October 21, 2026
October 21, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO - Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton announced Wednesday that he would abolish tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge and other fully paid-off bridges if elected, funding maintenance instead through the state budget. In a video posted to X from the bridge itself, Hilton said drivers currently pay over $10 to cross, "supposedly to cover its construction costs," but noted that the original $35 million in construction bonds were retired in 1971. "California...
Thousands of registered voters in California's Tulare County were accidentally mailed duplicate vote-by-mail ballots for the November 3, 2026, midterm elections after a private printing vendor reprinted and sent a batch of ballots by mistake, county officials said. The error affected 7,791 voters-about 3% of the county's roughly 227,000 registered voters-and was concentrated in the city of Tulare, where roughly 23% of the city's more than 34,500 registered voters received an...
SAN ANTONIO — Technical Sergeant Ian Patterson, a decorated 15-year U.S. Air Force veteran, died October 17, 2026, from injuries sustained when he fell during a military rappelling demonstration at the Alamodome ahead of a University of Texas at San Antonio football game against the U.S. Naval Academy. Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, at Joint Base San Antonio, was one of four Air Force members...
LOS ANGELES - Federal prosecutors on Monday charged 28 lawful permanent residents across California with election-related crimes, including fraudulent voter registration and making false statements on naturalization applications, in a coordinated operation officials dubbed "Protect the Vote." Eleven of the defendants were taken into custody that day, with the remainder expected to be arrested soon, according to the Department of Justice. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent...
Shani Nicole Louk, the 22-year-old German-Israeli tattoo artist and influencer whose partially clothed body was filmed being paraded through Gaza on a pickup truck on October 7, 2023, has seen the Hamas cell responsible for abducting her remains fully accounted for by Israeli forces. Louk, born February 7, 2001, to an Israeli father and German mother, lived in Tel Aviv and was known for her art, dreadlocks, and love of music and dance. She was attending the Nova (Supernova)...
A 16-month-old toddler was injured in an encounter with a coyote in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles on Friday, prompting wildlife officials to euthanize an animal found nearby, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The incident occurred in the 3300 block of Glenhurst Avenue. Officials have not released details about how the child was injured, describing it only as "an incident involving a coyote." The toddler was taken to a hospital for...
The 143-year-old Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) of Limoges, a listed historic monument in central France, was largely destroyed by fire on the evening of Saturday, October 17, 2026, during nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living and the state of public services. Local officials described the loss as a "catastrophe for heritage." The building, designed by architect Charles-Alfred Leclerc and inaugurated on July 14, 1883, features a Neo-Renaissance and Louis XIII-style...
LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles County jury on Oct. 6 convicted Lebaron Anthony Alexander Jr., a well-known pimp, of sex trafficking nine women-two of them minors-between 2016 and 2020 across Los Angeles County and other parts of Southern California. The 41-year-old, whose date of birth is listed as Nov. 23, 1984, faces a maximum sentence of 84 years in prison. In case BA484835, Alexander was found guilty of three counts of human trafficking of an adult, three counts of...
SANTA MONICA, 10.14.26 - The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Santa Monica mountain areas as strong Santa Ana winds and very low humidity create elevated wildfire conditions, with Southern California Edison warning of possible power shutoffs in parts of nearby Malibu. Forecasters said gusts could reach 70 mph with single-digit humidity levels, conditions expected to support extreme fire behavior. The warning applies to mountain and foothill zones...
Outside laboratory tests have allegedly detected E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria on tables and keyboards at the Santa Monica Public Library, according to a report commissioned by the Santa Monica Coalition, prompting critics to renew claims that the facility functions more as a de facto shelter than a traditional library. Fox 11 News reported that the tests found the bacteria on public surfaces. John Alle and the Santa Monica Coalition have linked the alleged results to...
SANTA MONICA - City staff presented a one-year accounting of the Realignment Plan to the City Council this week, citing lower crime figures, reduced commercial vacancies, and a smaller-than-budgeted draw on reserves. The numbers come from the city's own tracking system and were not independently verified in the staff report. The council adopted the plan on October 28, 2025, when staff projected a $29.6 million structural deficit. Of 179 activities listed in the plan, staff...
Does Ilhan Omar have a clitoris? The genitalia of public figures are not usually available. But on a statistical basis, the answer is probably not. She has supported national legislation, passed by Congress twice, to ban the practice, which has a 98% prevalence in Somalia. Which doesn't answer the question one way or the other; but it shows the gal who's heart is in Mogadishu, still condemns a cultural practice almost universal in her home country. Prevalence data (Somalia)...
Well, it's that time again, when hope springs eternal: Santa Monica Council elections. Buckle up! To me, the choice is simple: homegrown local heroes who've lived here forever, versus recent arrivals with destructive ideological plans for our city. In a council run by imported SMRR carpetbaggers (looking at you Dan Hall, Caroline Torosis), who are making decisions based on what the progressive machine demands of them for higher office, it's time for a change. This means...
