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Cali Wheels out Plan for New Statewide Tax on Drinking Water

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California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) wants to tax the state’s drinking water, a move he says will allow poor people access to safe and affordable water. . .

Newsom’s proposed 2019-20 budget includes the creation a “safe and affordable drinking water fund,” to “enable the State Water Resources Control Board to assist communities, particularly disadvantaged communities, in paying for the short-term and long-term costs of obtaining access to safe and affordable drinking water,” SFgate.com reported.

The Association of California Water Agencies, which represents more than 400 water suppliers across the state, swiftly rebuked the idea of a water tax. In a statement, the association said it would be “highly problematic” and not necessary due to what it calls the state’s ample budget surplus.

“The vast majority of the state’s residents have access to safe drinking water, but a small percentage of the population does not,” the association stated. “This unacceptable reality is a social issue for the State of California. ACWA believes that making access to safe drinking water for all Californians should be a top priority for the State. However, a statewide water tax is highly problematic and is not necessary when alternative funding solutions exist and the state has a huge budget surplus.”

Orange County Republican Travis Allen, who ran for governor in 2018, also blasted the idea.

(Read more from “Cali Wheels out Plan for New Statewide Tax on Drinking Water” HERE)

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Pastor Loses Job After Church Sign Stating ‘Homosexuality Is Still a Sin’ Causes Uproar

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Pastor Justin Hoke of Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church in Weed, California, has lost his job following both community and alleged internal backlash over the language used in his most recent church sign. . .

According to SFGate, “a couple dozen” community members gathered to protest the sign on January 6. The protest, called the “Shastina Love Rally,” was organized in part by local resident Amelia Mallory. . .

In an article published just several days ago, Yahoo Lifestyle quoted Pastor Hoke, who said: “We believe that Jesus commands all Christians to let their light shine. We also believe that salvation is only for sinners. Jesus said he came to call sinners, not the righteous. If we give in to cultural demands to stop calling sin ‘sin,’ then we are robbing people of opportunity to hear the truth.” . . .

The pastor also noted that he wasn’t “fired,” but that the church faced a potential fracture in the wake of the fervor surrounding the sign, and that in order to keep the church intact, he felt it was best to vacate his position. Hoke repeatedly stated that he wanted to be circumspect in the way he spoke about the incident because he “loves” the people at Trinity Bible Presbyterian.

Regarding the protesters, Hoke said: “I believe they’re sincere — sincerely wrong, but sincere. I believe that it is hypocritical that their position is taught in schools and pushed on children, while our position is asked to be kept within the walls of the church.” He added that he hopes and believes that “within their midst, there are people whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, and that the command for all Christians is to preach to them the gospel faithfully, calling them to repentance and faith, that they might be changed by the Holy Spirit and brought into the family of God.” (Read more from “Pastor Loses Job After Church Sign Stating ‘Homosexuality Is Still a Sin’ Causes Uproar” HERE)

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Church Draws Backlash for Sign: ‘Bruce Jenner Is Still a Man’

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A Northern California church sparked outrage over a sign that read: “Bruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still sin. The culture may change. The Bible does not.”

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The church, Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church, is located in Lake Shastina, Calif., which is about an hours’ drive from the Oregon border.

Protesters gathered in front of the church on Sunday to denounce what they called “hate and slander” and to “show our love and support for the LGBT community,” according to a Facebook page that organized the event.

Justin Hoke, the church’s pastor, wrote on Facebook Wednesday that the sign’s Plexiglass had been destroyed and the letters had been stolen.

The protesters denied having destroyed the sign, The Sacramento Bee reported. Hoke posted a picture on his Facebook Thursday of the sign back up with plaster covering the letters, writing: “It’s not pretty, but it’s back up.” (Read more from “Church Draws Backlash for Sign: ‘Bruce Jenner Is Still a Man’” HERE)

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‘Baby Jane Doe’ Funeral Held for Newborn Found, as Cops Still Searching for Relatives

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More than four months after a newborn girl was found dead in a cardboard box along a Southern California highway, community members came together Thursday to pay their respects as authorities continue the search for the girl’s relatives.

A group of donors raised funds to provide a burial service for the girl, who’s known as “Baby Jane Doe.”

She was discovered July 27, wrapped in a t-shirt with stripes and a floral pattern near Interstate 15 in Corona, located east of Los Angeles.

Jon Castillo, a Corona police chaplain, led about 70 people in prayer near the tiny, flower-draped casket Thursday, the Press-Enterprise reported.

“Every person who walks the planet is born in God’s image, and she had inherent value and worth,” he told those gathered at the service. (Read more from “‘Baby Jane Doe’ Funeral Held for Newborn Found, as Cops Still Searching for Relatives” HERE)

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Here We Go: Gun Control Advocates in California Now Want to Tax Semi-Automatic Firearms

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California Assemblyman Marc Levine (D) has proposed a new gun control measure: taxing the sale of semi-automatic firearms and using the money to support gun violence prevention programs, The Sacramento Bee reported. The proposal was a direct result of the shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks.

“The goal is fewer gun deaths,” Levine said in a statement. “The gun tax will support the kind of interventions that make gun violence less likely in the first place, which is exactly what we need to do.”

Should the bill pass, the money would go to the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program, which is overseen by the Board of State and Community Corrections. The BSCC then uses the money to send various grants to cities and community-based organizations. . .

Right now, it’s unclear what the tax would look like but Levine’s chief-of-staff said they’re considering a $25 fee per firearm, which is similar to Chicago and Seattle’s tax. Although the tax amount is not set in stone, it’s estimated that it will bring in millions in additional revenue to the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program.

(Read more from “Here We Go: Gun Control Advocates in California Now Want to Tax Semi-Automatic Firearms” HERE)

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Do Not Eat Romaine Lettuce. Here’s What It Could Lead To.

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By CBS News. The FDA is looking at California as a potential source of romaine lettuce tainted with a potentially deadly strain E. coli. Health officials said romaine lettuce should be removed from all supermarket shelves and restaurant menus until they can determine the source of the new outbreak. But, as Anna Werner reports, tracking down the source of the contaminated produce is quite difficult.

The potentially deadly strain of the bacteria has sickened 32 people in 11 states since October. Nearly a third of the cases are in Los Angeles County.

Scott Horsfall, the CEO of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, said most of the romaine on the market when the outbreak began was grown in his state.

“Given the harvest cycle at that time, I think there’s a good possibility that it came from California, yes,” Horsfall said.

But he also said finding the exact farm will be difficult because it takes about two to three weeks for investigators to confirm an E.coli outbreak is underway. (Read more from “Do Not Eat Romaine Lettuce. Here’s What It Could Lead To.” HERE)

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Romaine Lettuce: Why It’s Hard to Keep It Safe From E. Coli and Other Bacteria

By USA Today. America tries to eat its vegetables, so the current E. coli outbreak likely linked to romaine lettuce has put everyone from Caesar salad fans to those who barely tolerate a splash of greens in a taco on high alert.

But how did these seemingly innocent little leaves turn deadly? . . .

Thanks to the national wellness trend embraced by healthy Millennials and aging Baby Boomers, the consumption of fresh vegetables, as opposed to frozen or shelf-stable varieties, is on the rise. Adding to that is the growing popularity of salad-centric restaurants, like Tender Greens and Sweetgreen, and the increasing inclusion of salads on the menus of fast-food chains. . .

Fields where produce is grown are subject to the whims of Mother Nature and her animals. Fruits and veggies grow in dirt and can be fertilized with manure. Bugs and birds fly around. Animals may run wild through even fenced fields — or defecate in rivers and lakes used to irrigate nearby farms. Growing out in the open means lots of opportunities for bacteria to enter the picture. (Read more from “Romaine Lettuce: Why It’s Hard to Keep It Safe From E. Coli and Other Bacteria” HERE)

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Who or What Is Really Responsible for the Huge Forest Fires in California?

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By The Federalist. . .Let us start with this simple aspect. Forest fires are a normal thing. Often caused by lightning or other natural causes, they are God’s way of clearing forests. In those natural forest clearances, the wildlife that exists in them are threatened or their habitat is destroyed. What has changed is mankind’s intervention in the natural process. The question is, what other factors may be causing the change in the intensity of recent forest fires?

We also came armed with a thought. If you believe that global warming is making life more challenging for forest management, then you should support proper forest clearance. Otherwise we will be left with even more intense fires. . .

Speaking with Chris French, the Acting Deputy Chief of Forest Service (FS), we received a primer on what is really going on with forest fires today.

When asked what he believes is the primary cause of the intense forest fires, Mr. French’s immediate response was “Forests are overstocked. There are more trees than 100 years ago.” He went on to say that part of the problem was the Forest Service’s good work in the recent past stopping forest fires. This meant, however, that their focus was largely directed away from forest maintenance, which caused the elements that fuel a fire like underbrush, dead trees or more density to occur. . .

Over the recent years as forest fires became more intense, they spent more money on suppression and less on clearance causing a vicious cycle of less money on clearance. At this point French stated that it was projected that 60% of their budget went toward suppression leaving fewer precious dollars for clearance. Recent Congressional budget bills have increased the Forest Service budget providing additional funding for clearance, thus hopefully stopping as many fires from happening and less money spent on suppression. (Read more from “Who or What Is Really Responsible for the Huge Forest Fires in California?” HERE)

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Volunteers Flock to Northern California Fire Zone to Lend a Helping Hand

By NBC News. It took Frank Hilscher only a half-hour to figure out what to do as the scale of the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history, began to dawn on him.

Hilscher first heard about the fire on Nov. 8, the day it ignited near Poe Dam, on the North Fork Feather River in Butte County. (Authorities said Sunday night that the fire has killed 77 people and left 993 yet to be accounted for, a drop from almost 1,300 on Saturday.)

“I woke up the next morning, and they talked about how devastating it was,” Hilscher said in an interview Sunday. “I sat around for about 30 minutes and thought about what we could do to help.”

Hilscher, 37, owns the Sexy Panda Food Truck, which sells Asian-themed street food in Sacramento, the state capital. So he called up Alex Hader, who manages the truck, and headed to a restaurant store, where he emptied out his business account.

Soon, “we filled up the truck and went on our way,” bound for Chico, about 90 miles north. They’ve been going 24-7 ever since, handing out supplies and serving thousands of meals a day to victims of the fire from the parking lot of a Walmart, Hilscher said. (Read more from “Volunteers Flock to Northern California Fire Zone to Lend a Helping Hand” HERE)

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Democrats Attack President Trump for Saying Exactly What Democrats Did About California’s Fires

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As California battles statewide wildfires, the death toll and expenditures are rising. The fires have torn through numerous counties throughout the state, and as many as 48 people have died in Camp Fire alone, as reported by NBC News. On Saturday, President Trump commented in a tweet criticizing “forest management.” . . .

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom stated, in a tweet responding to Trump’s, “Lives have been lost. Entire towns have been burned to the ground. Cars abandoned on the side of the road. People are being forced to flee their homes. This is not a time for partisanship. This is a time for coordinating relief and response and lifting those in need up.”

However, there may be more truth to Trump’s tweet than many of his critics care to admit. The Democrat-led Little Hoover Commission is an independent state oversight agency that released a report earlier this year on wildfire destruction and forest management practices that seemed to affirm Trump’s sentiments.

Former Democratic representative and deputy district attorney Pedro Nava, who is currently the commission’s chairman, addressed California’s governor and the legislature with an open letter that opens the February report. The first sentence of this letter states: “A century of mismanaging Sierra Nevada forests has brought an unprecedented environmental catastrophe that impacts all Californians.”

After describing the dilapidated state of the Sierra Nevada forests, and providing examples of the “imminent crisis,” Nava suggested “investing upfront to create healthier forests” in an effort to curb “the spiraling costs of state firefighting.” After further description of the economic costs incurred in the wake of wildfires, Nava concluded that “all these are symptoms of a larger problem of forest mismanagement and neglect.” (Read more from “Democrats Attack President Trump for Saying Exactly What Democrats Did About California’s Fires” HERE)

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Death Toll in Northern California Wildfire Rises

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The death toll for the wildfires burning in northern California’s Camp Fire rose to 42 people Monday night — making it the deadliest wildfire ever in the state, officials said.

Authorities announced that 13 more bodies were found during searches on Monday. The death toll is expected to continue to rise.

The dead were found in burned-out cars, in the smoldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could jump in behind the wheel and escape. In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroner’s investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

. . .

California Gov. Jerry Brown had requested the declaration on Sunday, which will bolster ongoing emergency assistance and help residents recover from fires burning in Butte, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties. Brown’s declaration asked to make individuals eligible for crisis counseling, housing and unemployment help, and legal aid. . .

Hundreds of people were unaccounted for by the sheriff’s reckoning, four days after the fire swept over the town of 27,000 and practically wiped it off the map with flames so fierce that authorities brought in a mobile DNA lab and forensic anthropologists to help identify the dead. (Read more from “Death Toll in Northern California Wildfire Rises” HERE)

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Dropped the Ball? Thousand Oaks Gunman Reportedly Had PTSD, Was Cleared Despite CA’s ‘Red Flag’ Laws

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New details have emerged about the gunman who killed 12 people at a bar before killing himself in Thousand Oaks, California on Wednesday night. Ian Long, 29, was a military veteran who suffered from PTSD after returning from a tour in Afghanistan that took place between 2010 and 2011, The Daily Mail reported.

Back in April, police had a run in with Long. They were called out to his Newbury Park home that he shared with his mom when neighbors heard loud crushing coming from inside.

Police were dispatched after Long shot a round from his handgun into one of the walls. He then barricaded himself inside. Police spent hours trying to get him to peacefully come outside, The Wall Street Journal reported. . .

Although California has strict “red flag” laws, which allows police or family members to temporarily remove firearms from a person they deem a threat to themselves or others, it’s unclear why Long’s firearms were not removed back in April. . .

Politicians and gun control advocates are quick to say we need these red flag laws. But here’s the problem. Instead of diagnosing and treating the cause of things like service-related PTSD, they’re waiting until someone like the Thousand Oak shooter kills a number of people before taking any kind of action. The answer isn’t taking away someone’s gun and then hoping they get better. The answer is providing treatment options and mental health resources to those who need it. (Read more from “Dropped the Ball? Thousand Oaks Gunman Reportedly Had PTSD, Was Cleared Despite CA’s ‘Red Flag’ Laws” HERE)

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