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A California Christian club is fighting to put their cross back on display after city officials used eminent domain to remove it while citing complaints of it being "reminiscent of KKK cross-burnings" and offensive to "diverse communities."
The post California Christians Fight Back Against City Removing Cross appeared first on Breitbart.
Democratic officials are throwing billions at California high-speed rail projects that have yet to be built, funding thousands of jobs specifically for union members.
Despite funding initially being approved by a referendum in 2008, the California High-Speed Rail project currently has less than a quarter of its expected length under construction and was initially supposed to have connected Los Angeles and San Francisco by 2020, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents 48 local unions and more than 150,000 members in California, boasted of the creation of 13,000 unionized construction jobs due to continued funding of California’s high-speed rail project.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority, in its community benefits agreement regarding the construction of the rail, lays out that it will exclusively bargain with union representatives for craft labor and that no employee will be required to join a union, but workers who are at the site for more than eight total days will be required to pay union dues.
The agreement outlines that union members will be the primary source of labor and that the local unions will be given the opportunity to refer employees for the job.
“The project has been a windfall for the union workers who’ve been on the job,” Kerry Jackson, William Clement fellow in California Reform at the Pacific Research Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “By some counts, as many as 13,000 have been hired. The California High-Speed Rail Authority itself even brags about the ‘steady union jobs that provide union wages and benefits’ they get. That’s not to mention the benefits the union bosses everywhere always enjoy when they have more dues-paying members supporting their salaries and perks.”
The Biden administration announced $3 billion in federal funds for the project in December to push along the first phase of the project connecting Merced, Fresno, and Bakersfield, adding to the $9 billion already appropriated by the state and the approximately $3.5 billion in grants given by the Obama administration.
The project has been estimated to need between $88 billion and $128 billion to be fully completed, and the rail authority told the Daily Caller News Foundation that it is aiming to be operational from Bakersfield to Merced between 2030 and 2033.
“Of course, project costs are affected by higher, nonmarket wages,” Jackson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “When you have so many workers making these wages over the years, it adds up. The unions are a force behind the rail and one of the reasons, if not the main one, that this project has not been halted even though it’s far behind schedule, way over initial cost projections, and looks like a failed enterprise.
“The community benefits agreement that serves as the Project Labor Agreement requires unions to be the primary source of all craft labor.”
The California High-Speed Rail Authority told the Daily Caller News Foundation that, so far, 22.5 miles in the Central Valley have reached substantial completion, but that efforts are underway to design stations and track systems, complete environmental reviews and procure trains.
“The project is very much happening and continuing to make progress with our commitment unwavering as we remain active and aggressive in moving the project forward while actively pursuing federal funding,” the authority told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Big News: Today, President Biden announced funding to build the first high-speed rail projects in our nation’s history.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 9, 2023
These investments will get people and goods where they need to go more quickly, reduce emissions, increase passenger safety, and create good-paying union jobs. pic.twitter.com/zxR6SQawIw
“Even if we didn’t have the Project Labor Agreement, there would be prevailing wage and benefits on this project, both because of state requirements and federal funding requirements,” Anne-Marie Otey, communications and editorial director at the LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “So, they’d be there no matter what, so we might as well make the best of it. I think it is better for the workers when there’s also a union agreement on the project.”
Otey pointed to the Davis-Bacon Act, which is a federal law that requires the government to pay at least the local rate to workers when constructing public projects, as the reason why using union workers on the project would not raise labor costs.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that if the Davis-Bacon Act were repealed in 2020, it would have reduced government spending outlays by $10.7 billion by 2030.
“It’s benefiting workers,” Otey told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “And these workers are represented by unions, but no, we didn’t look at it as ‘What can we do for unions?’ We said, ‘What can we do for workers in the state?’ Especially again, in areas like the Central Valley, where they can’t just drive to San Francisco, Sacramento or L.A. for jobs, they live in the great heartland of our state.
“So, we wanted to figure out a way to keep them employed and keep them working at least somewhat near where they live. So, we think it’s a positive.”
Around $3 billion in federal funding was also announced in December for a high-speed railway between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Rancho Cucamonga, California, with Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., claiming that 35,000 union jobs would be created as a result. The funding for the project comes from the $1.2 trillion in new spending that was approved by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021.
“We disagree that the California high-speed rail project has yet to make substantial progress,” a spokesperson for the California State Transportation Agency told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Quite the contrary. There are 119 miles currently under construction, with one construction package already substantially complete, and preconstruction work is underway to complete the initial 171-mile operating segment between Merced and Bakersfield. The nation’s first high-speed trains will be tested by the end of the decade, and we expect service to begin between 2030 and 2033.”
California is one of the more unionized states in the U.S., ranking sixth in terms of the share of workers in unions, exceeded only by five other blue states (Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Washington), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The share of California workers who were members of unions declined from 16.1% in 2022 to 15.4% in 2023.
The Biden administration’s push for high-speed rail funding in California is part of a larger national push for increased passenger rail access for Americans. President Joe Biden announced in November that $16.4 billion would be given to Amtrak, the national passenger railroad of the U.S., to fund 25 passenger rail projects along the East Coast.
“Although in California, public works projects are always union labor, so I think their biggest reason they like high-speed rail is that it’s just such a long-term project,” Edward Ring, director of water and energy policy at the California Policy Center, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The unions get behind these projects because they’re big. The other reason, though, that they get behind these projects is because these are projects that the environmentalist community won’t vehemently oppose. They ought to be building things that are more practical; they ought to be upgrading freeways. But the environmentalists want us on a road diet.”
Biden has also boasted of new train sets for the California rail project being all-electric, resulting in zero emissions and powered through renewable energy, according to a White House fact sheet.
The president claims that all of his proposed rail projects will create “tens of thousands” of union jobs. As of September, the state of California had spent more than $600 million on environmental reviews for the rail project, not including a 78-mile stretch out of 500 miles that had not yet been evaluated.
“The environmentalists are so powerful that the unions go, ‘Well, if we’re going to get our guys working, we’re going to have to play ball with the environmentalists,’” Ring told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “And so, the environmentalists will buy off on projects that really have no practical value. High-speed rail has no practical value in California. You could also argue that it has no environmental value, and I think you could argue that very convincingly.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation
The post California’s High-Speed Rail Project Far From Finished, but It Is Putting Money in Unions’ Coffers appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Performers who help bring Disney's beloved characters to life at its Southern California theme parks filed a petition Wednesday to form a labor union.
The post Disneyland Performers File Petition to Form Labor Union appeared first on Breitbart.
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Fast food prices in California jumped during the six-month period before the Democrat-run state mandated a $20 minimum wage for the industry.
The post Study: Democrat-Run California’s Fast Food Prices Jumped Seven Percent Prior to $20 Minimum Wage appeared first on Breitbart.
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Model Kristen Gaffney says she is leaving California for Tennessee after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass asked the wealthy to pay for housing for the homeless in the city.
The post Model Kristen Gaffney Leaving California After L.A. Mayor Asks Rich to Pay for Homeless Housing appeared first on Breitbart.
Sports Illustrated model Kristen Louelle Gaffney said she no longer feels safe in California and is leaving for Nashville, TN, during an appearance on Friday's broadcast of Fox News Channel's "Jesse Watters Primetime."
The post Sports Illustrated Model Kristen Gaffney Flees California for Nashville — ‘Does Not Feel Safe Anymore’ appeared first on Breitbart.
A homeless Los Angeles man has garnered attention for constructing a house, with a front door and electricity, on the side of the freeway.
The post Homeless Los Angeles Man Constructs House on the Side of the Freeway appeared first on Breitbart.
A suspect was arrested after allegedly breaking into the home of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass "through a window" on Sunday morning.
The post Police: Suspect Arrested for Breaking into Los Angeles Mayor’s Home appeared first on Breitbart.
California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to be a "good neighbor" by allowing Arizonans to abort their babies in his state, he said during an appearance on MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki on Sunday.
The post Gavin Newsom Proposes Law Allowing Arizonans to Get Abortions in California appeared first on Breitbart.
Residents of Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) California may soon be slapped with a fixed electricity charge in the state's push toward green energy.
The post California May Hit Residents with Fixed Utility Rates in Push for ‘Clean Energy’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Santa Monica approved construction for a $1M per unit apartment building for the homeless after an audit found the state lost $24 billion.
The post Santa Monica to Construct $1M Per Unit Apartment Building for Homeless appeared first on Breitbart.
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The daughter of billionaire Slack co-founder Steward Butterfield was reported missing on Monday in California.
The post Teenage Daughter of Billionaire Slack Co-Founder Reported Missing in California appeared first on Breitbart.
U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) had his luggage stolen in San Francisco, California, on Thursday, leaving him without a suit as he addressed an audience that evening.
The post Adam Schiff’s Luggage, Clothes Stolen in San Francisco appeared first on Breitbart.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) admitted Thursday that the state still faces the risk of blackouts in heat waves despite investing in battery capacity to store electricity for use in times of peak demand.
The post Gavin Newsom Admits: California Still Faces Blackouts appeared first on Breitbart.
A driver in California was busted recently for employing a sneaky tactic to use the carpool lane, something others have tried before.
The post PHOTO — Police: California Driver Busted for Using ‘Next Level’ Mannequin in Carpool Lane appeared first on Breitbart.
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Iranian officials and media express support for the vicious and violent antisemitic protests breaking out on American college campuses.
The post Iran Cheers on Antisemitic Protests on U.S. Campuses appeared first on Breitbart.
A California former middle school teacher has pleaded no contest to sexual abuse charges after being arrested last year for having sex with a 14-year-old boy in a locked classroom.
The post California Teacher Pleads ‘No Contest’ to Sex with Middle Schooler in Locked Classroom appeared first on Breitbart.
The Orange County Register's editorial board mocked Gavin Newsom's failed push for a gun control amendment to the Constitution.
The post Orange County Register Mocks Failure of Gavin Newsom’s Gun Control Amendment for U.S. Constitution appeared first on Breitbart.
A trendy Los Angeles boutique has garnered positive attention for the very public way it has decided to shame shoplifters.
The post ‘Remember This When You Vote’: Los Angeles Boutique Publicly Shames Shoplifters, Blames Dems for Crime appeared first on Breitbart.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) issued a proclamation on Saturday declaring April as Arab American Heritage Month.
The post California Gov. Gavin Newsom Proclaims April as Arab American Heritage Month appeared first on Breitbart.
Multiple California agencies and wildlife experts convened for a noble cause on Saturday — rescuing a baby bald eagle who had fallen from its nest.
The post VIDEO: California Baby Bald Eagle Rescued After Falling Out of Nest appeared first on Breitbart.
A lawmaker in California introduced a bill that would ban teachers from being able to assign students an excessive amount of homework.
The post California Lawmaker Introduces Bill Banning Excessive Homework: ‘Homework Is Exhausting’ appeared first on Breitbart.
California reported seeing the largest increase in its population since 2020 due to immigration, after years of experiencing a decline.
The post Immigration Turns California Population Loss Around appeared first on Breitbart.
California State Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) is pushing a bill that would restrict expedited airport screening by for-profit companies such as Clear, which charges $189 per year to move passengers to the front of the TSA security line.
The post California Democrat Wants to Restrict Expedited Airport Screening appeared first on Breitbart.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) condemned the recent violence at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) on Wednesday -- six days after pro-Palestinian activists set up an illegal encampment, using force to keep others out.
The post Gavin Newsom Condemns UCLA Encampment Violence — Finally appeared first on Breitbart.
Pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Southern California (USC) took steel barricades destined for the university's main graduation ceremony and used them for their encampment.
The post USC Protesters Use Barricades from Canceled Graduation for Encampment appeared first on Breitbart.
Most California residents vote by mail, and the nation's most populous state has gained a reputation for tallies that can drag on for weeks — and sometimes longer.
The post AP: California Voters Growing Skeptical of Months-Long Ballot Counting Process appeared first on Breitbart.
Two police officers were shot and wounded Thursday in the Saint Teresa neighborhood of San Jose, California.
The post Two Police Officers Shot, Wounded in Gun-Controlled California appeared first on Breitbart.
More than 20 suspected illegal immigrants docked at an upscale southern California marina before jumping fences and escaping.
The post WATCH: More Than 20 Illegal Immigrants Dock at California Marina, Vanish into Neighborhood appeared first on Breitbart.
UC Riverside gave in to the "encampment" and will consider divesting from Israel and boycotting Sabra hummus. But the deal violates California's anti-BDS law.
The post UC Riverside Strikes Deal with Pro-Palestinian Mob, Violates California Anti-BDS Law appeared first on Breitbart.
Officials declared a local public health emergency on Thursday due to a tuberculosis outbreak in Long Beach, California.
The post Long Beach Declares Public Health Emergency Due to ‘Surprising’ Tuberculosis Outbreak appeared first on Breitbart.
Authorities in Mexico are looking into the murder of three tourists on a remote beach in Baja California. The current theory points to a robbery gone wrong where the victims appear to have tried to resist.
The post MEXICAN POLICE: Three Tourists Robbed, Killed at Baja California Beach appeared first on Breitbart.
Temperature drops, rain, and snow from a cold front originating in the Gulf of Alaska started pummeling Northern California on Friday, prompting highway closures and "winter weather advisories" in the middle of spring.
The post Alaskan Cold Front Prompts Northern California ‘Winter Weather Advisory’ and Highway Closures appeared first on Breitbart.
Two bodies and a white powder, later determined to contain fentanyl, were discovered in a "human-dug cave" in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The post Two Bodies Found in ‘Human-Dug Cave’ in Los Angeles Homeless Encampment appeared first on Breitbart.
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