West
Newsom, Dem leaders try to negotiate Prop 47 reform off California ballots, as GOP wants to let voters decide
![Newsom, Dem leaders try to negotiate Prop 47 reform off California ballots, as GOP wants to let voters decide Newsom, Dem leaders try to negotiate Prop 47 reform off California ballots, as GOP wants to let voters decide](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Newsom-3.jpg)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that he and fellow Democratic leaders in the state legislature are attempting to negotiate a Proposition 47 reform measure off the November ballot, but Republican leaders affirmed their support for voters to determine if parts of the initiative should be repealed.
Prop 47, which was approved by voters in 2014, made several crimes — including shoplifting, grand theft and receiving stolen property — a misdemeanor instead of a felony if the value of the property did not exceed $950. It also lowered the penalty for the personal use of most illegal drugs below a certain weight.
The initiative has been blamed by law enforcement, businesses and others for the rise in theft in California, according to KCRA.
“There’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of negotiations concurrently happening,” Newsom told reporters on Friday. “Prop 47 is included.”
NEWSOM PROPOSES DEFUNDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, PRISONS, PUBLIC SAFETY AS CALIFORNIA FACES MASSIVE DEFICIT
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he and Democrat leaders in the state Legislature are trying to negotiate a Prop 47 reform off the November ballot. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The governor and some Democrats have said they do not support the bipartisan effort to amend Prop 47. Newsom and legislative leaders are pushing some public safety bills circulating through the state Capitol that attempt to address organized retail theft, car break-ins and other crimes, after residents in the state voiced their concerns about the rise in crime.
The Prop 47 reform initiative is likely to make it onto the ballot, according to recent data from the California Secretary of State’s office. Proponents of the reform gathered 910,000 signatures supporting the ballot measure, although the signatures are still being verified.
Some Democrat lawmakers plan to add inoperability clauses into the public safety bills to prevent them from going into effect if voters approve the Prop 47 reforms, according to KCRA. Some Democrats said this is to ensure there are not any inconsistencies in the law, a claim the campaign seeking to reform Prop 47 rejected on Friday.
Republicans are calling this plan a “poison pill.” Republican leaders wrote a letter to Democrat leaders on Thursday announcing their opposition to “poison pills” that include repealing retail theft bills should voters adopt Prop 47 reforms.
“To combat the California crime wave, we need to strengthen our laws, both in the Legislature and at the ballot box,” Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said in a statement. “It’s irresponsible to force voters into a false choice between the two. Unfortunately, some Democrat politicians are too prideful to admit their mistake with Prop 47 and they continue to deny the desperate need for reform. The Democrats’ poison pill amendments are a cynical attempt to mislead voters and prevent the necessary overhaul of our broken laws.”
CALIFORNIA HAS TO PROVIDE 1,200 TINY HOMES FOR STATE’S HOMELESS THAT WERE PROMISED IN MARCH 2023
![Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1717933119_284_Newsom-Dem-leaders-try-to-negotiate-Prop-47-reform-off.jpg)
The governor and some Democrats have said they do not support the bipartisan effort to amend Prop 47. (MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
Newsom declined to say if he would sign the legislation if it includes the inoperability clauses. When asked if he was not confident that voters would reject the measure if it makes it onto the November ballot, the governor said he does not believe it is necessary to have it on the ballot.
“Why have something on the ballot that doesn’t actually achieve the goals that are intended? Why do something that can be done legislatively, with more flexibility? I think it’s a better approach,” he said.
The ballot initiative would change Prop 47 to enhance penalties for repeat thieves, requiring people who steal for a third time to spend up to three years in prison. The measure would also classify the possession of fentanyl as a felony.
“Democrats need to stop playing politics with public safety and let voters decide on fixing Prop. 47,” Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher said in a statement. “These poison pills show that Democrats aren’t serious about ending the crime wave – they just want to look like they’re doing something because their years-long support for criminals has become a political liability.”
![California Fox News graphic](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Newsom-Dem-leaders-try-to-negotiate-Prop-47-reform-off.png)
Prop 47, approved by voters a decade ago, made several crimes, including shoplifting, grand theft and receiving stolen property, a misdemeanor instead of a felony if the value of the property did not exceed $950. (Fox News)
Democrat Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire has said the measure is unnecessary, and that the legislative public safety package is the better choice.
“If you want a set of laws that will blunt retail theft, this plan is exactly what’s needed in this state,” McGuire said. “That’s why these bills are supported by law enforcement, firefighters, retailers, store owners and trusted local leaders. These 14 bills that will move next week aren’t about partisan politics, they’re about keeping the people of California safe.”
California’s secretary of state has until June 27 to certify the November ballot, which means Democrat leaders have just weeks to attempt to negotiate the measure off the ballot.
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California
Some artificial dyes could be banned from California schools
![Some artificial dyes could be banned from California schools Some artificial dyes could be banned from California schools](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/31/USAT/75032936007-usatsi-24090018.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4175,2349,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Psychologist provides simple tips to manage ADHD and symptoms
Dr. Ali Mattu explains how efforts like making checklists or being physically active can help manage ADHD.
California public schools could soon be banned from serving certain artificial dyes in food over concerns about developmental harm in children.
Dubbed a “first-in-the-nation” measure, state lawmakers this week passed Assembly Bill 2316 to prohibit six additives that are permitted by federal regulators to make food more colorful. California’s AB 2316, known as the California School Food Safety Act, is now on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
The bill says state research suggests such synthetic dyes can result in hyperactivity and other behavioral problems. Similar previous research prompted the European Union to restrict food coloring. Nearly all of the products that the California bill would ban in schools require warning labels in E.U. products.
The bill would ban commercial dyes of Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, in public schools in the nation’s largest state.
“California has a responsibility to protect our students from chemicals that harm children and interfere with their ability to learn,” state Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat who authored the bill, said in a statement. He said that he struggled with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, and he is now a parent.
On Saturday, a spokesperson said Newsom’s office didn’t comment on pending legislation. The deadline for Newsom to sign or veto legislation is Sept. 30, the spokesperson said.
The nonprofit Environmental Working Group and the California Medical Association, which represents doctors, supported the bill.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals for the dyes banned under AB 2316 date back decades, the environmental nonprofit said. Those approvals were based on old studies not designed to detect behavioral effects in children, the medical association had said in its support of AB 2316.
The Consumer Brands Association, a dye industry representative, opposed the bill because it overrode existing food safety rules, and the group disputed findings about adverse health effects. John Hewlitt, the association’s senior vice president of packaging, sustainability and state affairs, said the bill was “advancing a political agenda.”
“The passage of this bill could cost schools and families money, limit choice and access, and create consumer confusion,” he said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. “The approach taken by California politicians flies in the face of our science and risk-based process and is not the precedent we should be setting when it comes to feeding our families.”
A 2021 state Environmental Protection Agency assessment found American youth diagnosed with ADHD increased in the last 20 years, which prompted the state to look at food dyes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has similarly tracked increases in ADHD diagnoses in children in recent years.
Focusing on seven food dyes, including those that would be banned under AB 2316, state researchers reviewed prior studies on the effects of these dyes in humans and laboratory animals. Findings indicated they were linked to adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in children, and children varied in sensitivity.
On Friday, an FDA spokesperson told NBC News they had reviewed literature cited in California’s legislation. While saying most children have no “adverse effects” when they eat foods with color additives, the spokesperson reportedly said some evidence suggests certain children may be sensitive.
If signed into law, California’s ban would take effect in schools beginning in 2027.
Colorado
Colorado authorities address safety in Aurora community amid growing concerns of Venezuelan gang
![Colorado authorities address safety in Aurora community amid growing concerns of Venezuelan gang Colorado authorities address safety in Aurora community amid growing concerns of Venezuelan gang](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/08/31/4ed4fe73-4112-424c-8b32-be3ee3989334/thumbnail/1200x630/92e6f4833bd4cfc5e6d5ec944ca71029/aurora-apt-gangs-9pkg-frame-515-copy.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
As panic over Venezuelan gangs in the community continues to spread, Aurora police visited an apartment complex Friday to reassure neighbors that officers are there for them. Meanwhile, the mayor is taking a much tougher approach.
On Friday, the City of Aurora released video of Interim Police Chief Heather Morris and a cadre of officers meeting with residents at an apartment complex that has been at the center of media and online discussions about Venezuelan gang activity.
“We’re out here because we care,” Morris said. “We want to reassure the people who live in this community that we are actively investigating criminal activity and listening to them.”
Earlier in the week, a former resident came forward with security video showing men with large guns and said she doesn’t feel the police are taking the issue seriously.
“There have been so many occasions that I’ve called the police while I’m sitting in my window watching the crime take place, and they will call me and say, ‘I’m sorry, but we’re not coming,’” Cindy Romero said.
Her car was even shot before Aurora City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky helped her find a new place to live. Jurinsky, who has been insisting for weeks that apartments in the city are being overrun by dangerous Venezuelan gangs, says the police and city need to act before someone gets hurt or killed.
“I have had city leaders give interviews, essentially trying to make it seem like I’ve made this entire thing up,” Jurinsky said. “I think that politics is being played here with people’s lives.”
On Friday, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman posted online that the Aurora City Attorney’s Office will request an emergency court order to clear the apartment buildings.
Coffman also noted that while he is ready to take action, the apartment complexes that have experienced the most trouble are owned by the same out-of-state owner and have a history of crime that predates the trouble with the Venezuelan gangs.
Aurora police say it never denied that Venezuelan gangs exist in the city and have a task force to handle the situation, but the department believe the problem is being overstated.
“I’m not saying there are no gang members living in this community, but what we’re learning is that gang members have not taken over this complex,” Morris said.
Hawaii
UCLA vs. Hawaii: Live updates, start time, how to watch and betting odds
![UCLA vs. Hawaii: Live updates, start time, how to watch and betting odds UCLA vs. Hawaii: Live updates, start time, how to watch and betting odds](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/14ef4be/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2085x1095+0+115/resize/1200x630!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4a%2F7a%2F4879f331470b978f75263bd4b089%2F1364977-sp-ucla-colorado030-ls.jpg)
From NCAA Division III to the Big Ten: The unlikely rise of UCLA’s Luke Schuermann
UCLA defensive lineman Luke Schuermann takes part in a drill earlier this month during fall training camp.
(Isabella Serafini / UCLA Athletics)
Luke Schuermann often gets “the look” whenever he mentions his last football stop. It can be a quizzical expression or a blank stare based on the level of knowledge of the words just spoken.
Johns Hopkins? Wait, give me a second. Oh, you mean the school known for producing renowned journalists, doctors and scientists?
That’s right. That one. Among its most famous alumni are CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, former President Woodrow Wilson and film director Wes Craven.
Something the Baltimore-based private research institution is not known for is its football program. Its first team, in 1882, had to play as the Clifton Athletic Club because of the school’s contempt for the emerging sport. For its first 13 seasons, students served as coaches.
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