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State Farm axes property insurance sales in California; cites inflation, ‘catastrophe exposure’

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State Farm General Insurance Company will stop accepting new applications for business and personal lines of property and casualty insurance today, the company announced in a press release Friday.

“State Farm General Insurance Company made this decision due to historic increases in construction costs outpacing inflation, rapidly growing catastrophe exposure, and a challenging reinsurance market,” the company said in its statement.

The change does not affect existing home insurance policy holders nor does it affect new personal auto insurance, the Wall Street Journal reported.

State Farm, one of California’s biggest insurers, is the nation’s biggest home insurer by premium volume, the outlet also reported.

The company recognized the wildfire loss mitigation efforts of Gov. Newsom’s (D-Calif.) administration, legislators, and California’s Department of Insurance in its statement, pledging to work with the CDI to “help build market capacity.”

The Fortune 500 insurance giant says the move is necessary to “improve the company’s financial strength.”

Northern California’s deputy insurance commissioner Michael Soller cited climate change as a factor driving the company’s decision.

“The factors driving State Farm’s decision are beyond our control, including climate change, reinsurance costs affecting the entire insurance industry, and global inflation,” Soller said in a statement following an interview with the Journal.

Soller told the outlet wildfire risk is among the Golden State’s root causes of its insurance woes.

Soller pointed to wildfire-loss-mitigation efforts by the governor, lawmakers, and insurance regulators, including community fire-prevention grants and building fire breaks. He also told the outlet that the Golden State is starting an insurance discount program that takes consumers’ efforts at wildfire-mitigation into account.

California’s housing costs are among the highest in the country, and nationwide housing shortages have deepened California’s homelessness crisis, Fox Business reported.

The state has spent $20 billion in the last five years to address homelessness, KUSI reported earlier this month.

Despite the sizable taxpayer outlay, the problem continues to worsen.

“There is a solution,” said state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R) in an interview with KUSI. Jones pointed to Texas’s approach, citing a recent visit Houston. During his visit, he said he tried to find large compartments like those in California. Instead, he says he found only four tents and a handful of panhandlers.

He noted that Texas does not allow tent encampments and that they enforce the laws in the books when it comes to drug crimes, petty theft, and sexual assault.

“The government here in California … have allowed these encampments … we can’t allow these conditions on our streets to continue,” he added, calling for a compassionate approach to addressing the challenge.

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Powerball winner accused of stealing $2 billion lottery ticket gets served with lawsuit papers at $25 million Hollywood mansion

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A California Powerball winner is accused of stealing a lottery ticket worth more than $2 billion. The lottery winner was served with lawsuit papers at his newly purchased mansion in Hollywood Hills, California.

Last year, Edwin Castro won the Powerball lottery jackpot of $2.04 billion after purportedly purchasing the winning ticket from Joe’s Service Station in Altadena, California, on Nov. 7, 2022.

As previously reported in TheBlaze, Castro elected to take home the lump sum prize money of $997.6 million in February 2023.

Castro used the lottery winnings to purchase two multimillion-dollar California homes and a vintage Porsche convertible reportedly worth $250,000.

In the same month, a lawsuit was filed in California claiming that the winning lottery ticket had been stolen.

Jose Rivera contends that he is the rightful owner of the winning Powerball ticket.

Rivera alleged that a person named “Reggie” stole the ticket from him the day it was purchased.

“Rivera said after the winning numbers were drawn, he kept asking to get the ticket back but Reggie allegedly refused,” according to KABC-TV. “He claims Reggie threatened to destroy the ticket if he did not split the winnings.”

“Reggie” has been identified as Urachi F. Romero. Castro and Romero are listed as co-defendants in the Alhambra Superior Court case.

Rivera believes that a surveillance camera will show that he is the true owner of the life-changing lottery ticket.

The New York Post reported, “He believes store surveillance images will prove his case and has requested the state lotto agency ‘make available for our review all video depicting the purchase of the winning ticket.'”

Rivera claims he “refused to be blackmailed,” according to court documents.

Rivera’s legal team stated in a letter to the California Lottery, “In an effort to hopefully reach a prompt resolution of this matter involving the rightful owner of the $2.04 Billion Powerball winning ticket, our client, Jose Rivera, again requests the ‘Lottery’ make available for our review all video depicting the purchase of the winning ticket.”

The letter continued, “We understand the ‘Lottery’ took possession of the video shortly after it was determined the winning ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Station in Altadena, California.”

A spokesperson for the California Lottery stated, “When it comes to the vetting process for big winners, California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so. California Lottery remains confident that Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04 billion prize stemming from the Powerball drawing in November of 2022.”

On May 17, lawsuit papers were delivered to Castro at his $25.5 million mansion in Hollywood Hills, California. The swanky 13,578-square-foot property, reportedly located near the homes of pop star Ariana Grande and TV host Jimmy Kimmel, has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and a wine cellar.

The U.S. Sun reported, “A case management conference and proof of service hearing have now been set for July 24 at the courthouse in Alhambra, CA, with Rivera being represented by attorneys Estela Richeda and Brian Kramer.”

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North Hollywood Parents Plan School Boycott over Pride Assembly

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A group of parents in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, is planning to keep their children home from school on June 2 because of a planned school assembly to observe LGBTQ+ Pride month.

Parents at Saticoy Elementary School are outraged at the event, which appears to be part of a broader observance within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) of June as Pride month.

A post on the parents’ Instagram page says:

Keep your kids home on June 2nd! We are parents of elementary school children, who have the right to introduce sexually explicit topics at our discretion. Yes any topic that is related to LGBTQ is is sexually explicit. Why? Our children are innocent and have no idea what is out there. We as parent have the right to introduce these topics at our discretion. Instead we are being forced into talking about topics that should not burden our children for many years to come.

Another post explains that the school has “a large population of Armenian & Hispanic families many who are Christian & or share conservative values [and] don’t feel this material is appropriate to teach to the children and believe it’s a parents’ [sic] right to choose.”

The parents are also organizing a protest outside the school on the day of the Pride assembly, reported local news outlet KTLA-5, which added that not everyone in the community agreed with the protest.

A document on the LAUSD website called “Queer All School Year” includes ideas for validating LGBTQ+ students, staff, and parents. In addition to celebrating Pride month, it also advocates supporting Black Lives Matter.

The LAUSD responded cautiously to parents’ concerns, as reported by the Los Angeles Times:

In a statement, the Los Angeles Unified School District said it remains committed to “creating a safe and inclusive learning environment that embraces the diversity of the communities we serve.”

“As part of our engagement with school communities, our schools regularly discuss the diversity of the families that we serve and the importance of inclusion,” the statement said. “This remains an active discussion with our school communities and we remain committed to continuing to engage with families about this important topic.”

The Pride assembly does not appear on the calendar on the school’s website.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

Photo: file

Gavin Newsom Accuses Target CEO of ‘Selling Out LGBTQ+ Community’ by Removing Pride Items from Satanist Designer

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Far-Left California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) accused the CEO of Target of “selling out the LGBTQ+ community” for removing certain “pride” themed items associated with the satanist designer Abprallen after receiving backlash.

“CEO of Target Brian Cornell selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists is a real profile in courage. This isn’t just a couple stores in the South. There is a systematic attack on the gay community happening across the country,” Newsom claimed in a Tuesday social media post. 

“Wake up America. This doesn’t stop here. You’re black? You’re Asian? You’re Jewish? You’re a woman? You’re next,” he added. 

As Breitbart News reported, Target’s pride collection has been the subject of criticism following its rollout, “as it offers an array of items for children and babies as well as transgender swimsuits for adults with “tuck-friendly” and “light-binding” effects.”

The report continues:

But in the midst of the pride-themed onesies, socks, shoes, and swimsuits were at least two items by the U.K.-based designer Abprallen. The individual behind the brand identifies as a transgender gay man — a biological woman attracted to males — and satanist, even paying homage to the satanic figure Baphomet and asserting that “Satan respects pronouns.” While that design was not offered at Target stores, the woke company offered two designs from the designer — a top reading “Cure Transphobia Not Trans People” and a tote bag reading “Too Queer for Here.”

Now, when searching for the brand on the Target website, it states, “We couldn’t find a match for your search.”

“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and wellbeing while at work,” Target said in a statement, according to Reuters.

“Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior,” it continued.

Other items from the retail chain’s pride collection are also under review, including some children’s merchandise, “tuck-friendly” swimsuits marketed to men who identify as women, and “light-binding” tops to women who identify as men.

“This move comes on the heels of an ’emergency’ call taking place, resulting in certain Target stores moving the pride sections — typically displayed prominently at the front of the stores — to smaller sections in the back,” Breitbart News reported. 

Under Newsom’s leadership, California notably became the first “sanctuary state” this year for so-called “transgender children” seeking drugs and surgeries to alter their physical manifestations of secondary sex characteristics, which are restricted in some states.

California’s Department of Education also does not allow teachers to tell parents about a change in a student’s “gender identity” unless the student gives permission. Students who identify as transgender are allowed to participate in school activities, including sports, and use the bathrooms and locker rooms for the sex they believe they are.

Newsom also has a history of targeting churches and houses of worship. Last year, he infamously misused the words of Jesus Christ to justify aborting unborn babies.

California State Assembly Passes Bill Banning Chemicals Found in Skittles

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The California Assembly passed a bill last week which would ban five allegedly toxic chemicals commonly found in candies like PEZ, Skittles, and Hot Tamales.

This is the first bill in the nation which would ban red dye No. 3, titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propyl paraben, California Globe reported. Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D) introduced Assembly Bill 418 in February, and he modeled the restrictions after the European Union’s ban on the five chemicals.

Gabriel said in a press release:

Today’s strong vote is a major step forward in our effort to protect children and families in California from dangerous and toxic chemicals in our food supply. It’s unacceptable that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to banning these dangerous additives. We don’t love our children any less than they do in Europe, and it’s not too much to ask food and beverage manufacturers to switch to the safer alternative ingredients that they already use in Europe and so many other nations around the globe.

However, the National Confectioners Association (NCA) slammed the measure in March.

The NCA said in a statement:

Chocolate and candy are safe to enjoy, as they have been for centuries. We strongly oppose AB 418 because there is no evidence to support banning the ingredients listed in the bill. The ingredients that would be banned under this proposal have all been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food safety is the number one priority for U.S. confectionery companies, and we do not use any ingredients in our products that do not comply with the FDA’s strictest safety standards.

Scientific studies have shown a link between red dye No.3 and cancer, as well as behavioral problems. In the 1990s,the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the chemical for use in cosmetics, but it is still allowed in food, according to Consumer Reports. Last October, food experts petitioned the FDA to prohibit its use in food and dietary supplements.

Among the five chemicals there is scientific research pointing to an increased risk of cancer, behavioral issues in children, harm to the reproductive system, and damage to the immune system, according to the press release from Gabriel announcing the passage of the bill.

Major brands like Dunkin Donuts, Coke, Gatorade, and Panera have already stopped using these chemicals in their goods, the press release said.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill before the end of the legislative session on September 14. If it is passed and becomes law, food manufacturers and distributors will have until January 1, 2025, to make the changes.