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Firefighters’ mental health is at risk. A California bill could help.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

By Julie Cart | CalMattersA state Senate bill that would expand workers’ compensation coverage for California first responders experiencing post traumatic stress — aimed at addressing what Cal Fire officials call a mental health crisis — has cleared its first legislative hurdle and been sent to the Assembly.Authored by Sen. John Laird, a Salinas Democrat, the bill is one of a growing number of state initiatives attempting to address the cause of mental health struggles and the difficulty first responders encounter when seeking medical care through state-run insurance.The bill would extend by seven years a provision in existing state law that says PTSD qualifies as an occupational illness that is covered by workers’ comp for firefighters, police and other first responders. The extension would last through Jan 1, 2032, rather than expiring in 2025. The bill also would add more categories of dispatchers, peace officers, investigators and public security officers in claims for psycholog...

‘Little Mermaid’ Happy Meals are on sale at McDonald’s

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

McDonald’s is selling “The Little Mermaid” Happy Meals featuring characters from the Disney musical opening Friday.The meals include one of eight figures from the movie: Ariel, the mermaid; King Triton, her father; Prince Eric, the human; Ursula, the villain; Sebastian, the crab, Flounder, the fish; Scuttle, the seagull; and Max, the dog.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | After burglary, Oakland’s Michelin-listed Hi Felicia shuts down indefinitely Restaurants, Food and Drink | BottleRock Exclusive: Here’s what’s really cooking on Culinary Stage in 2023 Restaurants, Food and Drink | 7 amazing Bay Area things to do over Memorial Day weekend Restaurants, Food and Drink | 20+ Bay Area beer and wine events to enjoy this summer Restaurants, Food and Drink | How to get deals for Hamburger Month 2023 and Hamburger Day, May 28 The toys are incorporated into an online game at HappyMeal...

California lawmaker opens legal fund over Facebook feud

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

By Alexei Koseff | CalMattersA first-term state senator is raising money from interest groups to fight ongoing litigation related to complaints that she blocked critics on social media in her previous job as a mayor.Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who was elected to the Senate in November to represent southern Orange County, opened the legal defense fund at the end of January and has raised $17,500 so far, in addition to receiving legal assistance from the California Democratic Party, according to campaign finance records.Blakespear appears to be the only legislator with an active legal defense fund. The contributions include $12,000 from the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and $5,500 from the Pechanga Band of Indians, both of which lobby at the state Capitol.Blakespear declined to discuss the case in depth because it is still active, but she defended using her legislative position to fundraise for her legal bills.“This is a politically motivated lawsuit,” Blakespear told CalMat...

17-year-old boy in custody after California bus driver stabbed during argument

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

An argument that started on a Metro bus and spilled outside in Woodland Hills left the driver stabbed and in critical condition and a 17-year-old boy in custody, police said.The confrontation occurred about 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, near Erwin Street and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, with the driver stabbed more than once, officials said. It’s unclear what ignited the dispute.Suspect pic.twitter.com/fW54nRX4xw— LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) May 25, 2023 Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who also serves as a Metro board member, was at the hospital Wednesday night. She met the family of the driver, who had surgery that night. He is a husband and a father.“The driver is still not out of the woods yet,” the mayor said during Metro’s Board of Directors meeting on Thursday. “We need to keep him in our prayers.”LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said at the meeting she had heard from doctors on Thursday morning: “He did try to open his eyes this morning, and the doctor said that was a good sign,” she...

Barabak: DeSantis faces sobering lesson on ambition, hubris and big talk

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

When you’re the governor of a state, you’re a big, important deal.Your whims can assume the force of law. The stroke of a pen can open or close schools, help or harm major industries and, in cases involving capital punish-ment, decide whether a person lives or dies.A governor who wins election in a big state, like, say, California, Texas or Florida, is even more powerful and may be all the more convinced of their genius and political prowess. (Who’s going to disabuse them?)Inevitably, Washington beckons, as it has for Florida’s freshly reelected governor, Ron DeSantis, who formally, inauspiciously entered the Republican presidential contest Wednesday with a glitchy announcement on a sputtering Twitter livestream.As if on schedule, DeSantis learned a lesson that other gubernatorial grandees soon came to understand: Despite their high esteem for themselves, there is absolutely nothing like running for president.And what’s more, all the glory they’ve reveled in back home doesn’t promis...

Court upholds California’s anti-pay-to-play law barring votes benefiting campaign contributors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

A Sacramento County Superior Court judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of an anti-pay-to-play law prohibiting elected officials from voting on matters involving the people and companies who contribute to their campaigns.In his ruling Thursday, May 25, Judge Richard K. Sueyoshi determined the law, which went into effect in January, does not violate either the state or federal constitutions.“The United States Supreme Court has recognized that preventing quid pro quo corruption or its appearance is a compelling state interest,” Sueyoshi wrote. “Defendants have provided sufficient evidence that SB 1439 sought to address this corruption by eliminating an exception for local elected officials in the legislative history.”SB 1439, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in November, requires public office holders — from city councils to school boards, water boards and county supervisors — to recuse themselves from votes and discussions involving anyone who has contri...

California man accused of using Telegram to teach bank fraud pleads guilty

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

A 26-year-old Placentia man accused of using social media to teach people how to create false checks pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring with a bank employee, among others, to commit bank fraud, officials said.Meshach Samuels admitted to two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The 26-year-old has a history of felony convictions in Florida, and had five guns seized from his residence in March 2022 by federal agents, said the U.S. Department of Justice.From May 2021 to March 2022, Samuels used Instagram to promote his Telegram chat groups to his followers which, for a fee, provided details on how to commit check fraud and recruit accomplices. Using stolen information obtained from a bank teller and other sources, Samuels and his accomplices created fraudulent checks drawn from victims’ accounts, who would then deposit the checks into third-party accounts, according to his plea agreement.Related ArticlesCr...

The U.S. Is Unhappy That Mexico Is Spending Money on Its Own Citizens

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

The U.S. government is frustrated that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is prioritizing social spending for the benefit of his people over addressing matters that are important to the U.S., according to an excerpt of a leaked top-secret intelligence document. Part of a cache of classified intelligence records that were leaked on the platform Discord earlier this year, the document highlights the growing discontent by U.S. officials toward Mexico’s president, who has significantly limited U.S. law enforcement agencies’ role in the war on drugs, as fentanyl trafficked by Mexican criminal groups has worsened the overdose crisis in the U.S. and violence in Mexico.“President Lopez Obrador’s federal budget for 2023 gives priority to social spending and signature infrastructure projects, rather than the investments needed to address bilateral issues with the US such as migration, security, and trade,” reads the document from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence....

Klopp stays positive after Salah vents about Liverpool missing Champions League

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Mohamed Salah said it’s “too soon” for optimism after Liverpool failed to reach the Champions League.Jurgen Klopp isn’t as downcast as his star forward.The Liverpool manager acknowledged that “we didn’t deliver” but rattled off reasons for optimism at Anfield the morning after Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea doomed his team to fifth place and a spot in the second-tier Europe League next season.Missing out on Champions League money hurts, the German said Friday.“But besides that, we have European nights next year. Instead of Tuesday-Wednesday, it’s a Thursday, who cares,” Klopp said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League season finale at Southampton.United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday ended top-four hopes for Liverpool, which had played in the Champions League six consecutive years, winning the title in 2019 and reaching the final two other times including last year.“We didn’t deliver what everybody wanted and eve...

Fernando Alonso out to end 10-year wait for an F1 win with victory in Monaco

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:05:10 GMT

MONACO (AP) — Ten years after last winning a Formula One race, Fernando Alonso fancies his chances of a victory in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.The 41-year-old Spanish driver has four third-place finishes in five races with Aston Martin this season.“I will attack more than any other weekend,” the two-time F1 champion said. ”I come here thinking I will try to win.”While defending champion Max Verstappen leads the championship for Red Bull, it’s Alonso’s form that has captured the imagination of fans.“If I tell you that I don’t come here thinking that I can win the race, I would lie to you,” said Alonso, who has 32 career F1 wins and 102 podium finishes. “Because this is a one-off opportunity.”The razor-thin street circuit, where drivers often brush close to the walls, suits Alonso’s high-risk and slick driving style.“We know Monaco, Singapore, there are specific race tracks,” he said. “You need to gain the confidence in the free practice, get c...