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California 'Clean Cars' waiver up in the air, as Trump asks SCOTUS to put challenge on hold
The Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause the challenge launched by oil companies to the EPA's grant of a waiver that would allow California to move ahead with its 'Clean Cars' zero emissions rules. Energy companies say the waiver would allow California to unilaterally put them out of business nationwide
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CA Dems seek new law to let oil companies get sued for 'climate driven' fires, disasters
Oil and gas industry and other critics say the legislation represents an attempt to use the Palisades and Eaton fire disasters to fuel a money grab and bankrupting of oil and gas companies in California and to distract from state and local government policy failures that likely made the fires worse
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Lawsuit continues accusing Newsom, top CA Guard general of 'railroading' Jewish general, wildfire specialist out of Guard
The lawsuit from retired Brigadier General Magram claims Gov. Newsom signed off on Magram's removal, even though Newsom had been notified repeatedly that the state's current top Guardsman was retaliating against Magram for reporting his commander's alleged antisemitism. Lawsuit gained notoriety as state struggles to fight historic wildfires
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SF City Hall ends transgender 'guaranteed income' program, settles discrimination lawsuit
The city of San Francisco has ended its funding and operation of the so-called Guaranteed Income for Transgender People program, ending a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch and city taxpayers, accusing the city of running an illegal and discriminatory welfare program
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PAGA lawsuits vs employers keep rising in CA, helping to fuel big class action payouts nationwide
A new report from defense law firm Duane Morris said class action settlements again totaled more than $40B in 2024, with attorneys raking in many of those billions for themselves in fees. In California, much of the action was driven by thousands of "representative" lawsuits vs employers under the PAGA law
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Federal appeals court won't revisit decision upholding CA 'sensitive place' gun carry ban
Dissenting judges warned the decision rested on strained legal reasoning, likely in defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court's holdings on Second Amendment rights and could tee up review and the risk of a loss before the Supreme Court
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Judge says BART can't escape $7.8M jury verdict for workers fired over Covid jab mandate
A San Francisco federal judge said BART can't show the jury was unreasonable in awarding at least $1.1 million each to six workers who were fired when BART refused their requests for religious exemption from the agency's Covid vaccine mandate
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Exxon: CA A/G Bonta, enviro activists conspired with foreign 'green energy' interests in plastic recycling suits
ExxonMobil has sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta and environmental activist organizations, accusing them of working with an anti-oil Australian billionaire to launch a coordinated "lawfare" campaign against ExxonMobil, including recent lawsuits over Exxon's 'advanced recycling' programs
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Judge blocks CA teen 'social media addiction' law for 30 days
A federal judge mostly declined to issue an injunction preventing California and Attorney General Rob Bonta from enforcing SB976, a law that the social media companies say is designed to establish a state-led censorship program to restrict online speech in the name of protecting children. But the judge followed that with a ruling blocking the state from enforcing the law until Feb. 1 to let an appeals court weigh in
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'Ladies night' promotion lawsuit drives Concord Peruvian restaurant out of business
The lawsuit was filed in 2023 against the Lima restaurant under California state anti-discrimination laws. Plaintiffs said the restaurant's "Ladies' Night" promotion unfairly offered discount drinks to women customers, but not to men or transgender patrons. The restaurant said the strain from the added legal bills proved too great to overcome
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SCOTUS to consider if other states, energy companies can sue to reverse California's special emissions regulating power
The U.S. Supreme Court won't consider - yet - if California gets to keep its outsized power to use a special provision in federal Clean Air law to essentially set vehicle emissions standards throughout the U.S. But the court will consider if other states and energy companies have the right to challenge that authority in court
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Appeals court: Idaho can't interpret state abortion restrictions to block doctors from referring abortions
The decision from the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals echoed decisions that had struck down a California Covid "misinformation" law, agreeing Idaho's attempt to criminalize out-of-state abortion referrals also would trample doctors' free speech rights to express professional medical opinions
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SF 'Empty Homes Tax' unconstitutional, judges say; Violates landlords' rights to not rent homes
A San Francisco Superior Court judge issued a written ruling on Nov. 26, formally striking down San Francisco's 'Empty Homes Tax,' approved under Prop M, because it would illegally force property owners to either pay a potentially onerous annual tax or face the choice of leasing to strangers or selling their longtime homes
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Lawsuit: San Jose State, Mountain West Conf. retaliated vs women volleyballers' complaints over transgender athlete
The lawsuit seeks an injunction blocking San Jose State University from participating in the upcoming Mountain West Conference tournament. Plaintiffs are also seeking payout from the school and conference for allegedly punishing and silencing women's volleyball players and coaches who complained or raised questions
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Judge: Tenderloin residents, business can't use Covid-era order to force city to address homeless camps now
A San Francisco federal judge said the settlement under which the city agreed to work to reduce homeless tents on Tenderloin sidewalks and other public spaces to "zero" expired at the same time Mayor Breed officially ended the declared Covid emergency in 2023
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Alameda DA Price accused of anti-Asian, pro-black racial bias in ex-chief inspector's lawsuit
The lawsuit from Craig Chew, former chief of inspectors for the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, who is Asian says the county must pay for allowing D.A. Pamela Price to fire him and replace him with an allegedly ineligible black staffer without an investigation for apparent racial discrimination and other potential misconduct
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Hundreds of school districts cleared to keep up 'nuisance' lawsuit vs. social media companies
A federal judge said the core theory of allegations is the impact of compulsive use of the products marketed by the companies that own and operate Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, among other social media platforms alleged in the lawsuits to be "addictive" and harmful to society, and schools in particular.
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CA law blocking religious schools from special ed funds violates religious freedom, appeals court says
U.S. Ninth Circuit Appeals Court said California can't show its discrimination vs religious schools is "neutral." Three devout Orthodox Jewish families can continue their suit against the state for allegedly forcing them to choose between their faith and obtaining educational services for their disabled children
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Ex-BART workers fired over Covid vax mandate should get $7.8M, jury says
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District should pay at least $1.1 million to six workers who were fired in 2022 after BART repeatedly refused to grant religious exemptions and accommodations to workers who said their faith prevented them from complying with BART's Covid shot mandate
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Appeals panel: U.S. can't apply Asylum Transit Rule to illegal immigrants already at the border
A federal appeals court has blocked the Biden administration from forcing illegal immigrants who already were turned away from the border to first apply for "asylum" in Mexico before requesting the same from the U.S. A dissenting judge said the ruling "twists" U.S. asylum law to extend to people who haven't even arrived in the country