Author: Kenneth Schrupp | The Center Square, Washington Examiner

(The Center Square) – San Francisco opened its first $5.5 million free food “market”, where approved residents can show a benefits eligibility card, put what they want in their carts, check out to keep track of outgoing inventory, and leave without paying. The Bayview-Hunters Point facility aims to be a food pantry alternative that replicates…

(The Center Square) – A California assemblyman was removed from his Judiciary Committee assignment after forcing a floor vote on his bill that would remove sanctuary state protections from individuals convicted of sex crimes against minors. Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Corona, introduced a bill earlier this year that would have required law enforcement officials to cooperate…

(The Center Square) – California female prison guards are required by prison policy to strip search individuals who have transitioned from men to women, according to a report from National Review. “Incarcerated individuals who are transgender, non-binary, or intersex must be searched according to the gender designation of the institution where they are housed or based on the…

(The Center Square) – California legislators in both chambers passed a pair of plastic shopping bag ban bills after an earlier ban on thin plastic bags increased overall plastic bag waste due to use of thicker, “reusable” plastic bags. California’s single-use plastic shopping bag ban went into effect in 2016, but plastic bag waste increased 47% to 231,072…

(The Center Square) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to delay a healthcare worker minimum wage increase that will cost the state $4 billion this year alone as the state faces a budget crisis. Among Newsom’s proposals to cut the deficit from $73 billion to $7 billion are tying the state’s healthcare minimum wage increases, which would hike the…

(The Center Square) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget proposal still falls $7 billion short of a balanced budget for fiscal year 2024-2025, according to the state-funded, non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. This new budget, called the May Revision, is a marked improvement from earlier assessments from the LAO that said the 2024-2025 deficit could be…

(The Center Square) – The California Senate passed a bill strengthening penalties for child sex trafficking after Democrats added a clause making purchasing sex from 16- and 17-year-olds a misdemeanor and making buying sex from children 15 years or younger a “wobbler” that cannot include prison time. A “wobbler” is a crime that can be punished…