Top Democratic women call out California senator for downplaying unwanted hugging
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Los Angeles state senator reprimanded four years ago for unwanted hugging and other touching is under renewed scrutiny for making light of his behavior at a July campaign event.
In a letter released Wednesday, dozens of prominent women in California politics accused outgoing state Sen. Bob Hertzberg of failing to take years of sexual harassment allegations seriously despite being investigated and sanctioned.
Hertzberg, a former Senate Majority Leader, is now in a tight race for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors with another Democrat, West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath, in next month’s midterm election.
The letter accused Hertzberg, 67, of minimizing the seriousness of the hugging and touching despite a “pattern” of behavior that is “aggressive, sexual in nature, and most of all, intimidating” to his women colleagues in Sacramento and Los Angeles. His behavior in the senate earned him the nickname “Huggy Bear Hertzberg.”
—The Sacramento Bee
Texas sheriff says migrants should stay in US — because DeSantis made them victims of a crime
The Venezuelan migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by the state of Florida last month are one step closer to staying in the United States — because Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has questioned their right to remain here legally, made them the victims of a potential crime, their attorney says.
The 48 migrants say they were tricked into taking charter flights from San Antonio to the Massachusetts island with false promises of jobs and other aid, part of a taxpayer-funded operation DeSantis said he set up to draw attention to the border crisis. The Sheriff of Bexar County, which covers San Antonio, quickly opened a criminal investigation.
Now, the sheriff has granted each migrant a certification allowing them to apply for a special kind of visa meant for crime victims who are helping law enforcement, according to Rachel Self, an attorney for the migrants.
Those applying for the visa cannot be sent back to their homelands until their immigration cases are settled — which can take as long as six or seven years, Self said in a statement. “No matter what your political beliefs are, these people are all crime victims,” she said.
—Miami Herald
California Coastal Commission OKs desalination plant in Orange County
LOS ANGELES — Less than six months after rejecting a proposal for a major desalination plant in Huntington Beach, the California Coastal Commission on Thursday approved plans for a different, smaller project in Orange County they say could serve as a model for future projects.
The commision gave unanimous approval — with conditions — to the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project near the Pacific Coast Highway and San Juan Creek in Dana Point. The facility, which will convert seawater to drinking water, will be operated by the South Coast Water District.
Unlike the Poseidon Water project, which was rejected in May because of the dangers it posed to marine life and other issues, the Doheny plant will tie into an existing municipal system and feature a better environmental design, officials said. But while some championed the project as an example of desalination "done right," opponents said there are more efficient and economical methods that should be explored first.
Kate Huckelbridge, the Coastal Commission's senior deputy director, said in an interview before the meeting that Doheny cleared many of the hurdles that come with desalination and "represents an easier pathway to an approvable project."
—Los Angeles Times
Kyiv region hit by Iranian-made kamikaze drones, Ukraine says
KYIV, Ukraine — Infrastructure in the region around the Ukrainian capital was attacked by kamikaze drones on Thursday, officials in Kyiv said.
The explosions occurred in the early morning in the town of Makariv, west of the capital, Kyiv Region Police Chief Andriy Nebitov said, adding that officers and rescue workers were on the scene.
Deputy head of the presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Telegram that "critical infrastructure facilities" had been the target. There was initially no word on possible casualties or details on what was struck.
As Moscow's forces struggle on the battlefield, Ukraine has for weeks been reporting increased Russian attacks using the unmanned Iranian-made drones that operators smash into their target.
Experts from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of the War reported that Russia brought Iranian instructors to the occupied territories of Ukraine to teach Russian troops how to use the drones.
—dpa
