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California Assembly Bill 1333 Sparks Debate Over Self-Defense Laws

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  California Assembly Bill 1333 Sparks Debate Over Self-Defense Laws March 3, 2025 – Sacramento, CA A newly introduced bill in the California State Assembly, AB 1333, is drawing significant controversy as it proposes changes to the state’s self-defense laws. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), seeks to establish a duty to retreat when outside the home, meaning individuals must attempt to escape from a threat—if a safe avenue exists—before resorting to force. Key Provisions of AB 1333 Duty to Retreat in Public: If passed, Californians outside their homes would be legally required to retreat from danger before using force, including deadly force, if they can do so safely. Limits on Defending Property: The bill would remove justifications for using force to protect property, further narrowing legal self-defense protections. Potential Changes to the Castle Doctrine: Critics argue the bill could weaken the state’s Castle Doctrine, which allows home...
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California Bar exam failure sparks lawsuit, legislative inquiry

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California Bar Exam Meltdown Sparks Lawsuits, Legislative Inquiry, and Retake Offers The February 2025 California Bar exam has descended into chaos after catastrophic technical failures prevented thousands of test-takers from completing the exam, leading to lawsuits, a legislative inquiry, and unprecedented retake offers. Approximately 5,600 people registered for the two-day exam on February 25-26, but many encountered severe technical issues ranging from crashing software to sections that wouldn't save and poor connections. The problems primarily affected California's new bar exam format, which debuted in February after the state moved away from using components of the national bar exam administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. "These technical and support issues were and are unacceptable," the State Bar of California admitted in an email to examinees. Leah Wilson, the State Bar's Executive Director, noted that one of the most troubling issues ...
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California lawmakers scramble to fix ‘lemon’ vehicle law — again

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  California's Lemon Law Under Revision as Lawmakers Tackle Competing Interests California lawmakers are scrambling to fix the state's landmark "lemon" vehicle law, which for over five decades has been considered one of the best consumer protection measures in the nation for defective vehicles. Recent legislation, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September, made significant changes to the law that were intended to speed up the process for resolving lemon law disputes. However, the revisions have created a contentious situation among car manufacturers, consumer advocates, and lawmakers themselves. What Makes a Vehicle a "Lemon"? Under California law, a vehicle is considered a "lemon" if, within 18 months or 18,000 miles after purchase: - The manufacturer has attempted to repair the same warranty problem at least 4 times - The manufacturer has made at least 2 unsuccessful repair attempts for problems that could cause death or serious injury - The v...
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Southern California Housing Market Shows Signs of Cooling in Early 2025

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Jan 2025 Year over Year % Price Change by County and Sales Tier shows Orange County the only hot market. LA County down for starters and luxury, but up slightly in mid tier. SD County down substantially for starters, otherwise flat. Southern California Housing Market Shows Signs of Cooling in Early 2025 Southern California's once-hot housing market appears to be cooling off as the new year begins, with prices weakening across most of the region according to recent data from First American Data & Analytics. Price Drops Across the Region Home prices in most Southern California counties showed declines in January 2025, marking the most significant price drops in nearly two years. Los Angeles County led the downturn with prices falling 1.9% year-over-year, the worst decline in 22 months. San Diego County experienced a 0.9% annual drop, its worst performance in 20 months, while Inland Empire prices remained flat, their weakest showing in 19 months. Orange County was the sole bright ...
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Gov. Newsom unveils spending plan leaves CSU with big budget gap

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California budget 2024: Gov. Newsom unveils spending plan amid looming budget deficit - YouTube   Budget Cuts Could Force Major Layoffs, Program Reductions Across CSU System The California State University system faces potentially devastating cuts as Governor Gavin Newsom's proposed 2025-26 budget maintains a planned $375 million reduction in state funding, equivalent to an 8% cut that could impact tens of thousands of students. The cuts would come at a particularly challenging time for the nation's largest public university system, which is already grappling with rising operational costs and declining enrollment at some campuses. CSU Chancellor Mildred García warned that the reduction "will negatively impact academic programming, student services, course offerings and the CSU workforce." The magnitude of the cuts is stark: The $375 million reduction is equivalent to the funding needed to educate and support more than 36,000 full-time students, according to CSU budget...
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California FAIR Insurance Plan Stretched by LA Wildfires

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Insurance Regulation and Financial Implications for CA Homeowners Insurance expert Karl Sussmann is an industry expert whose home and office are both in one of the evacuation zones. He notes that the insurance industry may change the way it is regulated, and that people may be paying a significant premium for being in the L.A. area, due to the L.A. fires. The State's Fair Plan may become the insurer of last resort, leading to increased premiums The new state rules require insurance companies to pay for $1 billion out of pocket before they can start adding surcharges to the bills of all customers. Insurance rules can influence the cost of insurance premiums. FAIR Plan Struggles with Wildfire Claims -California Property Owners Face Insurance Hikes In an unprecedented move, California's insurer of last resort, the FAIR Plan, is turning to private insurers and homeowners to help cover billions in claims from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The California Department o...
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