WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to throw out a California immigrant-sanctuary law that limits local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The justices’ order leaves in place lower court rulings that upheld the law. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas voted to hear...
COVID Contact Tracing Scammers Ask for Social Security Numbers
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra warned residents Monday about a new fraud scheme involving phony COVID-19 contact tracers. In this scheme, scam artists pretend to be contact tracers to trick Californians into divulging private personal information such as Social Security numbers, financial information, or health insurance information. These scam artists...
State Center Sues Feds for Denying Emergency Relief Money to Students
State Center Community College District joined four other California community college districts and the California Community Colleges in suing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over eligibility restrictions that deny COVID-19 emergency relief funds to thousands of local college students — including undocumented students with DACA status. The lawsuit was filed today...
California Sues Uber, Lyft Over Alleged Labor Law Violations
LOS ANGELES — California is suing ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft, alleging they misclassified their drivers as independent contractors under the state's new labor law. Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the lawsuit Tuesday during a news conference. The labor law, known as AB5 and considered the nation's strictest test, took...
California’s Top Cop Defends Extraordinary Virus Shutdowns
SACRAMENTO — What would normally be broad constitutional protections for freedoms of assembly, religion — even buying guns — have their limits when they endanger others during the coronavirus pandemic, California’s top law enforcement officer said in an interview. The state has been sued over all three during its shutdown...
Newsom Sues Trump Administration to Block Water Rules
Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block new rules that would let farmers take more water from the state's largest river systems, arguing it would push endangered populations of delta smelt, chinook salmon and steelhead trout to extinction. The federal rules govern how much water can...
Officials: TSA Agent Tricked LA Traveler Into Baring Herself
SACRAMENTO — A federal Transportation Security Administration agent tricked a traveler into twice showing him her breasts as she went through security at one of the world’s busiest airports, California’s attorney said. Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Johnathon Lomeli, 22, was working at Los Angeles International Airport in June when...
MS-13 Gang Member Gets 10 Years for Mendota Drug Trafficking
U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced MS-13 gang member Claudia Lizaola to 10 years in prison Monday for drug trafficking. O'Neill handed down the sentence at the federal courthouse in Fresno. According to court documents, Lizaola was a member of La Mara Salvatrucha, a violent criminal street gang that engages...
Appeals Court: California City Bound by Sanctuary Law
SANTA ANA — A California appeals court on Friday ruled that a state law limiting police collaboration with federal immigration agents doesn't interfere with a charter city's right to run its own police force. The decision reverses an Orange County judge's 2018 ruling that cities that create their own charters,...
Joint Task Force Arrests 35 Country Boys Crips Gang Members
A three-month investigation into the criminal activities of Bakersfield's Country Boys Crips street gang has resulted in 35 arrests. The arrests, along with the seizure of 15 firearms, illegal narcotics, and stolen items, were announced Tuesday by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Bakersfield Police Chief Kyle Martin, and Kern County...