The Transportation Security Agency was under heavy fire after a new report revealed that a number of US airports had hired dozens of people with links to terrorism. The TSA is already reeling after a recent Department of Homeland Security report found that investigators could sneak fake bombs and weaponry easily through security with a…
WWDC, or the Worldwide Developers’ Conference, is a highlight of Apple’s yearly calendar, a huge annual get-together for the company’s software partners and the media to see Apple’ unveil a range of brand new products. During the keynote speech on Monday, June 8 by Apple CEO Tim Cook, the major tech company announced its newest…
A DIVERSE alliance of communities—including Los Angeles County’s third-largest city—is fighting California’s long-planned bullet train route going into San Fernando Valley, saying it would bring “irreparable harm” to their neighborhoods. The coordinated protest by residents and elected officials from suburban Santa Clarita, as well as blue-collar San Fernando, Pacioma and other neighboring communities, present a…
PUBLIC support for Obamacare hit its all-time low in a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll—even as most Americans say the Supreme Court should not block federal subsidies at the heart of the health care law. With the high court set to rule on the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act, the survey reflects the…
CALIFORNIA court leaders voted unanimously on Monday, June 8 to a rule change allowing drivers to contest traffic violations without first paying for them. The rule, requested by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, will bar local courts from charging drivers bail before they can challenge traffic tickets. The emergency rule, adopted by the state Judicial Council,…
PRESIDENT Barack Obama expressed his frustration on Monday, June 8 about the continued broken immigration system in the United States, and how federal court rulings have stalled his executive orders, vowing to keep pushing to fix the system. Speaking to reporters at the G7 summit in Krün, Germany with world leaders, Obama said that he…
Raises health and environmental concerns A CLEANUP operation was underway on Wednesday, June 3, on a four-mile stretch of coastline in Long Beach, Calif. that was closed the day before after an unexplainable amount of tar balls washed ashore. About 55 gallons of the sticky substance were collected by 4:00 am, and samples will be…
A 13-YEAR-old girl from Tacoma, Wash., committed suicide by jumping off an interstate bridge on Friday, May 29—days after her father filmed himself cutting her long hair as punishment for an unspecified wrongdoing. The video was posted on YouTube. Fil-Am Izabel Laxamana, a student at Giaudrone Middle School, left several notes to her family before…
THE Los Angeles City Council tentatively approved a measure on Wednesday, June 3, to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, making it the biggest city in the nation to make such a move. The city council voted 13-1 in favor of an ordinance to raise the minimum wage, giving its support…
A recent MERS outbreak in South Korea—the largest outside of Saudi Arabia, where the disease first emerged in 2012—is likely to grow, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, has infected at least 25 people in South Korea and killed two, the organization said Tuesday, June 2. “Doctors have…
IN the diverse, densely packed city of San Francisco, known for its high living costs, 77 percent of voters last year approved a series of pay hikes that will boost San Francisco’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018. Still, tensions on Valencia Street in the Mission District remain over the recently approved statewide…
IN the diverse, densely packed city of San Francisco, known for its high living costs, 77 percent of voters last year approved a series of pay hikes that will boost San Francisco’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018. Still, tensions on Valencia Street in the Mission District remain over the recently approved statewide…
The House of Representatives voted on several pro-pot amendments on Wednesday, June 3, aimed at tackling the sticky issue of conflicts that arise when the Department of Justice interferes with state implementation of local marijuana laws. In many ways, the marijuana measures, which would be tacked onto the FY2016 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill,…
Following through on a threat, House Republicans on Tuesday, June 2 proposed cutting the State Department’s budget to protest its slow response in producing documents related to the investigation of the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The House Appropriations Committee said a budget plan for the State Department withholds nearly $700 million—or 15 percent…
THE Senate sped toward passage on Tuesday, June 2 of legislation to end the National Security Agency’s collection of Americans’ calling records while preserving other surveillance authorities. However, leaders of the House warned the Senate to not proceed with planned changes to a House version. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House majority leader, said amendments…
THREE US senators are raising concerns about a Texas-based oil company’s “insufficient” response to a pipeline failure last week that released thousands of gallons of crude into the ocean, fouling the Santa Barbara County coastline. In a letter sent on Thursday, May 28 to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.),…
The Supreme Court threw out the conviction of a man charged for making violent threats on Facebook on Monday, June 1, saying the government must “do more” than prove that a reasonable person would find the postings threatening. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said it was not enough for prosecutors to show that the…
OF all the financial threats facing Americans of retirement age—outliving savings, falling for scams, paying for long-term elderly care—housing isn’t supposed to be a major concern. However, following a home-price collapse, the worst recession since the 1930s, and some calamitous decisions to turn homes into cash machines, millions of retired Americans are struggling with household…
ALTHOUGH Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner in the race for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, a growing number of American voters distrust and view her unfavorably, according to new polls released on Tuesday, June 2. According to a CNN/ORC poll, 50 percent dislike the former first lady and secretary of state—up from 44 percent…
With emerging smartphone app technology, the demand for ride-hailing services around the country has continued to increase for business and personal travel. In California, many of these ride-sharing services, such as UberX, Lyft, and Sidecar, are growing exponentially in diverse counties and metropolitan areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles. The number of drivers in…
IN an effort to help enhance mobility and provide Los Angeles commuters with more transportation options, Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) have partnered up to provide rental vehicles at ten Metro park-and-ride locations throughout the city. Twenty Zipcars will be available for hourly or…
THE recent deaths of unarmed citizens, often of minorities, at the hands of white police officers have broken hearts and sparked a national uprising about issues involving race, social justice, and equality. On Friday, May 29, an important bill addressing the deep issue of racial profiling moved forward through California’s legislative process. “Many Californians have…
IN an effort to help enhance mobility and provide Los Angeles commuters with more transportation options, Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) have partnered up to provide rental vehicles at ten Metro park-and-ride locations throughout the city. Twenty Zipcars will be available for hourly or…
President Barack Obama called the Senate on Tuesday, May 26 to extend provisions of the key Patriot Act before they expire within the week, including the federal government’s ability to search Americans’ phone records. “This needs to get done,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “It’s necessary to keep the American people safe and…
The White House said that it had finalized a major clean water regulation on Wednesday, May 27 that would restore the federal government’s authority to limit pollution in the nation’s river, lakes, streams and wetlands. Environmentalists praised the widely-expected rule, calling it an important step that would lead to significantly cleaner natural bodies of water…
TORNADOES, thunderstorms and flash floods struck the south-central region over the weekend in parts of Texas and Oklahoma, killing nine people and sending rescuers searching for 12 missing, including several young children. Flash flood warnings were in effect early Tuesday, May 26 for parts of eastern Texas and much of Western Arkansas, and tornado watches…
The Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday, May 26 to decide on whether state legislative districts must have roughly equal numbers of legal voters rather than overall populations. The challenge, brought by conservatives to Texas state Senate redistricting maps, argues that they violate the Constitution’s guarantee of “one person-one vote.” In states such as Texas, Arizona…
On the final month of its annual term, the United States Supreme Court has several landmark cases on its docket. Between now and late June, the Supreme Court will hand down more than two dozen decisions on matters involving politics, civil rights, foreign policy, freedom of speech, and the environment. Several of these cases have…
Attempting to persuade the Chargers to stay in San Diego, a mayoral committee proposed a financial plan this week for building an approximately $1.1-billion new NFL stadium. The plan includes major public contributions, but not a tax increase, officials said, and would include $300 million from the Chargers, $200 million from the NFL, $173 million…
According to a new report, the average worker needs to earn at least $30.92 an hour to afford the rent for a typical two-bedroom apartment in Orange County. The “Out of Reach” report, released May 19 by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition and the Kennedy Commission, says the typical fair market rent for a two-bedroom…
