Newsletter - November 2025

 Have you ever wondered why some things in California are rather strange? There are all sorts of requirements and strange regulations that suddenly pop up seemingly out of nowhere. Welcome to the California Legislature. For the record: there are 40 Senators. 30 are Democrats and 10 are Republicans. In the Assembly there are 80 Members. 60 are Democrats and 19 are Republicans. There is a current vacancy since Bill Essayli is now an acting U.S. Attorney. The Democrats control the Legislature and therefore, make the rules for engagement.

Here is a sample of laws that were introduced by Democrats. Not all passed.

AB 1333 - would make self-defense illegal by allowing an individual to be charged with a crime for defending themselves from a criminal.

AB 1421 - would impose a costly mileage tax on all California drivers. This would cost $900 to $1200 a year on top of gas and car taxes.

AB 928 - would fine you $2,500 per rooster if you raise more than three roosters per acre on your land.

AB 916 - would ban hand soap and body wash containing disinfectant or antiseptic ingredients after encouraging their use during the pandemic.

AB 666 - would designate Bigfoot as California's official "cryptid" – wasting time on imaginary creatures.

AB 715 - would allow attorneys who break the law in other states to continue practicing in California, regardless of the crimes committed.

AB 471 - would increase pay for local politicians which would put more taxpayer money into the pockets of elected officials.

AB 475 - would ban requiring prisoners in state prisons to do basic work like cleaning, laundry and cafeteria.

AB 1187 - would require anyone wanting to buy a gun to attend an 8-hour training course every time they purchase a gun.

AB 435 - would increase the age requirement for securing children in a baby seat from 8 to 13 years of age.

AB 891 - would convert already cramped highway lanes into bicycle lanes.

AB 954 - would divert gas tax revenue, which was initially promised to be used for road maintenance, to fund bicycle lane construction.

New Laws signed by Governor Newsom

AB 288 - Gives state bureaucrats control over private labor disputes which increase the power of union leaders.

AB 309 - This bill indefinitely extends provisions that allow pharmacists and physicians to provide hypodermic needles and syringes without a prescription and adds new requirements for pharmacies.

AB 495 - Lets strangers assume custody of children without parental consent.

AB 1207 - Extends California's costly Cap-and-Trade program to 2046 which adds up to 43 cents a gallon at the pump.

SB 155 - Creates a slush fund for the governor to funnel millions in taxpayer money to "friendly" media outlets that praise his policies.

SB 518 - Sets up a massive new state agency to hand out taxpayer funds based solely on skin color.

SB 79 - Allows developers to bulldoze single-family neighborhoods to build six-story buildings eliminating local control.

SB 42 - Lets politicians dip into taxpayer money to fund their own campaign operations.

California faces a $12 Billion deficit this year. Nonetheless the legislature still managed to spend at least $415 Million for local projects to help lawmakers win their next elections.

Cal Matters found close to 100 earmarks inserted into just one of the state's budget bills for local projects and programs that apparently only benefited those in the lawmaker's district. 

Why is the legislature spending $5 Million in general fund money for a LGBTQ+ venue in very expensive San Francisco? How about $2.5 Million for a private day school in Southern California and $250,000 for a private farm-animal rescue on the North Coast.

Approximately $250 Million of the local-project earmarks were taken from the $10 Billion Proposition 4 climate bond voters approved last year. Some of the Proposition 4 earmarks included: $26 Million to programs paying farmers for private land conservation. $20 Million to help the public access a Southern California beach gated off by a wealthy community. $15 Million for geologic heritage sites including the La Brea Tar Pits whose fossils have been used to study climate change in the last epoch.

All these earmarks were approved at the same time that the Governor and lawmakers left state worker positions unfilled, suspended some health care benefits, postponed raises for firefighters, filled budget holes with high-interest bond money and took billions of dollars from the state's "rainy day" emergency fund.

Now, of course, the people in office who are coming up with all of these "bright ideas" are responsible for them. However, there is another group that is responsible for the financial mess that California is in. That is the voters. The level of ignorance that the average voter has is shocking and scary. Too many voters do not know anything about the basic workings of their government at the local level and at the state level. So much of this knowledge has been eliminated in our schools. However, it is critical that voters understand what is going on in Sacramento as regards their legislators and the legislation being passed or attempted to be passed. Know who your legislator is. Find out what legislation is being considered and who supports it. Here are some websites that provide information https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov and the Sonoma County web site, www.sonomacountygop.org has an entry which shows all of the elected representatives for Sonoma County and how to contact them. Click on Legislative Updates and all the information about your representatives is there. 

Keeping America free requires that citizens are informed and involved.