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Opinion: Are any of California’s housing laws actually working?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

A slew of ambitious housing legislation has emerged recently in states as varied as Maine, Utah and Washington. Many of the proposals aim to loosen zoning restrictions with the goal of addressing housing shortages. Perhaps not surprisingly, California is mentioned in many of the resulting conversations and debates, and not in a positive light.Policymakers and advocates elsewhere have invoked the Golden State as a warning: We must pass pro-housing policies to avoid ending up like California. One think tank in Montana went so far as to advocate repealing “California-style zoning” to make starter homes more feasible.At the same time, however, California has become a national model among many of the same housing advocates for its recent efforts to fix past mistakes. Since 2016, state legislators have passed more than 100 housing-related laws with the intent of encouraging the construction of more affordable and market-rate homes. These laws have fundamentally changed the landscape of ho...

Opinion: Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s dreams are coming true

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

Timothy McVeigh, the right-wing terrorist who killed 168 people in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, cared about one issue above all others: guns. To him, guns were synonymous with freedom, and any government attempt to regulate them meant incipient tyranny.“When it came to guns,” writes Jeffrey Toobin in “Homegrown,” his compelling new book about the Oklahoma City attack, “McVeigh did more than simply advocate for his own right to own and use firearms; he joined an ascendant political crusade, which grew more extreme over the course of his lifetime and beyond.”Reading Toobin’s book, it’s startling to realize how much McVeigh’s cause has advanced in the decades since his 2001 execution. McVeigh, who was a member of the KKK and harbored a deep resentment of women, hoped that blowing up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building would inspire an army of followers to make war on the government. This didn’t happen immediately, although, as historian Kathleen Belew has written, there was a wave...

Gov. Newsom declines to publicly back recommended reparations payments for Black California residents

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

By Tina Burnside and Christine Sever | CNNCalifornia’s governor has declined to publicly say whether he’d support reparations payments to some Black state residents recommended by a task force looking at how to mitigate injustices and discrimination stemming from slavery.The recommendations approved Saturday outline restitution that, if approved by state lawmakers, could cost billions of dollars to address historical disparities in health care, housing and policing.“Dealing with legacy is about much more than cash payments,” Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is White, told CNN affiliate KCRA in a statement.RELATED: California task force member says reparations are about more than payouts“Many of the recommendations put forward by the Task Force are critical action items we’ve already been hard at work addressing: breaking down barriers to vote, bolstering resources to address hate, enacting sweeping law enforcement and justice reforms to build tru...

49ers schedule: Nine things to rule out before the NFL’s Thursday reveal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

SANTA CLARA – The NFL will reveal the 49ers’ fall schedule Thursday at 5 p.m. (PT). Even today, though, we have enough information to rule out the following:1. London coronationIt’s been a decade since the 49ers last played in London and beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. Alas, they will meet this season in Florida for the second time in three years. The Jaguars will play in London, however: Oct. 1 vs. the Falcons, and Oct. 8 as guests of the Bills.The 49ers did go international last year, winning in Mexico City against the host Arizona Cardinals. This year’s other NFL games abroad include one more in London (Ravens vs. Titans) and two in Germany (Dolphins vs. Chiefs, Colts vs. Patriots).2. Mr. RodgersWith Aaron Rodgers traded to the New York Jets, he won’t face his biggest NFL nemesis. He owns a 6-3 regular-season record against the 49ers since 2009. What about a Super Bowl reunion? Rodgers is 0-4 in postseasons against them.3. Coaching buddiesThe Kyle Shanahan coaching tree won’...

Report: Antisemitic incidents up more than 40% in California

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

By TRÂN NGUYỄN | Associated PressSACRAMENTO — More than 500 antisemitic acts targeting Jewish people, including assault, vandalism and harassment, were committed in California last year, an increase of more than 40% from 2021, underscoring a proliferation of hate crimes and extremism in the state, according to a report released Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League.The ADL also cited increasing collaboration among extremist and white supremacist groups in a report detailing a wide range of hate crimes and violence. California saw at least six murders by members of extremist groups in 2021 and 2022 — the most in the nation — with three being linked to white supremacist groups, the report found.The report on California comes after the Anti-Defamation League released another report, in collaboration with Tel Aviv University’s Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, that shows antisemitic incidents are at a new high worldwide, with the upward trend intensifying in the U.S.I...

Remains found in abandoned property identified as missing California tech executive

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

SANTA MONICA  — Human remains found last month in Southern California have been identified as those of the Sober Grid app founder who disappeared in 2021, authorities said.The remains of Beau Mann were found on April 25 in the courtyard of an abandoned property in Santa Monica and were identified by the Los Angeles County coroner on May 6, the Santa Monica Police Department said in a statement Monday.The coroner’s office was trying to determine the cause of death, police said.Sober Grid is a social media-style app that provides peer support coaching, an online community and other resources to people in recovery from addition. It was founded in 2015.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Teen missing in New Zealand cave after downpour during school trip Crime and Public Safety | A loving Australian father has been exposed as a convicted American killer who lived life on the run Crime and Public Safety | Woman guilty of murdering missing 1...

The Rise and Fall of the Raccoon Dog Theory of Covid-19

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

A new paper by a prominent American virologist has called into question a string of high-profile news reports about the role that raccoon dogs may have played in the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic.Late last month, Jesse Bloom, a computational virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle released a paper in which he analyzed raw genomic data from hundreds of environmental swabs that Chinese scientists collected from cages, carts, and other surfaces at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China. The swabs were collected beginning on January 1, 2020, after Chinese authorities abruptly shut down the market amid the worsening Covid-19 outbreak in the city.The Huanan seafood market’s role in the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic is at the center of a hot debate. Many of the early Covid cases in Wuhan (though not all) have been linked to the market, which was known to sell live animals, including species like common raccoon dogs that are susceptible to infection...

Germany calls China systemic rival, seeks clarity on Russia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister described China on Wednesday as increasingly becoming a “systemic rival” on the world stage, and urged Beijing to call out Russia as the aggressor in the war in Ukraine.With China’s top diplomat touring Europe this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called on China to use its global clout to push for peace in Ukraine.But Baerbock and Colonna also said it was time for Europe to decrease its economic and strategic dependency on China.Baerbock said Germany wants to work in partnership with China “everywhere it’s possible” but that it would be naive to ignore the risk of ending up in a position of reliance, including on security issues.“One needs to recognize that we are competitors and, sadly, increasingly also systemic rivals,” she said.Baerbock said Europe’s stance toward China should be “not decoupling, but de-risking, because it’s about our security and freedom, too.”The German ...

Hong Kong amends law to limit foreign lawyers in some cases

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong lawmakers on Wednesday passed an amendment to a law granting the city’s leader the power to bar overseas lawyers from handling national security cases, following a high-profile row sparked by a pro-democracy Hong Kong publisher’s hiring of a British lawyer.The changes will require overseas lawyers who do not generally practice in Hong Kong to obtain permission from the chief executive before submitting applications to represent clients in national security cases in court.The city’s leader will only give approval if there are sufficient grounds to believe the lawyers’ involvement will not contradict the interests of national security, and the decision is not subject to challenge.The bill was passed by a majority in the city’s legislature, filled by mostly Beijing loyalists, with little opposition through a show-of-hands vote. Critics said the changes will leave defendants with even fewer choices when they look for legal representatio...

New York Times: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:25:01 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times Co. (NYT) on Wednesday reported first-quarter earnings of $22.3 million.The New York-based company said it had profit of 13 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 19 cents per share.The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 16 cents per share.The newspaper publisher posted revenue of $560.7 million in the period, falling short of Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $564.4 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on NYT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/NYTSource