California
Will California meet the moment on homelessness?
In abstract
Politicians have made guarantees and voters have acted, however is California officialdom actually prepared and capable of confront the state’s worst-in-the-nation homelessness disaster?
Get California information in your inbox, totally free.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is fond — maybe overly so — of the phrase “meet the second.”
It interprets roughly into willingness to deal with urgent points and, in fact, he makes use of it largely to explain his personal resolve.
So, one would possibly ask, are Newsom, the Legislature, and metropolis and county officers actually prepared to confront California’s worst-in-the-nation epidemic of homelessness that provides its cities a 3rd world atmosphere?
Whether or not or not Newsom intends to pursue his political profession past the state, he is aware of that its squalid city pictures undermine his oft-voiced characterization of California as a shining mannequin of progressive governance.
The tough actuality is that regardless of spending billions of federal, state and native taxpayers’ {dollars} on applications aimed toward sheltering the unsheltered and ameliorating underlying elements, the variety of homeless folks on the streets, sidewalks and parks of California cities continues to climb and at a minimal approaches 200,000.
Repeatedly, California voters disgusted by the filth and/or moved by compassion inform pollsters that homelessness is a disaster that politicians should tackle. Los Angeles voters simply elected a brand new mayor, Karen Bass, on her promise to wash up the town and handed a brand new tax on actual property transactions that may elevate a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars} to make it occur. A newly re-elected Newsom says it will likely be the very best precedence of his second time period.
The specifics of what they or different political figures would possibly do are murky, since there’s little, if any, consensus on what approaches could be best, and the strains of duty among the many numerous ranges of presidency are equally blurry. One apparent drawback is that whereas homelessness is most evident inside cities, well being and welfare applications are largely administered by counties, utilizing state and federal funds.
That battle could be very evident in Sacramento, the state capital, the place metropolis and county officers have sparred continuously over who’s accountable. Sacramento metropolis voters simply handed a brand new legislation banning homeless encampments on public property — however provided that the town and county can agree on new shelters or campgrounds.
It’s one in all a slew of recent legal guidelines handed by both voters or native officers to limit the place the homeless can camp. Newsom, in the meantime, is clamping down on encampments alongside state-owned roadways.
Intergovernmental wrangling surfaced publicly simply earlier than the election when Newsom rejected all plans to scale back homelessness submitted by native officers who had been attempting to qualify for a brand new pot of state cash.
He complained that the plans would search solely a 2% decline in homelessness, including, “Everybody has to do higher — cities , counties and the state included. We’re all on this collectively.”
He was much more pointed in a Los Angeles Instances interview, saying, “Ship rattling outcomes. … It’s a disaster. Act prefer it. Everyone step up. I’m not the mayor. You need me to come back in? I’ll do the job. I’ll do it. Fortunately. I’ve been going into cities cleansing up encampments. Has anybody gotten the trace? If somebody did that to me after I was mayor, I’d be like, ‘OK, I acquired it.’”
Later, he met with a delegation of native officers they usually emerged with pledges to change into extra aggressive in coping with the problem. Nevertheless, native officers are nonetheless reluctant to make commitments for applications with out assurances of long-term monetary help.
California officialdom could possibly be poised for a giant campaign on homelessness. However will it meet the second, or proceed to throw cash on the drawback — a bit of right here, a bit of there — with out coordinated and sustained motion whereas the squalor, the human distress and the political finger-pointing proceed?
California
Dickies to say goodbye to Texas, hello to Southern California
FORT WORTH, Texas — Dickies is leaving Cowtown for the California coast, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
The 102-year-old Texas workwear brand, which is owned by VF Corp., is making the move from Fort Worth to Costa Mesa in order to be closer to its sister brand, Vans.
Dickies was founded in Fort Worth in 1922 by E.E. “Colonel” Dickie. Today, Dickies Arena is the entertainment hub of the city and home of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
The company is expected to make the move by May. Approximately 120 employees will be affected, the report said.
By moving one of its offices closer to the other, VF Corp. says it can “consolidate its real estate portfolio,” as well as “create an even more vibrant campus,” Ashley McCormack, director of external communications at VF Corp. said in the report.
Dickies isn’t the only rugged brand owned by VF Corp. The company also has ownership of Timberland, The North Face and JanSport.
VF Corp. acquired Dickies in 2017 for $820 million.
“Their contributions to our city’s culture, economy and identity are immeasurable,” District 9 City Council member Elizabeth Beck, who represents the area of downtown Fort Worth where Dickies headquarters is currently located, said in a statement to the Fort Worth Report. “While we understand their business decision, it is bittersweet to see a company that started right here in Fort Worth take this next step. We are committed to supporting the employees who remain here and will work to honor the lasting imprint Dickies has left on our community.”
California
Caitlyn Jenner says she'd 'destroy' Kamala Harris in hypothetical race to be CA gov
SAN FRANCISCO – Caitlyn Jenner, the gold-medal Olympian-turned reality TV personality, is considering another run for Governor of California. This time, she says, if she were to go up against Vice President Kamala Harris, she would “destroy her.”
Jenner, who publicly came out as transgender nearly 10 years ago, made a foray into politics when she ran as a Republican during the recall election that attempted to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021. Jenner only received one percent of the vote and was not considered a serious candidate.
Jenner posted this week on social media that she’s having conversations with “many people” and hopes to have an announcement soon about whether she will run.
Caitlyn Jenner speaks at the 4th annual Womens March LA: Women Rising at Pershing Square on January 18, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)
She has also posted in Trumpian-style all caps: “MAKE CA GREAT AGAIN!”
As for VP Harris, she has not indicated any future plans for when she leaves office. However, a recent poll suggests Harris would have a sizable advantage should she decide to run in 2026. At that point, Newsom cannot run again because of term limits.
If Jenner decides to run and wins, it would mark the nation and state’s first transgender governor.
California
Northern California 6-year-old, parents hailed as heroes for saving woman who crashed into canal
LIVE OAK — A six-year-old and her parents are being called heroes by a Northern California community for jumping into a canal to save a 75-year-old woman who drove off the road.
It happened on Larkin Road near Paseo Avenue in the Sutter County community of Live Oak on Monday.
“I just about lost her, but I didn’t,” said Terry Carpenter, husband of the woman who was rescued. “We got more chances.”
Terry said his wife of 33 years, Robin Carpenter, is the love of his life and soulmate. He is grateful he has been granted more time to spend with her after she survived her car crashing off a two-lane road and overturning into a canal.
“She’s doing really well,” Terry said. “No broken bones, praise the Lord.”
It is what some call a miracle that could have had a much different outcome without a family of good Samaritans.
“Her lips were purple,” said Ashley Martin, who helped rescue the woman. “There wasn’t a breath at all. I was scared.”
Martin and her husband, Cyle Johnson, are being hailed heroes by the Live Oak community for jumping into the canal, cutting Robin out of her seat belt and pulling her head above water until first responders arrived.
“She was literally submerged underwater,” Martin said. “She had a back brace on. Apparently, she just had back surgery. So, I grabbed her brace from down below and I flipped her upward just in a quick motion to get her out of that water.”
The couple said the real hero was their six-year-old daughter, Cayleigh Johnson.
“It was scary,” Cayleigh said. “So the car was going like this, and it just went boom, right into the ditch.”
Cayleigh was playing outside and screamed for her parents who were inside the house near the canal.
I spoke with Robin from her hospital bed over the phone who told us she is in a lot of pain but grateful.
“The thing I can remember is I started falling asleep and then I was going over the bump and I went into the ditch and that’s all I remember,” Robin said.
It was a split-second decision for a family who firefighters said helped save a stranger’s life.
“It’s pretty unique that someone would jump in and help somebody that they don’t even know,” said Battalion Chief for Sutter County Fire Richard Epperson.
Robin is hopeful that she will be released from the hospital on Wednesday in time to be home for Thanksgiving.
“She gets Thanksgiving and Christmas now with her family and grandkids,” Martin said.
Terry and Robin are looking forward to eventually meeting the family who helped save Robin’s life. The family expressed the same feelings about meeting the woman they helped when she is out of the hospital.
“I can’t wait for my baby to get home,” Terry said.
-
Science1 week ago
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
Technology1 week ago
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
World1 week ago
Protesters in Slovakia rally against Robert Fico’s populist government
-
Health5 days ago
Holiday gatherings can lead to stress eating: Try these 5 tips to control it
-
News1 week ago
They disagree about a lot, but these singers figure out how to stay in harmony
-
Health2 days ago
CheekyMD Offers Needle-Free GLP-1s | Woman's World
-
News1 week ago
Gaetz-gate: Navigating the President-elect's most baffling Cabinet pick