-
Politics1 week agoTrump impersonates Elon Musk talking about rockets: ‘I’m doing a new stainless steel hub’
-
World1 week agoBrussels, my love? Is France becoming the sick man of Europe?
-
Politics1 week agoTrump campaign slams Harris as 'still a San Francisco radical' after CNN interview
-
Politics1 week agoHarris says no regrets about defending Biden fitness for office