West
Kamala Harris’ record as prosecutor in California spells ‘trouble’ for presidential campaign: lawyer
Kamala Harris’ policies as San Francisco District Attorney and California Attorney General could come back to haunt her as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for president, experts say.
“She’s one of these people who’ve talked out of both sides of her mouth, and she’s going to have trouble with both the left and the right with the stances she’s taken over the years,” Los Angeles-based criminal defense lawyer Nicole Castronovo told Fox News Digital.
Critics of potential presidential nominee Harris are calling attention to her backing of a controversial 2014 California law that some blame for unleashing rampant crime across the state.
As California’s then attorney general, Harris and her office were responsible for writing up a summary of Proposition 47 to inform voters of its contents and intent.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally on June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Dubbed the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” the legislation lessened penalties for a variety of crimes – including making the theft of items with a total value of less than $950 a misdemeanor.
That provision, critics assert, handed thieves a de facto carte blanche to plunder beleaguered retail outlets with near impunity.
“Now she’s running in a general election against someone who is tough on crime, I would expect her to shift back to her less progressive, more conservative prosecution roots,”
“They changed sentencing to free criminals who should have been incarcerated and titled it with a misleading name,” Castronovo noted. “But it actually made communities less safe.”
Other crimes that were once felonies – including forgery, fraud, drug use, and the receiving of stolen goods valued under $950 – were also reclassified as misdemeanors.
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Castronovo said the law has even angered some of Harris’ liberal backers.
“People are over the crime,” she said. “It really does affect your daily life. We’re paying so much money to live in LA where crime is just out of control.”
Then Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley called Proposition 47 a political “Trojan Horse” that would eventually foment illegality in an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Castronovo also highlighted Harris’ full-throated endorsement of polarizing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
“As D.A. of L.A. County, I know George Gascón will work every day to keep our communities safe and demand real accountability from our justice system and real justice for every Angeleno,” Harris told the Los Angeles Times in February 2020.
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Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon arrives at a news conference to address the allegation that hotels are using staffing agencies to hire homeless migrants as replacement workers for strikers at Le Meridien Defina hotel in Santa Monica on Oct. 23, 2023. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
But Gasccón’s reign has since been turbulent, with critics arguing that his office has ushered in spiraling disorder.
His tenure has produced several recall campaigns that fizzled out.
Prior to becoming California Attorney General in 2011, Harris served as San Francisco’s District Attorney from 2004 to 2011.
Some observers said she had a more tough-on-crime approach to prosecutions during that period.
In a vastly different political climate predating the George Floyd killing and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Harris was considered a moderate, according to former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney Neama Rahmani.
“I thought she was tough and fair,” he said. “This was well before any of these progressive initiatives. She’s now tried to distance herself from that a bit.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an event as part of the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, Saturday, July 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Harris drew scrutiny during her time as San Francisco DA for seeking to charge parents of chronically truant students. She also sought higher bail for defendants charged with gun offenses.
Some progressives criticized Harris prosecuting more than 1,900 marijuana cases during her reign as DA.
“She was attacked for being too extreme, putting people in prison for longer periods of time, disproportionately affecting men and people of color,” Rahmani said.
But despite her reputation as a prosecutorial hawk in those days, Harris remained opposed to the death penalty.
That position drew attention after she refused to seek a capital murder case against a man who shot and killed a San Francisco police officer.
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President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris arrive for a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, May 27, 2024. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The decision even drew a rare public rebuke from then Sen. Dianne Feinstein. But then, when she became AG, she defended the death penalty, Castronovo noted.
“She’s going to have a lot of issues with her death penalty positions,” the attorney said.
Rahmani said he expects Harris to now modify her tone once again given her potential face-off with former President Donald Trump.
“Now she’s running in a general election against someone who is tough on crime, I would expect her to shift back to her less progressive, more conservative prosecution roots,” he said.
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Alaska
Anchorage international airport jumps into first for cargo volume in the US
The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport has reached new heights, becoming the largest cargo hub in the U.S. last year.
It may be a first for the Anchorage airport, based on historical data from the Airports Council International.
The ascendance is based partly on the airport’s steady growth in cargo volume landed there in recent years, according to figures from the group.
It came even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs upended global trade patterns, the group’s latest rankings show.
A key part of the rise? The state’s strategic perch near much of the industrialized world.
But perhaps more important in the latest figures was the large decline in cargo volume at the Memphis International Airport last year.
The FedEx superhub has long been the dominant cargo airport in the U.S., and sometimes the world. But FedEx has restructured its operations, contributing to the airport’s drop in cargo volume.
That helped the Anchorage airport leapfrog past Memphis last year.
With 3.9 million tons of cargo landed, Anchorage was behind only the Hong Kong and Shanghai airports, globally.
In recent years in particular, the Anchorage airport has become a critical crossroads for aviation shippers, in part due to the increase in e-commerce packages moving between Asia and the U.S.
Carriers often drop into Anchorage to refuel, allowing them to haul more of their valuable payload, and less fuel traveling between continents.
“Aircraft can reach 90% of the industrialized world within 9 1/2 hours from the airport,” said Teri Lindseth, the airport’s development manager, in an interview Friday.
Also important is the “targeted effort by the airport development team and the (Alaska) Department of Transportation to expand Anchorage’s cargo presence and overall airport development,” she said. “We’ve focused on supporting our existing partners at the airlines, creating opportunities for growth, and we’re seeing that strategy pay off.”
Over 30 cargo carriers using the airport have helped boost those numbers, Lindseth said.
Some of the carriers have significantly increased their cargo landings in Anchorage last year, she said, including China Airlines and Taiwan-based EVA Air Cargo, and Kalitta Air and Atlas Air, based in the U.S., she said.
Greg Wolf, head of the Alaska International Business Center, said that the airport has done a good job marketing the benefits of the Alaska route to cargo carriers.
The extra cargo each jet can carry as it lands in Anchorage helps give extra oomph to the numbers, compared to other airports, he said.
The Anchorage airport’s rise to first place came as Alaska reached its highest-ever volume in foreign exports, at $6.7 billion, Wolf said.
Some of that product moved by air, adding to the airport’s cargo numbers, he said.
And while Trump has slapped extra-high tariffs on China, Alaska exports still traveled there, apparently after first reaching other Asian countries with lower tariffs before making their way to China, Wolf said.
Alaska’s export value to China fell to fourth last year — behind Korea, Australia and Japan — though it’s typically been the state’s top export partner.
“I’ve talked to businesses, not just from Alaska, but other American businesses, and they’ve done their best to work around the tariffs,” he said.
Arizona
Triple-digit temps return to Arizona for Mother’s Day weekend
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Warmer weather is in store for Mother’s Day weekend in the Valley, with temperatures jumping 10 to 15 degrees above average.
We have issued First Alert Weather Days for Saturday and Sunday with high temps expected near 104-105. A heads-up in case you’re planning any Mother’s Day activities, because you may want to take part in outdoor events in the morning or move those activities indoors.
And high temperatures could get even warmer by next week. Right now, models are hinting at temps near 107 Monday and 106 Tuesday. These above-average temperatures are due to a ridge of high pressure building from the west.
For the weekend, a widespread Moderate Heat Risk is expected. What that means is that the weather will affect those who are sensitive to heat, especially those without cooling/hydration, and some health systems and industries.
Right now, there are no Extreme Heat Watches or Warnings in effect from the National Weather Service, but we will keep you posted.
By the end of next week, an incoming weather system could lead to slightly cooler temperatures, but temps should still stay above average.
We’re not tracking any chances for rain in the Valley for the next five to seven days.
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California
HGTV names 2 Northern California towns amongst best suburbs in the U.S.
Five favorite walkable, bikable cities in America
USA TODAY 10Best readers voted these five cities as the most walkable in the nation. Check out the full list of 10 Most Walkable Cities on 10Best.com.
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A lifestyle television network recently released a list on its website of the hottest suburbs in the city, with two in California
Home and Garden Television, or HGTV as it’s most commonly known, released its list of the 20 hottest suburbs in the country for those hoping to escape city life.
HGTV partnered with Suburban Jungle, a website that advises people move from cities to suburbs, to create the list.
The channel’s website cited entertainment, seasonal festivals and local theater programs as just a few perks to suburban living.
So, what are the best suburbs according to HGTV?
What are the best suburbs in the U.S.?
Among the list of the 20 hottest suburbs around the U.S., two California towns near San Francisco made the cut.
Mill Valley, a small town in Marin County, has an estimated population of about 13,904 as of 2024.
The city is just outside San Francisco and is known for its Mill Valley Film Festival amd live performances at Sweetwater Music Hall or Throckmorton Theater are available to residents.
“Mill Valley has a one-of-a-kind natural environment and access to nature: It borders Muir Woods National Monument, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Tamalpais State Park and the San Francisco Bay,” said Pam Goldman, head Bay Area strategist for Suburban Jungle to HGTV.
Redwood City was the second California town among the hottest suburbs in the country. It is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and about 27 miles from San Francisco, HGTV says.
The city has an estimated population of 82,982 as of 2024 and several tech companies. Despite the tech presence, the town maintains a close-knit feel and has several year-round community events on Broadway, as well as seasonal events such as Oktoberfest and Music on the Square, the home and garden website said.
“Redwood City has lots of energy and youthful vibes, and it’s also right between San Francisco and San Jose,” Goodman said.
Top 20 hottest suburbs, according to HGTV:
- Chappaqua, New York
- Larchmont, New York
- Summit, New Jersey
- Port Washington, New York
- Greenwich, Connecticut
- Westport, Connecticut
- Glencoe, Illinois
- La Grange, Illinois
- Needham, Massachusetts
- Winchester, Massachusetts
- Lafayette, Colorado
- Littleton, Colorado
- Bethesda, Maryland
- Fairfax, Virginia
- Boca Raton, Florida
- Wesley Chapel, Florida
- Mill Valley, California
- Redwood City, California
- Dunwoody, Georgia
- Milton, Georgia
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
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