Democratic Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes were caught on a hot mic discussing whether disruptive activists could be barred from future city council meetings after anti-ICE protesters repeatedly hijacked a meeting this week.
The exchange occurred Tuesday after the Sacramento City Council recessed and removed the audience following multiple interruptions during a contentious debate over the city&#8217;s participation in the Central California Intelligence Center (CCIC), a federally funded intelligence-sharing hub.
A livestream of the meeting <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-mayors-hot-mic-catches-candid-exchange-after-audience-sends-meeting-off-rails">reviewed</a> by Fox News captured Talamantes approaching McCarty while his microphone remained live. &#8220;We should go over this disruptions thing, because if we want to ban somebody in the future, like to take them out, we have to point out specifically …&#8221; Talamantes said.
&#8220;I know, but the city attorney said we can&#8217;t do that,&#8221; McCarty replied.
&#8220;We did it last time,&#8221; Talamantes responded.
&#8220;We can&#8217;t,&#8221; McCarty said. &#8220;I spent my first six months going over this. I wanted to give people, like, probation, like, you can&#8217;t come …&#8221;
Talamantes then reached down to turn off the microphone and the conversation continued off-camera. The discussion came after a lengthy public comment period devolved into repeated shouting matches over the city&#8217;s continued acceptance of federal funding for the intelligence center.
The opponents claimed the intelligence center could facilitate cooperation with federal immigration authorities despite California&#8217;s sanctuary laws. Sacramento police however, contests that the city complies with California state law and doesn&#8217;t share any identifying information.
As deliberations continued, audience members repeatedly interrupted council members. One attendee shouted at McCarty, &#8220;Kevin, I need your f*cking eyes. Kevin, listen to me. Stop being an a**hole, dude.&#8221;
After Talamantes finished speaking, another protester yelled, &#8220;You&#8217;re a pick-me b*tch,&#8221;
McCarty issued what he called a &#8220;final notice,&#8221; warning the audience that continued disruptions would force officials to clear the chamber.
Moments later, attendees continued shouting. &#8220;You can&#8217;t do this behind closed f*cking doors!&#8221; one protester yelled.
&#8220;We are the community,&#8221; another shouted. Council officials then recessed the meeting and ordered the public removed before resuming business. Afterward, McCarty revealed that the discussion away from the public concerned rules already on the books rather than any effort to create new rules on public participation.
&#8220;Every Tuesday, Vice Mayor Talamantes and I are responsible for overseeing and ensuring transparent, accessible, and open Council meetings,&#8221; McCarty said in a <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-kevin-mccarty-karina-talamantes-hot-mic-ban/73238765">statement</a>. &#8220;Unfortunately, when meetings are repeatedly disrupted, we must discuss existing policies and rules to ensure Council meetings remain effective, orderly, and respectful for both the residents in attendance and the Councilmembers.&#8221;
Talamantes similarly defended the discussion, saying the council has an obligation to maintain order while allowing public participation. She also condemned threats directed toward her and her family during recent meetings.
Sacramento&#8217;s published rules already allow the presiding officer to warn or remove disruptive attendees and, when necessary, clear the chambers so meetings can continue.
The hot-mic exchange nevertheless drew criticism from activists who attended the meeting. Joshua Masias, an organizer with the Sac Immigration Committee, argued Talamantes appeared eager to silence political opponents.
&#8220;It&#8217;s very authoritative how she wants to use her power,&#8221; Masias told <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article316611826.html">The Sacramento Bee</a>. &#8220;It stuck out to me that she was the only one to try to silence the crowd.&#8221;
The contentious meeting marked the latest in a string of Sacramento City Council sessions disrupted by anti-ICE activists, with several recent meetings interrupted by shouting, singing protests, and repeated confrontations between demonstrators and city officials.

California State Capital

HOT MIC: Democrat Mayor Caught Discussing Protester Ban

anti-ICE protests

California

Crime

Immigration

Protesters

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is blaming President Donald Trump for a recent surge in homelessness that has left thousands more people living on the streets of the so-called City of Angels.
<a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/los-angeles-homelessness-expected-rise-3-5-sources-say-ahead-lahsa-count">FOX11 reported</a> that homelessness in America&#8217;s second-largest city is expected to rise by about 3.5% when the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority releases new data Friday.
Ahead of Friday&#8217;s official release, FOX11 reported that the city estimates roughly 45,000 people are living on its streets—an 8% increase from last year—underscoring Los Angeles&#8217; ongoing struggles with homelessness and quality-of-life issues.
The looming report also undercuts Bass&#8217; campaign narrative that homelessness has significantly dropped under her rocky tenure. Her signature Inside Safe initiative has spent <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-05/under-la-mayors-300-million-homeless-program-40-have-returned-to-street">more than $300 million</a> to move roughly 5,800 people into interim housing, mostly hotels and motels, but about 40% have since returned to the streets, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/could-spencer-pratt-be-l-a-s-outsider-hero">The Daily Wire</a> reported. Just one in four participants has reached permanent housing, at a cost of more than $200,000 per permanent placement.
To explain the recent surge, Bass turned to her party’s favorite political punching bag: President Trump. 
&#8220;For two years straight, we drove down homelessness by historic margins — but as expected, last year our efforts ultimately couldn’t keep up with policies and funding cuts on the federal and state levels,&#8221; Bass said, according to FOX11. &#8220;The Trump administration has driven up the cost of gas, groceries, and rent — pushing more families to the edge — and slashed critical safety net funding.”
The embattled mayor, who is facing a stronger-than-expected challenge from her left flank, also took aim at Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom&#8217;s handling of the state budget.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: Inside sources tell me L.A.’s homeless count is expected to rise… ending two straight years of reported declines.
The official numbers won’t be released until Friday, but multiple sources familiar with LAHSA’s latest count say homelessness is trending upward in Los… <a href="https://t.co/sUYPMVcN54">pic.twitter.com/sUYPMVcN54</a>
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) <a href="https://x.com/MattSeedorff/status/2080162994324144515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
“And, last year’s state cut of over $70 million severely impacted our work to keep people housed and get more Angelenos off the streets,” she said in a <a href="https://x.com/MattSeedorff/status/2080161071936221606?s=20">statement</a>. “The lack of adequate services continues to be a real problem and a contributing factor to people cycling in and out of homelessness, and these services are controlled by LA County.” 
The latest figures come as little surprise to many Los Angeles residents, including billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso, who unsuccessfully challenged Bass in the 2022 mayoral race. “I doubt anyone living in LA is surprised,” he <a href="https://x.com/RickCarusoLA/status/2080334679530758318?s=20">said.</a>  
Some residents questioned the city&#8217;s count, arguing the actual homeless population is far higher than reported.
“I don’t listen to the numbers, my eyes are better than numbers,” one man <a href="https://x.com/RickCarusoLA/status/2080334679530758318?s=20">told FOX11</a>, in a report showing littered streets, vandalized buildings, and open drug use. 
Leftist L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman will face off against Bass in the November mayoral election after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spencer-pratts-race-has-been-called-see-the-results">troves of late-arriving ballots</a> locked Republican Spencer Pratt out of the race.
Pratt’s viral campaign ads tapped into the reality TV star’s savvy social media background to push a message of change in a city plagued by chronic challenges. His platform captivated nationwide attention but ultimately fell flat in a deep-blue city dominated by leftists. 
His election defeat, however, has not stopped the Palisades wildfire victim from speaking out against the city’s leadership.  
“SHOCKER&#8230;the LA homeless count is going UP!” Pratt <a href="https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2080284771846918154?s=20">said</a> Thursday. “I warned you guys: the more homeless people, the more money Nithya Raman and Karen Bass can launder through their corrupt NGOs. You will NEVER fix this problem by electing people who profit off it.”

US-HOMELESS-CENSUS-LOSANGELES

L.A. Mayor Blames Trump For City’s Homelessness Surge

Democrats

Donald Trump

Gavin Newsom

Homelessness

Housing

Housing Crisis

Inflation

Karen Bass

Los Angeles

News

Nithya Raman

Politics

President Trump

Rick Caruso

Spencer Pratt

Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) says she is stepping away from electoral politics after two failed statewide campaigns, announcing that she is &#8220;done for now&#8221; with campaigning — and instead plans to focus on becoming a book influencer on social media.
&#8220;I’m done for now with politics and campaigning,&#8221; Porter said in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Da1Lp0dxPFs/">video</a> posted to Instagram last week. &#8220;Stay tuned for book recommendations, book ideas and author content.&#8221;
The former California congresswoman has rebranded one of her Instagram accounts as &#8220;Katie Porter Turns the Page,&#8221; complete with the hashtag &#8220;#Bookstagram,&#8221; saying she plans to devote the page to book recommendations, author interviews, and literary discussions.
Porter later told the <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316551216.html">Sacramento Bee</a> that she is &#8220;closing the door&#8221; on running for office. &#8220;I am closing the door on being a candidate,&#8221; Porter said. &#8220;I cannot foresee that path back.&#8221;
Porter first rose to national prominence after flipping a Republican-held Orange County congressional district in 2018. A former student and protégé of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), she became known on Capitol Hill for using a whiteboard during congressional hearings to grill executives from major banks, pharmaceutical companies, and other corporations.
Rather than seek re-election to the House in 2024, Porter launched a bid for the Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. She finished a distant third in California&#8217;s all-party primary behind eventual winner Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, failing to advance to the general election.
She then entered California&#8217;s gubernatorial race but fared even worse, finishing fifth in this year&#8217;s primary with less than 5% of the vote after initially polling as one of the leading Democratic contenders. Porter&#8217;s gubernatorial campaign was dogged by questions surrounding her temperament after reports highlighted allegations of abusive treatment toward staff members.
During the campaign, a video obtained by <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/08/katie-porter-tears-into-staffer-new-video-00598942">Politico</a> showed Porter screaming at an aide during a virtual event while serving in Congress. &#8220;Get out of my f*cking shot!&#8221; Porter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-spins-her-profane-rant-against-staffer-into-campaign-ad">shouted</a> after a staffer briefly appeared on camera before attempting to correct one of her statements.
The incident followed earlier allegations that Porter had berated staff members, including reports that she blamed one employee for contracting COVID-19 in 2022, while she was still in the House.
Porter later apologized for the outburst shown in the leaked video but argued that criticism of her demeanor reflected a double standard applied to female candidates.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what I could have said or done other than be a man,&#8221; Porter told the Sacramento Bee. &#8220;We&#8217;ve also seen it is not hard to come up with female candidates for whom the term temperament has been used.&#8221;
Despite stepping away from campaigning, Porter said she still plans to remain involved in public policy debates and civic education while focusing much of her public attention on books. &#8220;It’s partly a reference to a new chapter in my life, to change, but also to something I do a lot, which is turn the page when I’m reading,&#8221; Porter said of her new social media venture.

Senate Candidate Forum

Katie Porter Puts Politics On Hold To Focus On ‘Bookstagram’

Books

influencer

Katie Porter

Sexism

Fresh off winning the ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete, Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu is once again making headlines. But this time, it&#8217;s because of her younger brother, who has been competing in girls&#8217; high school sports in California.
Joshua Liu, who now goes by &#8220;Jaylin,&#8221; has competed in girls&#8217; track, basketball, and ultimate frisbee while identifying as a woman.
The teenage boy most recently won the women’s 400-meter race at the Tri-County Athletic League Finals on May 8, according to <a href="https://reduxx.info/exclusive-olympic-figure-skaters-brother-quietly-racking-up-wins-in-girls-sports/">Reddux,</a> and has won every girls&#8217; 200- and 400-meter race he’s participated in for Albany High School.
He also played on Albany High School&#8217;s girls&#8217; basketball team, where the 5-foot-8 junior was among the team&#8217;s top contributors.
For Jaylin’s other sport, girls&#8217; ultimate frisbee, he’s described as “dominant” this summer for his team coming off the Ultimate High School National Invite last month in Oregon.
&#8220;Jaylin Liu was one of the fastest players on the field and extremely dominant during the Garfield game,&#8221; <a href="https://ultiworld.com/2026/06/13/high-school-national-invite-2026-day-1-recap-girls-div/">Ultiworld</a> reported.
Kim Jones, co-founder of Independent Council on Women&#8217;s Sports (ICONS) told The Daily Wire that his sister, Alysa, represents the “pinnacle of female athletic achievement,” a strong contrast to what her brother is doing.
&#8220;It is a crime that girls in California are still being forced to compete against boys,&#8221; Jones said. &#8220;Her success was possible because a category existed that recognized and celebrated female athletes on their own merits. Without a clear category for female athletes, we would not know Alysa, and a male standard becomes the default in a backward society that devalues women for being female. A healthy society recognizes the unique merit of both male and female athletes.&#8221;
Jones said if Alysa, who won over the hearts of Americans during her Olympic run, stood up for women’s sports, it would be &#8220;inspirational,&#8221; but added the real responsibility falls on California’s leadership from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to the elected officials in Washington, D.C.
&#8220;When we reach a point where we demand that middle school girls take a public stance or a female Olympian speak out against her own family, leadership has failed to do the easiest thing in the world,&#8221; she said. &#8220;No girl should lose her place, recognition, or future because people in positions of authority refuse to protect female competition. This injustice must end.&#8221;
Under the <a href="https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/international-olympic-committee-announces-new-policy-on-the-protection-of-the-female-women-s-category-in-olympic-sport">International Olympic Committee&#8217;s</a> policy announced earlier this year, athletes eligible for the female category must meet the organization&#8217;s biological sex criteria, determined on the basis of a one‑time SRY gene screening.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the new policy is a protection for the female category.
&#8220;I understand this is a very sensitive topic, as a former athlete I passionately believe in all Olympians to take part in fair competition,&#8221; Coventry said. &#8220;The policy that we have announced is based on science. The scientific evidence is very clear. Male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on strength, power and endurance.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological male to compete in the female category.&#8221;

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

An Olympic Champion’s Brother Is Dominating Girls’ Sports

Olympics

Sports

Mary Jo &#8220;MJ&#8221; Shannon, the matriarch of the Kardashian-Jenner household and a fixture on the family&#8217;s reality television shows, died Thursday at 91, just days before her 92nd birthday.
Kris Jenner announced her mother&#8217;s death in an emotional Instagram tribute celebrating MJ&#8217;s legacy.
&#8220;My mom was the heart of our family. She taught me everything that truly matters… to love your family fiercely, to be kind, to show up for the people you love, and to never take a single moment together for granted,&#8221; Jenner wrote.
&#8220;Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort knowing that love like yours never truly leaves us. Your love will live on in our family, in our traditions, in every moment we are together, and in every life you touched. When I look at my kids and my grandkids, I will forever see pieces of you in all of us.&#8221;
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The highly successful &#8220;Momager&#8221; of six and grandmother of 13 credited her mother with shaping the woman she became, writing that everything she&#8217;s accomplished in life was because of MJ.
&#8220;I spent my life trying to live in a way that would make you proud,&#8221; Jenner said. &#8220;Every memory, every moment, every blessing, it was all because of you, and I will forever thank God every single day for making you my mommy.&#8221;
The Kardashian-Jenner siblings also grew up around MJ’s San Diego clothing boutique, Shannon &amp; Company. Kim Kardashian has often credited her grandmother with teaching her valuable business lessons and giving her her first job.
&#8220;You were the woman who showed me what it meant to be a hardworking businesswoman,&#8221; Kim said in her Instagram tribute. &#8220;You gave me my very first job at your store in San Diego and taught me lessons about work ethic, strength, and confidence that I’ve carried with me ever since.&#8221;
MJ became a fan favorite through recurring appearances on E!’s &#8220;Keeping Up With The Kardashians&#8221; and, more recently, Hulu’s &#8220;The Kardashians.&#8221;
One of MJ’s final appearances on the series came at her 90th birthday party, where she showed up in her quintessential black pantsuit and dark sunglasses, and toasted with a glass of wine before blowing out the candles alongside several of her great-grandchildren.
Known for her quick wit, MJ was frequently described by her grandchildren as the family&#8217;s jokester. Kim Kardashian even joked that her grandmother had a secret Instagram account used to stalk her family.
&#8220;I know you are up in heaven, looking at all of our Instagram posts of you from your sneaky finsta account you would always use,&#8221; Kim said.
Although many fans viewed MJ as a Cali girl through and through, she was born in Arkansas in 1934 before eventually moving west, where she gave birth to Kris, then a few years later to Karen, who unexpectedly passed away in 2024 at the age of 65.
In a 2025 episode of The Kardashians, Kris said MJ had become &#8220;frail&#8221; following the loss of her daughter.
Jenner did not disclose a cause of death or provide additional details regarding her mother&#8217;s passing.

Beloved Member Of America’s Most Famous Reality TV Family Dies

Entertainment

A massive water main break near the Sunset Strip overnight flooded parts of West Hollywood early Thursday morning, sending a river of water rushing downhill through neighborhoods of one of Los Angeles County&#8217;s most leftist enclaves.
Crews responded to the rupture near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive around 3:55 am. The broken 36-inch water main was just steps from a <a href="https://www.weho.org/community/arts-and-culture/visual-arts/urban-art-program/city-owned-artworks/bill-oberlin-rocky-and-bullwinkle">15-foot, 700-pound Rocky &amp; Bullwinkle statue,</a> which suddenly found itself overlooking a roaring urban river instead of the usual Sunset Boulevard traffic.
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The streets of West Hollywood were flooded Thursday morning after a massive water main break. It looked like white-water rapids for a while and opened a sinkhole near the Sunset Strip. <a href="https://t.co/Jne9I8MnFF">pic.twitter.com/Jne9I8MnFF</a>
— KNX News 1070 AM (@knxnews) <a href="https://x.com/knxnews/status/2077804577420689779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Reporters on the scene compared the rushing water to &#8220;white-water rapids&#8221; as it tore downhill and opened a sinkhole in an area better known for celebrity hotspots, restaurants, and luxury hotels.
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Several streets in West Hollywood are being inundated with fast-moving water following a water main break. Here&#8217;s a look at the widespread impact of the rushing water from AIR7. <a href="https://t.co/bUUdle70vp">https://t.co/bUUdle70vp</a> <a href="https://t.co/h4UNHVWd22">pic.twitter.com/h4UNHVWd22</a>
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) <a href="https://x.com/ABC7/status/2077737757871399383?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The break unleashed a river of water that barreled downhill from the Sunset Strip, through residential streets, and ultimately flooded parts of Santa Monica Boulevard below. The steep terrain turned what might have been an ordinary water main break into dramatic footage that quickly went viral.
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West Hollywood now <a href="https://t.co/lMVjat1Dy6">pic.twitter.com/lMVjat1Dy6</a>
— Aurelia De La Costa (@AureliaLaCosta) <a href="https://x.com/AureliaLaCosta/status/2077731847887597627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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All of Santa Monica blvd in weho is flooded rn 3am <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/weho?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#weho</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/flooding?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flooding</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/losangeles?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#losangeles</a> <a href="https://t.co/1lOUICwwoL">pic.twitter.com/1lOUICwwoL</a>
— padam? (@jigglypuffyyyy) <a href="https://x.com/jigglypuffyyyy/status/2077706992391799272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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ABC7 captured the tense moment when a person was briefly swept off their feet while trying to reach the sidewalk before regaining their footing.
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The sheer force of rushing water in West Hollywood temporarily swept away a person who was trying to get to the sidewalk. AIR7 caught the tense moment on video. <a href="https://t.co/lZzV7m9pZb">https://t.co/lZzV7m9pZb</a> <a href="https://t.co/SB6GgOH1Q7">pic.twitter.com/SB6GgOH1Q7</a>
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) <a href="https://x.com/ABC7/status/2077763592959426832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The floodwaters also inundated a Metro bus yard south of Santa Monica Boulevard, near the Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s Department West Hollywood Station and the Pacific Design Center.
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Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars<a href="https://t.co/y3qIuvHZaf">https://t.co/y3qIuvHZaf</a> <a href="https://t.co/FZ3PpKT8bR">pic.twitter.com/FZ3PpKT8bR</a>
— KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) <a href="https://x.com/KTLAMorningNews/status/2077756431424770236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Water crews shut down the damaged water main after several hours, leaving behind a massive sinkhole near the rupture.
&#8220;Obviously, a lot of people are still in a state of shock,&#8221; West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/16/us-news/west-hollywood-water-main-break-floods-streets/">told</a> the California Post on Thursday morning. &#8220;They have had water damage to their sub-garages. Their cars have been significantly damaged. We also have a couple of units that have been impacted. Right now, people are just trying to assess the damage, get people out to help them with repairs and the remediation.&#8221;
Mayor Heilman and the Los Angeles County Fire Department <a href="https://x.com/LACoFDPIO/status/2077797539626246252">said</a> there have been no reports of injuries.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1137009" style="width: 779px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1137009" class="size-large wp-image-1137009" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285750339-769x576.jpg" alt="" width="769" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285750339-769x576.jpg 769w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285750339-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285750339-768x575.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285750339.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px" />West Hollywood, CA &#8211; July 16, 2026: An aerial view of workers viewing a broken water main at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive in West Hollywood that sent water gushing down many streets, closing several of them Thursday, July 16, 2026. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said at 4:37 a.m. that a major water main was broken in the area of Palm Avenue and Harratt Street. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)</div>
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) owns the water main. Officials said the break occurred on &#8220;a riveted steel pipe from 1916,&#8221; <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-07-16/weho-water-main-break">according</a> to the Los Angeles Times. The City of Los Angeles owns the DWP, although the break occurred in the City of West Hollywood.
Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass said the rupture was the consequence of aging infrastructure. &#8220;It is my understanding that these pipes are over 100 years old.&#8221;

GettyImages-2285750488

SEE IT: Century-Old Pipe Bursts, Sending A River Through One Of L.A.’s Most Leftist Enclaves

General

Infrastructure

Los Angeles County

U.S.

Tennessee has extended an invitation to Paramount Skydance to move its corporate headquarters to the Volunteer State amid the company&#8217;s escalating standoff with California, where the attorney general is now suing to block its planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Tennessee Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter, a Republican, wrote a letter to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, urging him to consider moving the entertainment company&#8217;s headquarters from California to Tennessee, The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/tennessee-paramount-1236648159/">learned</a>.
California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other attorneys general <a href="https://x.com/RobBonta/status/2076723321354469515?s=20">sued</a> to stop the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. The lawsuit could delay the merger and cost Paramount hundreds of millions of dollars.
“For generations, Tennessee has been one of America’s most business-friendly states,” McWhorter <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1062064139/Paramount-Skydance-Letter-ecd#download&amp;from_embed">wrote</a>. “Our success is rooted in fiscal discipline, low taxes, predictable governance, and a steadfast belief that government should be a partner in private-sector growth. Companies that choose Tennessee find more than a favorable business climate — they find a state committed to helping them succeed.”
McWhorter also boasted about Tennessee being “the convergence of creativity, technology, and innovation,” having “one of the nation’s strongest workforce development systems,” and maintaining the conservative values of “service, community, and the importance of family.” 
“As Paramount Skydance writes its next chapter, Tennessee offers a compelling proposition: a state where creativity and technology converge, where talent is developed intentionally, and where innovation is embraced,” McWhorter wrote. “We would welcome the opportunity to share our vision for how Tennessee could help shape the future of Paramount Skydance and its talented team.”
Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee has expressed similar sentiments online, <a href="https://x.com/GovBillLee/status/2077228598147129475?s=20">stating</a> in an X post, “Paramount has played an important role in shaping American culture, &amp; we’d welcome the opportunity to see the next chapter of that story unfold in the Volunteer State.”
The Daily Wire recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/even-a-media-giant-may-be-ready-to-leave-democrat-run-state?row=0&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay">reported that</a> friends and advisers close to Ellison told him to “consider shifting his business out of” California and to move the company’s $30 billion in planned spending elsewhere, according to a recent Semafor <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/07/12/2026/paramount-weighs-leaving-california-over-warner-bros-rift">report</a>.
Paramount currently owns CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, and Paramount Pictures. By acquiring Warner Bros., the company would gain rights to brands including DC Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, HBO, Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, CNN, Food Network, and Oprah Winfrey Network. Ellison hopes the move can make Paramount a suitable competitor to rivals like Netflix and Amazon.
The states allege the merger would give the combined company control of nearly one-third of theatrical motion pictures and nearly one-third of basic cable programming. Paramount responded to the lawsuit in a statement, calling it &#8220;wrong on both the facts and the law.&#8221;
FedEx, Tesla, Oracle, Chevron, and AutoZone are all major companies that have left California in recent years in favor of red states like Tennessee and Texas.

Screenshot 2026-07-15 at 1.44.58 PM

Red State Courts Paramount As Media Giant Considers Fleeing California

Business

David Ellison

Paramount

Rob Bonta

Tennessee

The city of Sacramento is sending government employees to snoop on residents&#8217; garbage bins.
The city claims the new measure is an effort to comply with the Newsom-backed law, SB 1383, which passed in 2016 to reduce organic waste disposal and slow the effects of climate change, KCRA 3 News <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-inspect-residents-waste-bins-compliance-with-state-law/71923623">reports</a>.
City workers in “high-visibility” vests will now be seen patrolling neighborhoods, peering into residents’ waste, taking photos of their trash contents, and rating their compliance with state recycling standards for proper waste disposal. 

&#8220;Any container that we touch will either get a &#8216;great job&#8217; tag or a &#8216;let&#8217;s sort this out&#8217; tag,&#8221; city representative Jesa David said. &#8220;But either way, we want to provide education and make sure everyone knows the resources that they have available to sort their waste correctly.&#8221;
Sacramento waste disposal serves about 130,000 customers, and nearly 5,000 households will be affected by these trash examinations. The inspections will continue throughout September.
&#8220;When you sort your waste incorrectly, it does cost us more to dispose of it,&#8221; David said.
Sacramento claims that no punishments will be instituted. However, other California cities, such as Citrus Heights, are <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/citrus-heights-residents-face-auditing-fines-over-waste-bins/">hitting</a> repeat trash offenders with fines.
Critics on social media <a href="https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/2077117176973312099">mocked</a> the proposal, calling the measure “peak totalitarianism” and a wasteful use of money that should be directed toward addressing crime and cleaning the streets.
“It&#8217;s just a matter of time until they install Flock cameras inside your trash cans,” one person said on social media.
“They demand proof of trash being disposed of in designated trash containers, yet they refuse to accept proof of Voter ID. This is absurd!” another person commented.
The Environmental Protection Agency <a href="https://www.epa.gov/land-research/quantifying-methane-emissions-landfilled-food-waste">reports</a> that wasted food causes &#8220;58 percent of the fugitive methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills,” prompting California legislators to pass legislation like SB 1383.

Screenshot 2026-07-15 at 11.01.20 AM

Why This Blue City Is Spying On Your Trash

Environment

Privacy

Sacramento

trash

California shoppers are furious at a grocery store chain that is implementing new facial recognition technology to identify people suspected of shoplifting.
Some Grocery Outlet stores in the Bay Area will use anti-theft software called SAFR, including its Pleasant Hill “Bargain Market” location, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/grocery-outlets-facial-recognition-rollout-divides-bay-area-shoppers/">according</a> to CBS News. The Emeryville-based chain&#8217;s move is leaving shoppers concerned about their faces being scanned and their privacy being invaded. 
Signs posted on the front doors of the stores will notify customers that the technology is being used.
Shoplifting in California has increased 50% since the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/grocery-outlets-facial-recognition-rollout-divides-bay-area-shoppers/">according</a> to recent FBI data.
June Guerrero, who managed a store for several years, said she understands the need for facial recognition technology since she has witnessed how theft has affected retailers. 
“I worked for years as a manager of a store and the theft was just unbelievable,” Guerrero told CBS News. “I agree with it.” 
Reactions to the technology are mixed. 
“I do understand, but invading my privacy with my picture, I don’t agree on that,” Barbara Jackson told CBS News. “You gotta find a better way.”
Steve Burdette said his main concern is false flags. 
“It could lead to a lot of problems, I think for companies and businesses and people,” Burdette said to CBS News. 
Dr. Ahmed Banafa, an engineering professor at San Jose State, said that without safeguards in place, this technology could make the grocery chain susceptible to lawsuits. 
“The human has to be in the loop. It’s not just the system that says it’s a match. The human will make the final decision,” Banafa said.  “AI is famous for going after, you know, certain races.”
Charisse Jacques, the SAFR president, said the technology only retains information on shoplifting suspects for a limited time. Jacques said it does not collect a database of people in the stores and is not connected to law enforcement.
According to SAFR, the company does not share the information with the government agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/15/us-news/draconian-change-coming-to-major-california-grocery-store-chain-and-shoppers-are-furious/">reported</a>.

GettyImages-2266603724

Shoppers Outraged Over Grocery Chain’s Dystopian Anti-Theft Tactics

An illegal immigrant from India who killed three people in a Southern California semi-truck crash was sentenced Tuesday to four years and eight months in prison, less than half the maximum sentence he faced. 
Jashanpreet Singh, 21, faced up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in connection with the October 2025 crash. 
Singh illegally crossed the U.S. border in March 2022 and was released into the country by the Biden administration after being apprehended by Border Patrol, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 
<a href="https://x.com/BreannaMorello/status/2077187320193695933?s=20">Dramatic dashcam footage</a> captured Singh&#8217;s semi-truck barreling into stopped traffic on Interstate 10 in Ontario, California, triggering an eight-vehicle pileup that killed three people and injured four others, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-released-by-biden-caused-fatal-california-truck-crash">The Daily Wire reported. </a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨SICKENING🚨
An illegal alien was sentenced to ONLY 4 years 8 months in prison for KILLING 3 people in a horrific 8-vehicle pileup on SoCal’s 10 Freeway.
Jashanpreet Singh was under the influence of drugs when he plowed a semi into slowed traffic with no attempt to stop or… <a href="https://t.co/z0k8YNt8MZ">pic.twitter.com/z0k8YNt8MZ</a>
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) <a href="https://x.com/BreannaMorello/status/2077187320193695933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
“It didn’t stop. It didn’t swerve. It didn’t make any kind of maneuvers. It just went straight in,” eyewitness Jason Calmelat <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/driver-tied-to-fatal-multi-car-crash-in-ontario-gets-nearly-5-years-in-prison/3917298/">told NBC4. </a>
Although the Indian national was initially arrested under suspicion of DUI, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/semi-truck-driver-deadly-crash-southern-california-toxicology-test/">toxicology reports came back negative </a>for drugs or alcohol, according to CBS News. An investigation from the California Highway Patrol found that Singh failed to stop his truck before plowing into traffic.
The judge cited Singh&#8217;s age and the absence of evidence that he was using a cellphone at the time of the crash in imposing the lighter sentence, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll0WvnzXZY4">according to NBC4.</a>
The case became a flashpoint in the Trump administration&#8217;s effort to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining commercial driver&#8217;s licenses.
“It is a terrible tragedy three innocent people lost their lives due to the reckless open border policies that allowed an illegal alien to be released into the U.S. and drive an 18-wheeler on America’s highways,” former Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said at the time. “This accident follows a disturbing trend of illegal aliens driving 18-wheelers and semi-trucks on America’s roads.” 
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said Singh should never have been in the country.
“Had the rule of law been followed by State and Federal officials, the defendant should have never been in California at all,” <a href="https://da.sbcounty.gov/2025/10/31/semi-truck-driver-charged-in-multi-vehicle-crash-that-killed-three-and-injured-multiple-victims-in-ontario/">he said.</a>

aeb33c38-6d74-41ab-acce-2faa84ae7cca

Sentence Raises Eyebrows After Illegal Immigrant Kills 3 In Semi Crash

Courts

illegal immigrant

Truckers

Paramount Skydance is flirting with the idea of leaving California as the state leads an antitrust lawsuit against the media company. 
Semafor <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/07/12/2026/paramount-weighs-leaving-california-over-warner-bros-rift">reported</a> on Monday that friends and advisers close to Paramount CEO David Ellison told him to “consider shifting his business out of the state” and to move the company’s $30 billion in planned spending elsewhere.
Ellison&#8217;s advisers are reportedly urging the massive move after a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other attorneys general seeks to stop the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. The lawsuit could cause a delay in the merger and could potentially cost Paramount hundreds of millions of dollars.
Paramount currently <a href="https://www.paramount.com/about/brands">owns</a> CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, and Paramount Pictures. In acquiring Warner Bros., the company would <a href="https://warnerbros.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Warner_Bros._Discovery">gain</a> the rights to brands such as DC Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, HBO, the Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, CNN, the Food Network, and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Ellison hopes the move can make Paramount a suitable competitor to Netflix and Disney.
“The proposed merger, the largest in Hollywood history, would combine two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the five major basic cable channel owners … inflicting substantial harm on movie theaters, basic cable distributors and, ultimately, audiences nationwide,” Bonta <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-files-lawsuit-block-110-billion-warner-brosparamount">argued</a>. “In the U.S. alone, if allowed to merge, the combined titan would control nearly one-third of theatrical motion pictures, and nearly one-third of basic cable programming.”
The Trump administration has approved the merger following Paramount&#8217;s agreement to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump for $16 million that accused CBS of deceptively editing then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; interview.
Other major companies such as Oracle, Tesla, and Chevron have moved out of California to more “business-friendly” states such as Texas.
Paramount has a 10-year lease for 285,000 square feet at a studio in New Jersey, and it is likely that the company will move to the state if they decide to leave California.

Screenshot 2026-07-13 at 2.58.11 PM

Even A Media Giant May Be Ready To Leave Democrat-Run State

Lawsuit

Former MTV reality star Spencer Pratt has repeatedly made it clear that he is not going to walk away silently after his loss in the Los Angeles mayoral race — and in his most recent video, he took direct aim at California&#8217;s election process and the potential for fraud.
Pratt, in a nine-minute video posted on Wednesday, laid out the reasons people believe California elections are rife with fraud — and why he believes they&#8217;re right to be worried.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I didn’t get cheated.
You did. <a href="https://t.co/ihDoZeEh9J">pic.twitter.com/ihDoZeEh9J</a>
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) <a href="https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2075036220803993958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;In judicial ethics, the mere appearance of potential fraud is disqualifying,&#8221; Pratt began — and then compared that to elections. &#8220;Whether or not there is widespread fraud occurring, there certainly could be. And it doesn&#8217;t matter how many times you scream, &#8216;There is no widespread fraud.&#8217; A lot of people believe there is.&#8221;
Pratt went on to explain how California, in particular, had built a system that at best enabled the appearance of fraud and at worst facilitated it: &#8220;This isn&#8217;t about whether fraud is swinging the election — the appearance of fraud already is swinging the election.&#8221;
Using his own election as an example, Pratt explained that the mail-in ballot system — which allows votes to be counted for days after the election — created the appearance of fraud even if that wasn&#8217;t what was happening. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, he explained, he was in second place on Election Day — and the mail-in ballots that came in after benefited Nithya Raman, who had been the third-place candidate.
&#8220;For some reason, only the third-place Democrat who needed the votes saw a disproportionate spike in votes several days after the election,&#8221; he said.
Pratt compared the whole system to a bank heist in which the bank owners &#8220;can&#8217;t lock the bank vault, you&#8217;re not allowed to have security cameras, and you can&#8217;t count the money inside the vault. Robbing the bank is still 100% illegal, but there&#8217;s no way to stop it from happening.&#8221;
&#8220;How can you secure the money if you can&#8217;t lock the vault?&#8221; Pratt asked. &#8220;How can you catch the robbers if you&#8217;re not allowed to monitor the vault? And how can you even identify if the vault were even robbed in the first place if you can&#8217;t even count the money? &#8230; The bank vault is wide open.&#8221;
Pratt called for an overhaul of the system, saying that the right way would not be easy, but it would end with &#8220;commie animals in handcuffs.&#8221;
&#8220;To all you fraudsters out there, we&#8217;ve been watching you,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And justice is coming.&#8221;

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