Category: California

By Zain Khan / Yahoo Finances New York Post  / May 4, 202

State Farm is in crisis mode in California as officials look to slap it with massive fines and suspend its license over the handling of the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire.

The California Department of Insurance issued a damning verdict on the state’s largest insurer after an investigation into its actions towards customers following the inferno.

The probe, released in part on Monday, found a staggering 398 violations of state law in 114 of the 220 sample claims it looked into.

Among the key findings was claims were not investigated or resolved within required timelines, payouts were unreasonably low and policyholders were frequently reassigned to different adjusters — creating confusion some described as “adjuster roulette.”

Smoke damage claims, which made up nearly half of all complaints, were also mishandled, with delays, denials and missing explanations cited by investigators.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said Monday: “Wildfire survivors came to us for help, and we followed the facts.

By Judge Runston “Tony” Maino

There are 61 people running for Governor. This includes one of the most interesting candidates, one Eric Swalwell,  who has decided to not run due to unfounded allegations made against him, namely his Peter Problem.

The first thing I noticed was the interesting names of some of the candidates: Living for God and Country Demott and Barrack D. Obama Shaw. These are real names and not AKAs.

More interesting than the names are the candidates’ statements as to why they wish to be Governor and what vision they have for California. Clean water, affordable housing, leadership, affordable health care and on and on with the usual buzz words.

I found it interesting that many of the candidates are going to abolish ICE, forgetting, or maybe not knowing, that ICE is a federal function and the California governor, legislature, and judiciary cannot abolish ICE.

But I digress. If you will spare me a few moments I will go over some of the more colorful statements from some of the candidates.

By Sean Bothwell / Guest contributor LA Times / April 30, 2026 

The marine ecosystem along Southern California’s coastline is in crisis. Sea surface temperatures are hitting record highs, rivaling the devastating marine heat wave known as “the Blob” that wreaked havoc on West Coast fisheries and ecosystems a decade ago.

Scientists from NOAA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and University of California’s Agriculture and Natural Resources are warning that a developing El Niño could intensify conditions further. There are steps we can take that would relieve the pressure on these already stressed waters, and it’s past time for California lawmakers and regulators to act.

Last year, harmful algal blooms led to the illnesses and deaths of hundreds of sea lions, dolphins and seabirds off Southern California. Further north, Dungeness crab shells are dissolving in acidic waters. Fish populations and marine mammals are struggling to survive in growing oxygen-depleted zones that can stretch 50 miles from the coast. Warming ocean temperatures are accelerating all of it.

The critical factor contributing to this crisis within our control is nutrient pollution from wastewater discharges and agricultural runoff.

by Ernie McCray

I showed up
at the San Diego County Democratic Party’s
46th Annual Roosevelt Dinner
with a mind jumbled with questions
concerning the theme:
“A New Hope for Democracy,”
wondering what could be said
as, seemingly,
the country
is sinking like a ship
in an extremely agitated sea,
even if the keynote speaker
is someone
whom I consider to be
one of the most extraordinary
speechmakers there could possibly be,
my cherished friend,
Shirley Weber,
California’s Secretary of State,

From Coastal Caretakers

Senate Bill 79 (SB 79), also known as the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, is a landmark piece of California legislation signed into law in October, 2025. San Diego Mayor and Council members were among the first cities in the State to embrace the bill and create new laws supporting the State mandate.  Look out folks, ‘they’ have just begun.

We can expect the City of San Diego Council to have future meetings about SB 79 legislation.  With San Diego approving tiny, tiny apartments ministerially into high-rises, declaring they are proponents of equity and affordable housing, Neighbors for a Better San Diego saw otherwise: “SB 79 (Wiener) remains one of the most disruptive state housing bills in recent memory.”

By Kristina Houck / Patch San Diego / April 17, 2026

Eighty-three hospitals in California are among 446 across 44 states and Washington, D.C., facing a heightened risk of closing, cutting services or laying off workers due to federal medicaid funding cuts, according to a new report. Three from San Diego County are numbered among those at risk.

The cuts to Medicaid were included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025.

The report by Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, says the law will cut $911 billion in federal spending on Medicaid and CHIP over 10 years, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.

Could Kamala Harris become the next governor of California?

What with Swalwell’s exit from the race and now Betty Yee’s departure, suddenly there is renewed speculation and interest in the former vice-president and defeated 2024 presidential candidate being a candidate for governor of the arguably bluest state in the union. As many have observed, there aren’t any stand-out top-tiered faces in the crowded race, and now Kamala’s is being visualized.

Certainly she has great name recognition — for good and bad reasons — and as she makes signs of joining the 2028 presidential race, there are sounds of groans within Democratic — and generally progressive — ranks of voters. And the ranks of voters not enthusiastic for Harris to run for the White House again are thick — and this gambit — having her run for governor, might just solve a couple of problems.

Here’s how major California cities are trying to deal with or get around Senate Bill 79 — one of the most undemocratic housing mandates to ever come out of Sacramento.

Senate Bill 79 (SB79) goes into effect this year on July 1. When it passed — there were lots of machinations and maneuverings among state legislators to get it over the top in terms of votes — it made it legal for developers to build mid-rises — some as tall as nine stories — in major metropolitan neighborhoods near trains, subways and dedicated bus stops.

Yet some think that the final version “offered local governments plenty of wiggle room over the where, when and how of the new law,” wrote Cal-Matters reporter, Ben Christopher in his piece (reposted by Times of San Diego). Christopher wrote: “With the summer deadline rapidly approaching, cities across the state are starting to wiggle.”

Like a statewide game of Choose Your Own Adventure, local elected officials for the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles to San Diego are exploring ways to either lean into the spirit of the law, come up with their own plan tailored to the city’s whims and needs, or slow the local roll out for as long as possible while considering their options. Those that do nothing will be forced to accept the transit-oriented rezoning prescribed by state legislators.

We sifted through the piece and here offer a focus on the major cities, as per Christopher.

Forecasters are sounding the alarm that the return of El Niño this year could be one of the worst in California’s history if it develops as many meteorologists have recently predicted — and the phenomenon already appears to be in motion.

This week, a cluster of tropical cyclones were recorded on both sides of the equator in the western Pacific Ocean, generating a westerly wind burst that is pushing warm water eastward, and accelerating “real potential for the strongest El Niño event in 140 years,” Paul Roundy, an atmospheric scientist at the University at Albany told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The rare cluster of tropical cyclones, which are fueling the westerly wind burst, points to signs El Niño could be emerging and may set records. The strong westerly wind bursts have been documented in the Pacific Ocean all year, pushing unusually warm water, following the end to the La Niña pattern.

Roundy estimated the setup could cause El Niño to arrive quickly, within one to two months. Last month, one of the leading weather forecast models calculated a 62 percent chance that a strong El Niño could develop in the summer.

Over the past two decades, the name El Niño has become synonymous with extreme weather. El Niño occurs when there is a change in the Pacific Ocean’s typical pattern of water movement, temperatures and air flow, which happens about every two to seven years. The southern jet stream strengthens, especially in the eastern Pacific Ocean, bringing more moisture into the southwest and storm activity in the southern part of the country.

California sues Trump over order to open oil pipeline on Santa Barbara coast

California sued the Trump administration Monday to block what it says is an unprecedented power grab: using emergency authority to force the restart of an offshore oil operation shut down more than a decade ago. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, argues a March 13 order by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright oversteps his authority under the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law.

Toronto real estate giant was funder behind killing height limit – 2020’s “Yes on E”

Brookfield Properties supplied Over $400K

A secretive, Canada-based global development giant, backed by cash from Qatar among other shadowy investors, is the primary backer of San Diego’s Measure E, a proposal on next month’s ballot to lift building height limits in proximity to the city-owned sports arena, potentially providing the firm with a multi-billion-dollar windfall.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently requested information on all of San Diego County’s land parcels.

Land parcels are defined as specific pieces of property recognized as a distinct unit for the sake of legal ownership, land use and tax purposes. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported that CBP asked for information on every land parcel in San Diego County, including who owns each one. This information is managed by the San Diego Geographic Information Source, also known as SanGIS.

“The Blunt” Staff Re-Union — Dissident Newspaper at Point Loma Nazarene University Celebrated

Former student journalists and supporters of The Blunt, a newspaper that was formed after The Point was shut down by the university in 1976, reunited at Point Loma Nazarene University to celebrate its 50th anniversary on Feb. 20, during Homecoming. 

Democrats Running in the 48th Face a New Math

Democrats running in California’s 48th District Congressional race jumped into the field with the aim of unseating high-profile Republican incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa. At the last minute, he dropped out of the race last month and left a wide-open field that suddenly needed to recalibrate its strategy.

By Save the Waves / April 7, 2026

For several months, Save The Waves has been working hand-in-hand with Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-42 District) to introduce and pass a bill that would help establish ‘Surfing Reserves’ along the California coastline.

The goal is to provide a framework that will advocate for and help protect California’s 300-plus surf breaks and surf ecosystems.

“California has led the way in ocean conservation, but we need to do more to protect our iconic surf breaks. Saves The Waves has done tremendous work to elevate the importance of surf reserves, and I am excited to bring these designations to the state-level,” said Irwin.

By Cody Delaney / inewsource / April 6, 2026

Opponents of San Diego’s proposed empty homes tax are sounding the alarms, warning that the ballot measure is nearly identical to a tax that was struck down and ruled unconstitutional not long ago.

They’re referring to a case in San Francisco, where voters passed a similar initiative by a narrow margin in 2022. Officials there stopped collecting the tax two years later as they appeal the court’s decision.

But that hasn’t stopped San Diego officials from bringing the question to voters in June: Should property owners who intentionally keep homes empty and off the market during a housing shortage be required to pay an additional tax worth thousands of dollars a year?

It’s a question that has divided San Diegans in recent months, from renters to property owners and businesses to union representatives. And it comes at a time when limited housing supply has kept rents high for years — in a region where more people fall into homelessness for the first time than leave the streets for housing.