A black market Chinese biolab in Reedley, California, located about 25 miles southeast of Fresno, received $1.3 million in unexplained payments from banks in China while in operation, according to U.S. lawmakers. The illegal biolab had thousands of vials and other containers, some labeled with potentially deadly infectious agents on site, including HIV and Ebola, […]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Sept. 22 a bill that would require judges to favor “gender-affirming” parents in child custody disputes. Assembly Bill 957, introduced by Assemblywoman Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), proposes that judges must take into account parents who affirm their child’s transgender identity as acting to provide “the health, safety, and welfare of […]

IRVINE, Calif.—Local officials attended a ribbon-cutting for The Epoch Times’s Orange County new office Sept. 19. The 27,000-square-foot office—located in the Marketplace Center—represents a significant enhancement for the newspaper since the local branch’s inception in 2019. General Manager Siyamak Khorrami expressed gratitude for the edition’s growth and conveyed the news team’s enthusiasm to persist as […]

A bill that would ban the hand counting of ballots in most of California’s future elections passed the state Assembly Sept. 8, and is moving to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk to be signed into law. Assembly Bill 969, authored by Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz), would require any regularly scheduled election with over 1,000 registered […]

Small business owners—including those at an El Monte, California, jewelry store—said an increasing number of smash-and-grabs are hurting their livelihoods, and authorities need to change soft-on-crime policies, after a family fended off an attempted robbery at their store Sept. 2. Although no merchandise was taken, the owners of Meza’s Jewelry store at 10900 Main St., […]

After a newborn baby was found abandoned in a bathroom trash can in a Fullerton, California gas station on March 9, a woman was arrested the next day a half mile away from the station, according to police. Venissa Maldonado, 25, of Fullerton, was taken into custody Friday for attempted murder and felony child abuse […]

As Californians get ready to turn the page on 2022, hundreds of new laws will go into effect starting Jan. 1. From increasing the minimum wage to legalizing jaywalking to shielding criminal records, the new laws will impact employment, health care, housing, public safety, and consumer protection. Here’s a look at what to expect in […]