Newsom Helps a Wealthy Donor; Why Are There More Earthquakes This Year? Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Oct. 10, 2024

Indy Digest: Oct. 10, 2024

Ronald Reagan once famously said: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”

While I’m sure this statement got some laughs from Reagan’s conservative supporters, it is deeply unfair and insulting to the thousands of hard-working government employees who do good work to serve the public. I can tell you for certain that there are many, many residents of Florida, North Carolina and beyond who are grateful for the employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who have shown up and said they’re there to help.

While the government does some things well, and other things not so well, there’s no denying that some elected officials hurt the government’s reputation by taking self-serving actions that are decidedly NOT in the best interests of their constituents—and Gov. Gavin Newsom is one of the worst offenders.

We all remember the COVID-shutdown-era wingding he had at the French Laundry, and now there is yet another instance in which it appears that he, with help from the Legislature, did something that serves himself and his supporters, but not the rest of his constituents.

The Los Angeles Times reported last week:

Last call in California is 2 a.m., but Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Sunday that extends public drinking time for a select few: VIPs at Inglewood’s new Intuit Dome arena.

The law allows alcohol to be served until 4 a.m. to a specific group of dues-paying members of a private club inside the $2-billion, 17,700-seat new home of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Lawmakers have repeatedly failed to extend California’s last-call laws statewide to allow establishments to serve alcohol later as states such as New York serve until 4 a.m. Supporters of later last-call times contend it would be a boon for local economies, while opponents say it could lead to more drunk driving and late-night chaos. …

Newsom’s approval of the bill comes after criticism that the narrow exemption is unfair as it applies only to members of a private luxury suite currently being built at Intuit Dome and does not benefit other arenas.

In a follow-up piece headlined “Column: This California bill is why people hate Sacramento under Democratic rule,” Los Angeles Times columnist (and friend of the Independent) Gustavo Arellano did not mince his words:

In an era when people on both the left and right rail against politicians beholden to the rich and powerful, a piece of legislation that only benefits a venue owned by billionaire Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is as rank an example of favoritism as you can find in the annals of Sacramento—and that’s saying something.

Assembly Bill 3206 is why people hate elites.

Restaurant and bar owners have pushed for decades to loosen California’s last-call mandate, arguing that just a few more hours would help their bottom line, and keep downtowns vibrant, at a time when the restaurant industry is suffering. Law enforcement officials have pushed back, arguing that letting people drink well into the early morning is irresponsible. …

When a tech baron such as Ballmer wants it, state legislators and Newsom seem more than happy to oblige.

Sean McMorris, who specializes in transparency and ethics for the nonpartisan California Common Cause, told my colleague Mackenzie Mays that McKinnor’s bill “exemplifies the disproportionate influence of wealthy individuals and corporations on the legislative process.”

To paraphrase F. Scott Fitzgerald, I guess the rich drink different from you and me — and Sacramento is helping them tipple it up.

A Newsom spokesperson told the Times: “The governor’s decisions on legislation are made solely on the merits of each bill.”

This is complete and total bullshit. There is NO reason for the Legislature to make a carve-out in a law that benefits a billionaire—especially one whose wife donated $1 million to Newsom in his successful effort to fight the 2021 recall effort (which was partially motivated by that French Laundry party). I am sure there are plenty of local bar owners who would like to stay open until 4 a.m.—but, nope, only his donor’s private club has that luxury.

You may like Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political beliefs, or you may not; for the most part, I do. But Newsom’s continued ethical shenanigans are making it hard to believe he truly prioritizes his constituents’ interests—and, as Gustavo Arellano points out, he (and his legislative accomplices) are making all government look bad in the process.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Today’s recall news involves … meat! CNN says: “BrucePac, a producer of ready-to-eat meat and poultry items, has recalled more than 9.9 million pounds of product due to possible listeria contamination, the US Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday. Dozens of recalled products have been distributed to restaurants and institutions nationwide. Affected products may have been used in ready-to-eat products that are ‘on store shelves or in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers,’ or available for use by restaurants and other establishments, the USDA said. … BrucePac ready-to-eat chicken was identified as the source of the listeria, which may have affected other ready-to-eat meat and poultry items that were produced from June 19 to October 8.”

• And … infant swings! This one comes with some controversy, as explained by NBC News: “Fisher-Price on Thursday recalled two components of its Snuga Swings, which are designed to soothe infants by swaying back and forth, and warned parents that the products should not be used for sleep due to a risk that babies could suffocate. Between 2012 and 2022, Snuga Swings were linked to the deaths of five infants while they slept in the seats. In most of those cases, bedding materials were added to the swings, which can increase the risk of suffocation. In an announcement, Fisher-Price instructed consumers to immediately remove the swing’s headrest and an insert from the seat pad that supports an infant’s body, since those components can increase the risk of suffocation. Consumers are eligible for a $25 refund if they remove the parts, cut them in half, label them and submit a photo of them to the company. But in a strongly worded statement, Richard Trumka Jr., a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said the company’s efforts don’t go far enough. He called on Fisher-Price to recall the entire product and reimburse customers for the full cost: around $160.”

• The planet is in the midst of a solar storm. The Washington Post explains: “A solar storm hit Earth on Thursday and is expected to bring the northern lights to dark skies farther south than normal. The timing of the storm should provide a great show for Europe, but those in North America could also see the dazzling lights if the storm persists into nighttime. The storm was classified ‘severe’ (ranked 4 out of 5 in severity) as of Thursday afternoon, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Forecasts show the storm could continue through Friday morning, but the timing could change as more data comes in. The agency said there is even a slight chance of ‘extreme’ storming (ranked 5 out of 5)—a rare level only seen twice in about the past two decades. … At the current ‘severe’ storm level, aurora could be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California. If the storm were to bump to extreme, aurora could be seen as far south as Florida with the naked eye. However, people have been able to see the dancing light displays even farther south than these guidelines by using their camera or phone lenses, which are more sensitive to light than our eyes.”

• Our partners at Calmatters examine a state program to pay for affordable housing that completely failed: “State lawmakers created the Foreclosure Intervention Housing Preservation Program in 2021. It was a watershed moment for community land trusts, nonprofits that purchase land and preserve it as permanently affordable housing by renting or selling the buildings on it to low- and moderate-income residents. Residents then manage the property cooperatively. While community land trusts have tripled in number in California over the last decade, springing up everywhere from coastal and inland cities to tribal lands and the Mexican border, they often struggle to raise enough money to compete with private developers. Access to a dedicated pot of state money was poised to be a game-changer for both the trusts and cities seeking to prevent displacement of low-income residents, said San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston. … The state planned to dole out the half-billion dollars in loans and grants over five years, funding purchases of financially distressed buildings of up to 25 units. Three years in, however, the state agency charged with developing the program, the Department of Housing and Community Development, had yet to give out a single dollar.”

• SoCal earthquakes have increased in 2024. What does this mean? The Los Angeles Times explores the issue: “It’s not your imagination: The ground beneath Southern California has been particularly unsteady as of late, with the region experiencing more moderate-sized earthquakes this year than it has in decades. What precisely is fueling the sequence of shakers is not entirely clear, and officials warn that prior seismic activity does not necessarily mean more powerful temblors are imminent. But the series of modest shakers have many wondering what is going on. ‘Earthquakes pop off around the state, and it’s a little bit like popcorn that they hit—sometimes they bunch up for reasons that we don’t understand,’ said Susan Hough, seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. … The series of seismic disturbances has shaken the nerves of some Southern Californians—serving as an unpleasant reminder of the omnipresent threat of the Big One.”

• And finally, if you buy Mega Millions lottery tickets, you’re soon going to be paying more for a ticket … quite a bit more, actually. CNBC reports: “You’ll have to spend more to win big, as Mega Millions plans to raise its ticket price as part of a revamp that promises bigger prizes, the lottery announced Monday. The price of a ticket is going up from $2 to $5 beginning in April 2025, the second increase in the lottery’s 28-year history since its debut as The Big Game in 1996. There will be bigger prizes won more frequently, along with slightly improved odds of winning, according to the consortium that runs the lottery. The highest jackpot in the lottery’s history is $1.6 billion, won in August 2023.”

Support the Independent!

Thanks for reading! Please consider helping is out, if you have the means to do so, by clicking the button below and becoming a Supporter of the Independent. All of our coverage is available for free—but it costs a lot to produce!