Tag: California

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News Round-Up: April 23, 2021

Brody the wonder pup
Some news items you might have missed: • Brody Watch: Long day of real estate-ing for me today, and I come home to this guy (above). Brody was pretty much giving me “Where have you been???” #doglife #CutenessOverload #ThatFace • Washington Blade: President Biden is set to nominate members of the LGBTQ community with a background in LGBTQ rights for high-ranking civilian positions at the Defense Department. • BosGuy: Our stalwart Boston-based blogger offers this week’s ‘Furry Friday’ installment – equal parts cute and sexy. Worth the click 😉 • Instagram: My good friend Larry at TheOUTfront.com sent this to me with the caption, “Something tells me his name is Brody.” #NailedIt #elephants https://www.instagram.com/p/CN_SDsHDaIP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • New York Times: Now that more than half of adults in the United States have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and the country has surpassed 200 million administered doses, demand for shots appears to be slowing in many areas. Some county health departments have started closing some of their mass vaccination sites for lack of customers. • NPR: Caitlyn Jenner, the Olympic gold medalist with a reality-show family, announced Friday that she will run for governor of California as the state’s current governor, Gavin Newsom, is likely to face a recall election this year. #NoThankYou • Gr8erDays: Lee Majors (Big Valley, Six Million Dollar Man, The Fall Guy) turns 82 today. Check out photos from across his nearly 6 decades-long career below. https://www.instagram.com/p/COAmDWHhfdA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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News Round-Up: January 18, 2021

Today's Monday Mancrush is fitness guru Joel Green
InstaHunk Joel Green (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • Monday Mancrush: Ok, so, Joel Green (above) definitely had a more relaxed Monday than I did 🙂 Follow him on Instagram here. • CBS: Queen Latifah’s new drama, The Equalizer, is set to premiere at a date and time with no equal – immediately following the Super Bowl! In the reboot of the classic series, Latifah stars as Robyn McCall, an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn.

• Out: A new study showed a rise in familiarity and favorable opinion of PrEP, medicine that can prevent contracting HIV, among men at risk in the LGBTQ+ community. But – the study also shows less than one-in-ten eligible men are taking the drug. • Axios: “No one gives me any fucking support,” Trump yelled. He got up and stormed out of the Oval Office…leaving Attorney General Bill Barr and the others behind. Barr glanced over at a red-faced White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and joked, “Well that went well.” • kenneth-in-the-212: Heck of a job, Orangie – Trump leaves office in disgrace, nation divided; ends presidency under criminal probe from numerous jurisdictions awaiting second impeachment trial with lowest approval rating yet and almost 400K dead from Covid-19.

(image via kenneth-in-the-212)
• AL.com: Newly-minted U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama suggested in a TV interview that President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration should be delayed. Umm, the January 20 date is set in the U.S. Constitution. • HuffPost: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has not recused herself from a climate case against Big Oil even though her father has worked for one of the defendants for 29 years. Justice Samuel Alito, who owns stock in several oil and gas companies, has already recused himself. • Twitter: Not only does California have the honor of providing the country’s first Black Vice President (Kamala Harris), AND the state’s first Latino U.S. Senator (Alex Padillo), but the opportunity also gives Gov. Gavin Newsom the chance to appoint California’s first African American Secretary of State (Shirley Weber). #ThreeFer

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Newsom Picks CA Sec Of State Alex Padilla For Kamala Harris Senate Seat

Secretary of State Alex Padilla will succeed Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate (photo via FB)
The Los Angeles Times reports that California Gov. Gavin Newsom will choose his state’s current secretary of state Alex Padilla to fill the remaining two years of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s U.S. Senate term. Harris will be resigning from the Senate next month prior to being sworn in as the country’s first female Vice President. Harris’s departure will mean there will be no Black women serving in the chamber. Padilla will be the first Latino from California to serve in the Senate. From the LA Times:

At age 26, Padilla won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council during the anti-immigrant tumult of the 1990s after California voters approved measures requiring “English-only” public schools and banning immigrants who were in the U.S. illegally from government assistance and services.

Padilla, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, went on to become the city’s youngest council president, a state senator and California’s current, two-term secretary of state.

Newsom will now turn to choosing who will replace Padilla as secretary of state.

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Who Will Replace Kamala Harris As U.S. Senator?

Sen. Kamala Harris suspends her presidential campaign
Sen. Kamala Harris suspends her presidential campaign
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (via campaign Instagram)

With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris projected to be the next President and Vice President of the U.S., many are looking to who might be tapped by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to take Sen. Harris’s seat in the U.S.Senate.

Politico reports that those inside Newsom’s inner circle say he would like to make a historic choice, and there are multiple contenders being mentioned who could become the first openly LGBTQ senator from the Golden State.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party, is reportedly on the shortlist of those being considered for the Senate seat. Garcia would be the first openly gay and first Latino senator from California.

In a recent poll by the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, Garcia received the highest response (57%) when voters were asked about individual possible candidates.

According to that survey, almost half of voters (48%) would prefer someone without experience in Washington, D.C., or in Sacramento. Thirty-one percent said they would like to see Newsom pick the state’s first Latino U.S. senator and 24% hoped for the state’s first LGBTQ U.S. Senator.

The first woman and openly LGBTQ person to lead the state Senate, State Senate pro Tempore Toni Atkins of San Diego, is also among those being floated to be the next senator from California. In the aforementioned survey, Atkins received 40% support.

The Victory Fund, which supports more representation of queer Americans in public office, adds to those possibilities California Assemblymember Evan Low, U.S. Representative Mark Takano, and California Senator Scott Wiener.

Newsom could still make history with a non-LGBTQ choice like Secretary of State Alex Padilla or state Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Either would be the first Latino senator in California history, plus choosing a statewide officer for the seat would allow the governor to name both the next senator and a powerful state officeholder’s replacement as well.

Many in political circles say the replacement should, like Harris, be a woman of color making Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) of Los Angeles a strong contender. Bass was long reported as a possible choice for running mate for Biden and garnered 53% support in the Schwarzenegger Institute poll.

Also in the mix are Rep. Barbara Lee from Oakland who had 51% approval in the Institute’s survey,  and freshman Rep. Katie Porter, who has shown to have strong support among younger voters. One small snag for Porter could be that she’s the first Democrat to represent California’s 45th District. A traditionally red district, if she were to take Harris’s seat, her House seat could possibly flip back to Republican.

Newsom has told the press he won’t begin the formal process of vetting candidates until after the election results were certified.

(source: Politico, Schwarzenegger Institute)

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Campaign Strategy: ‘Stable Genius’ Announces Blue States Have ‘Gone To Hell’

Donald Trump

Here’s a campaign strategy I’ve never seen in presidential politics. Donald Trump took to Twitter today to demonize several states including California, New York, and Illinois. According to Trump, the Golden State is “going to hell,” the Empire State has “gone to hell,” and the Land of Lincoln “has no place to go.” Why would a president of the “United States” attack Americans in such a manner? And by the way, does the Donald forget there are Republicans running for public office in those states?

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CA Governor Shuts Down Restaurants, Bars, Theaters & More Due To COVID-19 Surge

Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA)

Gov. Gavin (image via Facebook)
Governor Gavin Newsom of California has announced on Monday he’s moving his state back to a modified version of his original stay-at-home order after reports that there had been 8,358 new COVID-19 cases reported in the state over the past 24 hours. Additionally, the number of deaths in the Golden State due to the virus at this writing totals 7,053 according to Johns Hopkins University. More from Deadline:

Hospitalizations over the past 14 days are up 28 percent. ICU admissions have risen 20 percent. Both of those counts are down in comparison to where they were two weeks ago, from 50 percent and 39 percent, respectively.

The test positivity rate, according to state figures, has risen to about 7.7 percent over the last seven days. That’s up substantially.

As a result, “We are moving back into a ‘modification mode’ of our original stay-at-home order,” said Newsom. “This is a new statewide action, effective today.”

The governor announced that he is requiring all counties to close their restaurants, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, wineries, zoos and bars.

Additionally, L.A. and 29 other counties on the state’s monitoring list must close fitness centers, places of worship, nail and hair salons and indoor malls. Other L.A.-local counties impacted include Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Diego, Orange and virtually every other county in Southern California.

Newsom did not announce an end date to the re-instated order.

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News Round-Up: May 8, 2020

(image by Tom of Finland)
Some news items you might have missed: • Gay Star News: Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tom of Finland – the illustrator who defined an idealistic gay body for a generation of men. Check out GSN’s quick guide to Touko Valio Laaksonen – better known as Tom of Finland. • Human Rights Campaign: Helle Jae O’Regan, a 20-year-old transgender woman, was killed in San Antonio, Texas, on May 6. Her death is believed to be the at least 11th violent death of a transgender or gender non-conforming person this year in the U.S., and the sixth known violent death in just over five weeks. • Instinct: Ruh-roh – apparently guys can now access the gay dating app Grindr from their laptops. • KIT212: Check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in gay publications across the country like Gloss Magazine’s ‘Social Distancing Issue’ below.
(image via GlossMagazine.net)
• San Diego Tribune: Souplantation, the popular buffet-style dining brand founded 42 years ago, is closing all 97 of its restaurants permanently, a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic that is likely to be the death knell for all self-serve eateries. The announcement was made by Garden Fresh Restaurants which owns both Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes. • CNBC: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Friday allowing all registered voters in the state to receive a mail-in ballot this November. Newsom also clarified that California will still provide an opportunity for people to vote in person at a polling center. • Out Music: It’s a love song gone wrong for singer/songwriter and multi-talented artist Joshua Sade James and his new single, “All Fall Down.” The song’s bittersweet inspiration was related to a relationship and breakup he’d had while in college. “It allowed me to do a lot of self-reflection,” shares James. “I wrote the song after the second time we broke up, and just got to think about how truly toxic we were towards each other.” The award-winning artist adds, “It was interesting to shoot this video with a current love interest when it’s actually about a previous one.”

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Man Shops In KKK Hood After Face Mask Requirement Goes Into Effect

(screen capture via Channel 8 San Diego)
Social media has been sharing photos of a man wearing a KKK hood while grocery shopping at a Vons store in Santee, California. The photos were taken at the store on Mission Gorge Road in Santee Saturday afternoon. The incident took place just a day after San Diego instituted health guidelines requiring citizens to wear a face mask when entering a business. Clearly the man was trying to make a statement.

According to Newsweek, “The man reportedly refused to take off his hood after being confronted by others at the store until he went to go pay for his items at the checkout.” Several social media users noted that Santee has a sad, sordid history regarding white supremacists which caused the city to be nicknamed, “Klantee.” See the report from Channel 8 San Diego below.

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California: Gov. Newsom Issues ‘Stay At Home’ Order

Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA)

All Californians, nearly 40 million people, have been ordered to stay at home except for when it is absolutely necessary for them to leave “until further notice” in response to the ongoing coronavirus threat. There are exemptions for public safety and health care operations as well as other essential services, including laundromats, grocery stores, and restaurants that offer takeout or delivery.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (image via Facebook)
From Buzzfeed News:

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the order late Thursday just an hour after officials in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the US, issued a similar mandate. Earlier this week, their Bay Area counterparts handed down similar “shelter-in-place” orders, the strictest measures taken in the country so far.

Across the state of California, health officials have confirmed 675 cases of COVID-19 and 16 deaths from the disease as of Wednesday evening, behind Washington state and New York, where more than 5,000 cases have been confirmed.

The state’s order takes effect immediately and will be in place indefinitely with Newsom telling reporters that officials “could not give a deadline that we really could believe in.”

The Los Angeles order, which will stay in effect until at least April 19, requires all businesses, including museums, malls, retail stores, and workplaces, to stop operations and only allows people to leave their home for “essential activities,” like to pick up food, go to the doctor, or take a walk in the neighborhood.

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Pete Buttigieg Endorsed By Equality California And Silver State Equality

Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, and its Nevada-based affiliate Silver State Equality announced their endorsement of Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President of the United States on Thursday. The decision was reached unanimously by the groups’ joint presidential endorsement committee following a lengthy process that included a detailed questionnaire, thorough evaluation of the candidates’ viability and policy positions, staff engagement and interviews with the candidates.

“From his comprehensive plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 to his commitment to make our schools safe and supportive for LGBTQ students to his specific funding and policy priorities to protect and empower the transgender community — especially transgender women of color, who face an epidemic of violence and persecution — Mayor Pete Buttigieg has the boldest, most comprehensive agenda to achieve full, lived equality for all LGBTQ people of any presidential candidate in the nation’s history. “While we did not endorse Mayor Pete simply because he’s gay, the historic nature of his candidacy has already had a transformational impact on the LGBTQ community. Electing the first openly LGBTQ president will send a message to millions of LGBTQ youth across the country that no dreams are too big and no leadership position is too high.

For the first time, California’s primary will be held on Super Tuesday in March, and California voters will begin casting mail-in ballots on Monday, February 3, the same day as the Iowa Caucus. The 2020 Nevada Caucus will be held on Saturday, February 22. (via press release)