‘Californians Against Crime’ Rally; CEO Reveals Mega City Renderings | California Today – Sept. 1

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to California Today. I'm David Lam. Here's a preview of some of today's top stories. The company buying up land surrounding an Air Force base revealed plans for a mega-utopian city, but some federal and state officials are still not convinced. Many Californians fed up with crime. Business owners, lawmakers, and others are calling out bills that they say would increase repeat offenders. Angelinos remain divided on RV parking. A city council member proposes rules restricting RVs from certain areas. A website for a new mega-city in California launches. After nearly five years of staying under the radar, the company behind massive land purchases in Northern California comes to life. These are rendered images of what a new mega-city could look like in one California community. California Forever was created in 2017 by Flannery Associates CEO Jan Strzamek, who said he fell in love with the area. Officials say there's a lot at stake. If it's done correctly, I think there's a lot of opportunities for the county. Their tax revenue base will increase quite a bit. But again, I think you're giving up a quality of lifestyle that's kind of unique to this area. You don't really have this a whole lot of other places. Solano County is known for rolling hillsides and fertile farmland. Farming really is about family. It's about hard work. It's about giving back to community and providing food to millions around the world. And to those struggling farmers, it has never been about profits. California Forever is backed by a group of wealthy tech investors hoping to build the city east of Fairfield, near Travis Air Force Base. And so finding out who it was, you know, although it's good to know who the man behind the curtain is, it doesn't change, you know, the stance of our need to protect our Air Force Base and to preserve our ag land. In 2018, Flannery Associates began purchasing 400 parcels and 55,000 acres of land in Solano County. But Congressman John Ghermendi isn't too thrilled. Flannery Associates is using secrecy, bullying, and mobster tactics to force generational farm families to sell. They have forced farmers off the land, hiring big city lawyers to file federal lawsuits claiming restraint of trade against seven farm families who refuse to sell their land and their heritage. According to California Forever, 81% of Solano parents that they recently surveyed said their kids won't be able to find a future of their own in the neighborhood when they grow up. Hence the project. Saying, is a chance for a new community, good paying local jobs, solar farms, and open space. As for funding, they said, quote, approximately 97% of our capital comes from US investors. The remaining 3% comes from Patrick and John Collison and other UK and Irish investors. Flannery Associates told ABC7 they don't plan to put any homes within a mile of the Air Force Base. The company says they want to get approval and work with officials and residents for the project. NCD reached out to California Forever for comment. David Lam, Entity News. To stop crime in California, hundreds of business owners, individuals, and state leaders rally at the state capitol in Sacramento. They are calling out multiple bills that make it easier for repeat crimes. Organized by the Assembly Republican Caucus, a group called Californians Against Crime gathered on the steps of the state capitol on Thursday to rally against the lawlessness in the state. We are all gathered here today for one reason only, to say enough is enough. We need to make crime illegal again in California. They are also opposing SB 553, introduced by Senator Dave Cortese from Santa Clara County. The bill aims to prevent workplace injury and violence and ensure that employees have access to wellness resources. Cortese said in a May statement, under my SB 553, employers would be prohibited from forcing their rank and file non-security workers to confront active shoplifters, and all retail employees would be trained on how to react to active shoplifting. But opponents claim the bill is pro-criminal and would legalize theft. We came here for the American dream. We work really hard to make our livelihood, and at this point, this SB 553 is going to kill us all. Doing business in California is getting harder and harder. All the bills come all against retailers. If they really want to protect the stores or the retailers, we should have more police officers on the road. This bill should go in favor of retailers. I debated Senator Cortese about a month ago about his bill. He frankly seemed to not understand the impact that it would have on all of you, that it's going to destroy your businesses, that it's not enough that we decriminalize property crime, but now he's saying you can't stop criminals from stealing, taking your property. They are also calling out other bills like SB 94, which would allow parole for people who are sentenced to life in prison, SB 81, which promotes early release policies, and ACA 4, which would allow felons to vote from behind bars. A mother who lost her 16-year-old son in 1997 to a murder said the mastermind behind it was tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison, but the current laws would change this. Little did we know our California legislators would put us through a different kind of nightmare 14 years later, which continues to haunt us to this day. In 2012, SB 9 was passed, allowing criminals who were under 18 at the time of their offense and sentenced to life without possibility of parole to petition for a recall and resentencing hearing up to four times. Shock can't even begin to describe how we felt, but they were just getting started. They are also calling on the committee to advance SB 14, which would make human trafficking of a minor a serious felony. And just this afternoon, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed SB 14. It will now head to the floor for further discussions and votes. Many people in Los Angeles have embraced RV living as a practical and cost-effective housing solution, while others boldly oppose it. Entity's Christina Corona has more. While RV living has gained popularity, an LA council member is deliberating the prohibition of RV camping in certain areas to address growing concerns and preserve the city's character. Los Angeles council member Tracy Park has suggested new rules for the city. These rules aim to impose restrictions on the parking of RVs near sensitive locations like schools, daycare centers, parks, and residences. The goal of the proposal is to address the problems caused by these large vehicles being used as homes. Park believes that this is causing many issues for public health, the well-being of the community, and how nice the neighborhoods are to live in. Residents say the RVs block sidewalks, dump waste and garbage on the street, and take up parking spaces. Park has been focusing on solving the problem of homelessness during her first term on the LA council. This includes trying to find solutions for homeless people who live in RVs, like the ones that were cleared out in Playa Del Rey earlier this year. Just this week, the LA City Council unanimously approved a motion to make the sale and leasing of RVs for housing illegal, targeting individuals known as van lords who rent out RVs to residents. Christina Corona, NTD News, Los Angeles. Over a hundred stolen vehicles recovered and 78 suspects identified. This is the result of San Diego law enforcement agency's latest effort in tackling auto thefts. Arrested suspects will face various felony charges. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday 50 grand jury indictments after a one year operation to crack down on auto thefts. The San Diego County Regional Auto Theft Task Force launched Operation Sunrise in September 2022. It consists of local and state law enforcement officials. More than a hundred witnesses testified and 78 suspects were identified. The defendants face various felony charges, including insurance fraud, vehicle theft, sales of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, felons in possession of firearms, sale of firearms, ammunition, high capacity magazines, grand theft, and possession of stolen property, burglary, and crimes of identity theft. Since Operation Sunrise was launched, it recovered 14 firearms, 172 stolen vehicles worth about $3.3 million, and fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. In addition, auto theft crime rings throughout San Diego County were dismantled. A protester now being awarded $3.75 million by California court. The man was struck by LAPD officers with a projectile back in 2020. Entity Stephanie Sokol has the details. A protester was struck twice by hard foam projectiles fired by Los Angeles police during the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations. The jurors concluded on Wednesday that the Los Angeles Police Department exhibited negligence when one or more of its officers used the so-called less lethal devices against Asim Jamal Shakir Jr. Shakir had been filming an argument between the police and protesters. According to the lawsuit, at one point, Shakir was hit once and then struck again while he was bending down to retrieve a phone that was knocked out of his hand by the initial projectile. A jury is now awarding Shakir $3.75 million in damages. The city council still needs to approve this award. An internal investigation within the LAPD revealed that the use of less lethal force, which caused Shakir's injury, was not reported. This incident took place amid national protests following the killing of George Floyd. Stephanie Sokol, NTD News, Los Angeles. We'll take a short break now everybody, but here's a look at what we have for you when we come back. Rapper 50 Cent could be facing a criminal investigation. He threw a mic that hit a fan in the head during an LA concert. The Golden State nearly out of a drought. This is the first in three long years. It's a holiday weekend and that means time for fun and relaxation. We'll take a look at some upcoming events happening around the state. Those stories and more coming up on California Today. Welcome back to California Today, everybody. I'm your host, David Lam. 50 Cent's concert outburst leads to criminal battery investigation after a fan is struck by a microphone. Entity Stephanie Sokol has more. In a fit of frustration, 50 Cent angrily threw a malfunctioning microphone into the audience during his concert in Los Angeles at the Crypto Arena. This was part of his final lab tour of 2023. Unfortunately, this impulsive act resulted in the microphone striking a fan in the head. The incident has led to 50 Cent being considered a suspect in a criminal felony battery case. The victim, identified as Power 106 radio host Brianna Mongain, promptly filed a police report on Wednesday night. Law enforcement sources suggest that 50 Cent may have intended to throw the microphone at his production crew, but accidentally hit the victim instead. 50 Cent's attorney, Scott Lehman, said, "'Let's be clear,' as I told LAPD this afternoon, my client Curtis, aka 50 Cent, would never intentionally strike anyone with a microphone. Anyone saying something different doesn't have all the facts and is misinformed." According to the victim's account, 50 Cent appeared to make eye contact with her before launching the microphone, indicating that he was aware of her presence. Brianna sought medical attention for a head injury. Stephanie Sokol, NTD News, Los Angeles. Elon Musk says his oldest child turned into a communist after attending a Los Angeles school. He says the child now hates him for being rich. Musk made the comments for his upcoming biography, some of which was published in the Wall Street Journal. In it, he blames Los Angeles private school crossroads, at least partially, for their strained relationship. Musk's oldest child is biologically male, but began identifying as transgender at 16 years old. Musk says the child then broke off all contact with him and became a fervent Marxist. The biography excerpt says, Musk's current anti-woke beliefs come from this experience with Xavier, who now goes by the name Jenna. He says this relationship with his oldest child is the most painful experience in his life since his first child died as an infant. For all you nature lovers, a new open space nature preserve just opened to the public at the southern tip of Silicon Valley. It's more than twice the size of New York's Central Park, complete with hiking trails and habitats for local butterflies. Here's NTD's David Zhang with more. Situated just 15 miles south of downtown San Jose between the Santa Cruz and Diablo mountain ranges, this 1859 acre nature preserve connects over one million acres of poor wildlife habitat and open space. So this preserve was protected in 2015, and now it's opening to the public. So we worked with the Muwekma Ohlone tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area to rename the preserve in the Chichenyo language. It's a direct translation for Coyote Ridge, Mayan Oyakma Coyote Ridge. Within this preserve, there are five miles of new trails, including a new three-mile segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which was built by staff and volunteers. So this is our ADA accessible trail, Mayan Waii. Very easy to walk around, has a few steps, but it's just a little loop that comes around here up to the top of the hill there and then comes back down this way. Beyond that, you can see the hikers on the far trail. I don't know if you can capture that, but that's our Bay Checkerspot Butterfly Trail. It was all built by hand, and it basically makes it a little bit more accessible to get to the top of the ridge. Once you get to the top of the ridge, you take the Tulio Trail that goes across and then comes down over here on the Serpentine Spring Trail. Because of its rare serpentine soil, this grassland area is a critical habitat for the Bay Checkerspot butterfly, the California tiger salamander, and the California red-legged frock, all of which are endangered. So when you enter the habitat protection area, which has three trails on it, we're requiring a butterfly pass, which is free to get. You can get it online at our website or here at the preserve. We do recommend getting it in advance because it's a little bit quicker to go get on your hike. Park officials also want to remind anyone who plans to visit the preserve during the wildflower season, which lasts from March through May each year. It is required to make free reservations for guided tours on weekends to protect the wildlife. For hours and regulations, public can visit openspaceauthority.org. Tropical storm Hillary may have brought flash floods, heavy rains, and partial damage to several areas. There is some good news after the storm. Entity's Christina Corona has more on the story. The latest update from the official US Drought Monitor indicates that California is almost completely free from drought. After a wet winter and a lot of snow, the dry conditions in the state have been getting better, but tropical storm Hillary brought even more rain. The data was released on August 29th and shows that about 93% of California doesn't have any drought issues. This percentage has been increasing since March, when researchers first noticed that more than half of the state was no longer in a drought. This was the first time this happened in three years. Around 6% of the state is a bit dry, but it's the mildest category on the US Drought Monitor's scale. About 1% of the area is in a moderate drought. No region in the Golden State is in the two worst drought categories, extreme or exceptional. In November 2022, nearly all of the Central Valley in California was in the worst category, exceptional drought. Today, the entire region is completely free from drought conditions. The last time California was almost entirely free from drought in late August was in 2019. Christina Corona, NTD News, California. Cooler holiday weekend is on the way. Weather forecasters say the drop in temperatures is only temporary. According to weather forecasters, Northern California can expect a cooler holiday weekend and even a few showers on Saturday. After highs peaked in the low 90s on Thursday, cloud cover started increasing in the late afternoon and into Friday as cool air and steady breezes move in. Thunderstorms could be possible in the far Northern Sacramento Valley and Sierra Mountains. In the Central Valley, temperatures are expected in the low 80s for Saturday and Sunday. The warmest day of the holiday weekend will be Monday with a forecast high of 80s to low 90s in the valley. Cities along the coast and around the San Francisco Bay Area can expect temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s. Disney Park unveils an exciting new spot, the San Fransokyo Square, inspired by the Big Hero 6 movie with food and shops. NTD's Stephanie Sikal tells us more. Disney California Adventure Park is celebrating the opening of a new place called San Fransokyo Square. It's inspired by the movie Big Hero 6, which won a special award. It has lots of shops, tasty food, and beautiful views. The park's website called Disneyland News says this part of the park has been changed to look like a mix of two famous cities, San Francisco and Tokyo, in a futuristic way. This used to be the Pacific Wharf area of the park before the change. San Fransokyo Square is based on a place near the ocean in the movie Big Hero 6. People can find hints or clues about the exciting adventures of the characters from the movie. One interesting thing in this area is a big bridge called the San Fransokyo Gate Bridge. It's as tall as a five-story building and it connects to the Ocean Plaza and to a tall stone pillar in another part of the park. People can also meet the main characters of the movie, Hydro and Baymax, in a special shop called Hamada Bot Shop. Stephanie Sikol, NTD News, Los Angeles. For those of you who still don't have any plans for the upcoming long Labor Day weekend, here are a few free family-friendly activities in the Golden State you could consider. If you're looking for an excuse to get out of the city, head to Kings Mountain where in the middle of a redwood forest, you will find a massive art fair. The Kings Mountain Art Fair, completely planned and hosted by volunteers, has been an annual Labor Day weekend event since 1963 and will showcase the work of over 120 artists. With redwoods towering overhead, you will forget that you are just over an hour south of San Francisco. The three-day event will also have ample food and beverage options, plus a craft and game area for bored kiddos. Next, Berkeley's Summer Musical Theater in the park features a new musical play called Fairies of the Moonlight. It follows the daring adventures of a rebellious teenager, Sunny, who crosses over to the fairy realm. It's a fairy tale told with humor and heart, suitable for all ages. With music derived from classic Irish melodies, you get to enjoy it free of charge in the cool breezy forest setting and feel free to bring your blanket for a picnic. And last but not the least, time for an LA staple. The Cinecon Classic Film Festival has been around for 59 years now. This time around is taking place in El Segundo at the Old Town Music Hall. Now classic film enthusiasts can talk about Citizen Kane and Gone with the Wind as much as they like. And that's all we've got for you tonight. We'd like you to join us again on California Today every weekday at 8 p.m. Make sure to check out our broadcast at ntd.com slash California-today. You can also find all of our top latest clips there, ready to share with your friends and family. Send us a message on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Ganjing World, or through our email, california.today at ntd.com. If you have any news tips, or like to share how we're doing, we'd love to hear from you. I'm David Lamb, have a long, wonderful Labor Day weekend.