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California enacts nation's first gun and ammunition tax

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several firearms and ammunition-related bills into law on Tuesday, including one to tax guns and ammunition and another that places more rules on people seeking a concealed carry weapons permit and on the permit itself. The signings come just days after a Newsom-led campaign to amend the U.S. Constitution passed out of the California Legislature. Asm. @JesseGabrielCA (D-Encino) speaking on his bill AB28.It would establish an 11% excise tax on licensed firearms dealers & ammunition vendors to fund programs that address gun violence.Gabriel: “We must prioritize safety of our kids above the profits of the gun industry.” pic.twitter.com/fJaInjtihP— Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) September 26, 2023The measure passed by legislators calls for a state Constitutional Convention to consider additional federal rules on firearms purchases and use, but two-thirds of states need to pass similar measures in order for the process to advance. With the...

Jian Huang Fatally Struck in Pedestrian Crash on Valencia Street [San Francisco, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

80-Year-Old Man Pronounced Dead after Pedestrian Accident near 18th StreetSAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 26, 2023) – Wednesday afternoon, Jian Huang was killed in a pedestrian accident on Valencia Street.The fatal incident occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m., right at the junction of Valencia and 18th Street.According to officials, a man driving an SUV took a left turn onto Valencia Street from 18th Street and struck a pedestrian who was crossing within a designated crosswalk.Upon arrival, responding officers found the involved pedestrian unconscious. He was subsequently transported to a hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office later identified the deceased pedestrian as an 80-year-old San Francisco resident, Huang.Authorities have reported that the driver involved remained at the accident site, and there is no indication of impairment playing a role in the incident. Further details will be provided once they becom...

How Hypnotherapy Expert Jason Linett Is Helping Clients Reach Success

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

What if you could enjoy a highly profitable and sustained career, be your own boss, and transform the lives of others? What if there was a one-stop resource, a hub where you could take action, grow your skills, and realize business success? If you have ever considered running your own hypnotherapy business or you’ve been in the hypnosis business for years but are stuck in antiquated methods, you need Jason Linett’sWork Smart Hypnotherapy Courses.A recognized expert who is known as “the business guy” in the world of hypnotherapy, Linett blends hypnotic techniques with entrepreneurial insight to create a roadmap culminating in thriving businesses. As aprofessional hypnotherapist, best-selling author, and TEDx speaker, he’s not only elevating the practice but also redefining it as a highly profitable career.If you’re ready to take the next step, as Jason would say, “Let’s do this!”The cornerstone of Linett’s practice is his unique approach to creating a verifiab...

Letters: Tuition hikes | SJSU crime | Different treatment | Quality of life | Bold initiatives | Sports’ inclusivity | Air quality

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Tuition hike will putcollege out of reachRe: “Tuition rises 6% annually over next 5 years” (Page A1, Sept. 14).As a student enrolled in a California State University (CSU), the 6% tuition spike annually for the next five years is outrageous. This change will affect students for generations to come, especially those in the lower to middle class.College cost does not only include the tuition as the cost for college adds up from textbooks, housing and commuting. The tuition hike will raise the economic floor needed for entry into college, and the hike will exacerbate the growing student debt crisis.The 9-0 vote by the CSU trustees is a stain on college education affordability for those looking to study in California. There should be other methods to narrow the funding gap, but one of those methods should not be a tuition hike that will negatively impact the livelihood of prospective and current ...

N.J. Sen. Booker joins calls for Sen. Menendez to step down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

By Mary Clare Jalonick and Jake Offenhartz | Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez came under heavy pressure to resign Tuesday as a surging number of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate, including fellow New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker, urged him to step aside over the federal bribery allegations against him.More than 20 Senate Democrats have now said that Menendez should resign, including several Democrats running for reelection next year. Calls for his resignation came in quick succession after Booker’s statement, including from the head of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters. Menendez has refused to leave office but has not yet said whether he will run for reelection next year.Menendez, the longtime chairman and top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his wife Nadine are accused in an indictment released Friday of using his position to aid the authoritarian government of Egypt and to pressure fed...

How to watch the second GOP presidential debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

By Meg Kinnard | Associated PressThe second Republican presidential debate is drawing near with a smaller onstage lineup than the first event last month.Here’s all of the information on how to watch:TUNING INThe two-hour debate will start at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It’s being moderated by Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney and Fox News Channel host Dana Perino, as well as Univision anchor Ilia Calderón.The event will air on Fox News Channel and Fox Business, as well as on the network’s website and other streaming and digital platforms. There’s also a Spanish-language feed airing on Univision.As with last month’s debate, the Republican National Committee has partnered with Rumble — a video-sharing platform popular with some conservatives — to livestream this one, in lieu of the network’s YouTube channel. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said earlier this year this was a decision aimed toward “getting away from Big Tech.”WHERE IS IT?The set...

Silicon Valley tech giants HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise agree to pay $18 million over age-bias claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

After a seven-year legal battle, technology industry icon HP and its spinoff Hewlett Packard Enterprises have agreed to pay $18 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing them of purging older workers, according to a court filing.The lawsuit went on so long that lead plaintiff Donna Forsyth, a manager laid off at age 62 after 17 years with the companies, did not survive to see its resolution, a court motion for the plaintiffs said.Claims in the case date back to 2012, before the legendary Palo Alto electronics firm Hewlett-Packard in 2015 divided into HP for hardware, such as computers and printers, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise for business software and services.Three years before the split, the company “began implementing a company-wide initiative to replace thousands of existing, older workers with new, younger employees,” the lawsuit claimed. Then-CEO Meg Whitman, the lawsuit alleged, “repeatedly admitted that her goal was to make the entire organizatio...

Residents skeptical after toxicology report finds no ill effects from Martinez refinery incident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

Nearly a year after the nearby refinery showered the city of Martinez with 20 tons of metal-contaminated dust, residents are still asking what went wrong, and how so many failures could occur in succession.On Monday evening, Contra Costa County Health department officials tried to address some of their concerns when they offered the first opportunity for public comment on a toxicology report studying whether the spent catalyst release had made the city’s soil unsafe.Community members, however, say they’re not satisfied.Although the results of the report were first made public in June, the meeting felt like an effort to extend an olive branch to a community that believes the refinery and the health department need to re-earn their trust.“We value your opinion and want you to feel empowered,” said Matt Hoffman, the deputy director of the Contra Costa County health department. “We really want to have the community involved in this process.”The report stems from an incident in Nov...

Enchanted evening for San Jose Museum of Art’s gala auction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

The San Jose Museum of Art Gala Auction was a glittering affair Saturday night, filling the outdoor Circle of Palms with more than 300 guests and using the museum itself as the venue for an energy-filled after-party.The evening’s honorees — Bay Area artist Enrique Chagoya and patrons Evelyn and Rick Neely — have longtime connections to the museum that emphasize its role as a place that opens its doors to Bay Area artists, and art lovers, of all sorts.“My relationship with the San Jose Museum of Art has been very rich over time,” said Chagoya, whose work was first shown there in 1997 as part of the Eureka Fellow Awards Exhibition. “Of all the museums, I think the San Jose museum is one of the ones that cares the most about local artists and the community.”Bay Area-based artist Enrique Chagoya was honored at the San Jose Museum of Art’s 2023 Gala Auction at the Circle of Palms in downtown San Jose on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. (Sal Pizarr...

Target says organized retail theft too much, will shutter stores in Oakland, San Francisco, Pittsburg

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:48 GMT

Officials at Target Corp. — citing organized retail thefts and the ongoing threat such thefts often bring to their staff and customers — announced Tuesday that the company will cease operations at high-profile Target stores in Oakland, Pittsburg and San Francisco.The last day those stores will be open is Oct. 20.Target officials specifically mentioned the ongoing problem of organized retail theft and the threat that thefts large and small have presented to their guests as the reason for the closures.The company also announced the closure of stores in New York City, Seattle and Portland. Nine stores were closed in total, while Target officials pointed out that they maintained dozens of other stores in each of those major markets.“We take the decision to close stores very seriously, and only do so after taking meaningful steps to invest in the guest experience and improve business performance,” the company said in a statement announcing the closures. They added that they &...