State Democrats Crush Bill to Ban NDAs

Good Morning,

It’s Friday, April 26, this is what we are following:

✔  California Democrats kill a bill that would have stopped lobbyists from secretly negotiating new laws, reporter questions if Governor Newsom influenced this vote.

✔ A new poll says Americans want “mass deportations”, including democrats!

✔ A historic pier in Southern California goes up in flames, Mayor vows to rebuild.

✔ California Luxury: Three Hotels Among Top 200 Resorts Worldwide.

Thank you for being part of the Netter News Community. Here’s the weekend!

Netter News Team

NDA BILL CRUSHED BY STATE DEMOCRATS

State lawmakers rejected a bill that would have provided the public with increased insight into the lawmaking process by banning the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

HOW WE GOT HERE

• Assembly Bill 2654 would have prohibited public employees from signing NDAs when negotiating proposed laws.

• It didn’t even get out of committee before Democrats slammed the brakes on it.

WHY THIS MATTERS

• Reports indicate that NDAs were used in the final negotiations of California’s controversial fast food minimum wage law.

• That’s when Governor Newsom and his team allegedly pushed for an exemption in the law for major chains that sell and bake bread as a standalone menu item. This benefited one of Newsom’s billionaire donors who operates Panera Bread locations across California.

• Experts say NDAs keep the public from learning about the backdoor dealings of how these measures come together into laws.

HOW THEY VOTED

• Well, that’s the rub. Most Democrats decided NOT to vote. The Chairwoman voted no, while all Republicans supported it.

PELLERIN PRESSURED?

After the vote, KCRA reporter Ashley Zavala grilled Democratic Assembly Elections Chair Gail Pellerin, including asking her whether Governor Newsom influenced her decision to vote no.

While Zavala and her photographer gave a master class on holding politicians accountable, Pellerin’s refusal to answer questions didn’t sit well with Californians.

 WHAT’S NEXT?

It will be business as usual at the state capitol, with lobbyists able to work these secret deals, unless voters step up and demand more from their representatives.

But perhaps a good lawyer might kindly remind lawmakers of the 1953 Brown Act  which aimed to keep local governments from doing the public’s business in secrecy.

POLITICS, ECONOMY, EDUCATION & SCIENCE

AMERICANS WARM TO MASS DEPORTATIONS

According to a new poll from AXIOS

• Half of Americans would support mass deportations, including 42% of Democrats.

• And 30% of Democrats, as well as 46% of Republicans, would end birthright citizenship which is guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the constitution.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Americans are open to President Trump’s toughest immigration proposals.

• Illegal border crossings and their impact on border states like California are changing viewpoints.

WHY THE SWITCH IN VIEWS

Those polled cited:

1. Increased crime, drugs, and violence (21%)

2. Illegal immigration costs to taxpayers (18%)

3. Risk of terrorism costs and national security (17%)

CALIFORNIA’S CAMPUS ENCAMPMENTS

Here’s the latest on the anti-Semitic protests taking place across California universities:

• USC says it’s canceling its main stage graduation ceremony in May (the big one, usually 60k attendees) because of security concerns. This means the high school graduation class of 2020 (the COVID-19 kids) also won’t be getting a college graduation either.

• The USC campus remains closed to the public (students and faculty can come and go).

• There’s a new encampment at UCLA.

• Demonstrations took place at UC Santa Barbara

• For a fourth day in a row, 40 protesters are camped out on the front steps at UC Berkley’s Sproul Hall.

• Cal Poly Humboldt is a mess. University officials have closed the campus all week because protesters have occupied two buildings there. They are trying to figure out if they will ever reopen the campus.

ANTI-SEMITIC FERVOR

📌Jewish students on campuses have told leaders they do not feel safe, some have even been threatened with violence.

📌Those protesting want the universities to cut ties with Israel, including stopping internship programs and divesting from companies like Microsoft and Google that do business with Israel.

📌Groups like “Students for Justice in Palestine” that are organizing the protests are defending Hamas’ massacre of more than 1200 Israelis on October 7.

PROTESTERS OR AGITATORS?

Mike makes a good point about just who is occupying the tents at these campus encampments.

And for a good read, we recommend the Free Press’s investigation, Camping out at Columbia’s Communist Coachella. 

DON’T FORGET THE HOSTAGES

A painful proof of life is how the mother of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin describes the video of her son, now held in captivity for more than 200 days.

The 24-year-old, born in Berkley, was one of 240 hostages taken on October 7 by Hamas terrorists. He had part of his arm blown off during the unprovoked assault. It was not immediately clear when the video was recorded or what conditions he was under when the video was made.

ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS

Gas prices can swing dramatically, as we’ve been pointing out. However, the situation in Menlo Park is absurd. At a Chevron station there, unleaded gasoline is $7.25 a gallon. The state average is $5.42 per gallon which is already highway robbery. If you are in Menlo Park, we say keep moving and find something cheaper.

HOT TAKES

🚨HISTORIC PIER FIRE: The Mayor of Oceanside is vowing to rebuild the city’s pier after the historic landmark caught fire Thursday. A vacant restaurant at the end pier burst into flames and winds made it a tough firefight. The cause is under investigation.

🚨 RUN IT BACK: Reggie Bush, the former USC star running back, is reclaiming his Heisman Trophy nearly 15 years after surrendering it. Bush spoke out about the Heisman Trust’s decision to reinstate Bush as a winner.

🚨STRIKER BENEFITS: Lawmakers are giving it another shot to extend unemployment benefits to striking workers in California, despite Governor Newsome’s previous Veto. This is something Adam Schiff wants too.

🚨 BOTCHED LANDING: A tense moment at LAX when a packed Lufthansa flight hit the runway hard, bouncing twice, prompting the pilot to abort the landing.

🚨 EXPRESS BANKRUPTCY: An iconic clothing retailer from Gen X’s teen years is shutting over a dozen California stores for good.

🚨DOG DUMPED & TRIES TO FOLLOW OWNER: A dog dumped by its owner on the streets of Long Beach and then tries to chase him as he speeds away. The dog is okay. Here is how you can help:

GOLDEN STATE GLOW

• 🌴 Catch Actor Ryan Reynold’s Wrexham AFC ⚽ as they show off in California. The Welsh soccer studs will play in Santa Clara and on the UC Santa Barbara campus in July. Here are your details on the Wrex Coast Tour ⚽  

• 🌴 California is home to numerous high-end resorts and hotels, yet only three have made it into Travel + Leisure Magazine’s top 200 worldwide. Among them, one is located in Newport Beach, another near Santa Barbara, and the third is in Sonoma County.

• 🌴 You gotta watch out for those high desert winds! Out of nowhere, a dust devil swooped in and lifted a Victorville family’s bounce house off the ground. Everyone is ok, but man, some crazy stuff.

 🗓THIS DAY IN CALI-HISTORY

April 26: 

• 1962: The very first spy plane, the Lockheed A-12, had its maiden flight in Nevada’s Area 51, after development and production in Burbank.

• 1964: Showdown in Augusta, San Diego’s Mickey Wright faced off against Marilyn Smith in the LPGA Titleholders Championship. Smith won by just one stroke, but both women went on to become trailblazers in the sport.

• 1971: The San Francisco Lightship was replaced by an automatic buoy, ending its iconic role as a navigational aid for ships entering San Francisco Bay.