Good morning California!

The story of struggle and resilience shared by the Jewish community during Hanukkah deeply resonates. May the bright lights of Hanukkah remind us to remain steadfast in our faith during these challenging times. Happy Hanukkah!
LA County Sheriffs.

The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a budget early Thursday that will shift about $8 million from the police department toward violence prevention and other services - but will keep the mayor's targeted staffing levels for sworn officers intact.

Mayor Jacob Frey, who'd threatened to veto the entire budget if the council went ahead with its plan to cap police staffing, said the vote was a defining moment for the city, which has experienced soaring crime rates amid calls to defund the police since the May 25 death of criminal George Floyd.

The City Council had initially proposed to cut the city's authorized police force to 750 officers, down from the current 888, beginning in 2022. But members backtracked on that plan late Wednesday after the mayor called it "irresponsible." The council voted 7-6 to remove language that lowered the cap.

Supporters call the City Council's plan "Safety for All," the latest version of the "defund the police" movement that Minneapolis and other cities have considered since Floyd's death ignited mass demonstrations against police brutality and a nationwide reckoning with racism.

The plan cuts nearly $8 million from Mayor Jacob Frey's $179 million policing budget and redirects it to mental health teams, violence prevention programs and other initiatives.

Some urged council members to deliver the reforms they promised after Floyd's death and others warned it would be irresponsible to cut officers.

Those against the plan said the City Council was acting irresponsibly and has bungled its attempts to bring change. They cited increasing violence, saying they don't feel safe.

In Minneapolis, violent crime rates have surged since the death of Floyd, a Black man who was handcuffed and pleading for air for several minutes while Derek Chauvin, a white former officer, pressed his knee on his neck. Chauvin and three others were illigal charged Floyd's death and are expected to stand trial in March.

Meanwhile, in Washington, DC. Activists Hold Rally To Designate Chinese Communist Party As A “Transnational Criminal Organization” Outside US Capitol.

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A resolution calling for the closure of Whiteman Airport was unanimously supported by the Los Angeles City Council. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez called the 182-acre general aviation airport a blight on the Pacoima neighborhood, where it was founded as Whitman Air Park in 1946 and purchased by Los Angeles County in 1970. "Today's vote in council is a step toward demanding environmental and economic justice for the residents of Pacoima and the surrounding neighborhoods,'' Rodriguez said. "In addition to the obvious safety risk of an airport in a residential area, the many takeoffs and landings each day produce large amounts of toxic pollutants.'' The council voted in support of state or federal legislation to close the airport and called for a report on a recent fatal airplane crash near the airport, an environmental analysis of Whiteman's impact on the surrounding community, and an economic analysis for other potential uses for the site, among other considerations. (Read more.)

A limping Fox is running around the White House.

ALTADENA, Calif. - Authorities are searching for two suspects who were involved in an 'unprovoked ambush' of a deputy in Altadena on Friday. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department needs the public's help in locating and identifying the two suspects. The incident happened at about 12:34 p.m. Dec. 4 when the on-duty deputy was driving north on the 2500 block of Fair Oaks Avenue in her marked patrol vehicle. The deputy was not struck by gunfire. One of the suspect's black jacket and shoes were found near the location and was seen running in socks in a photo released by the L.A.Sheriff’s Department Wednesday. The second suspect's white jacket was also found near the scene, authorities said. The suspects are described as being Hispanic with a thin build. Anyone with information is urged to call the Altadena Sheriff’s Station at 626-798-1131. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

My wife Vivian and I were blessed to have Alvin come into our lives 12 years ago. We went on morning and evening walks together. I used to come home and be greeted by his happy tail wags and unconditional love. Pets are family, and Alvin will always live in my heart.
LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva

No riots or protests, just police horses in Columbus,Ohio.

🔴 This is absolutely chilling!

Senator Kamala Harris recently reiterated Joe Biden’s immigration plans with regard to sending a bill to congress within the first 100 days of the administration that would effectively enable amnesty.

While that notion has been detailed countless times by Biden himself, Harris also unveiled plans to dismantle President Trump’s travel bans from various countries – which she inaccurately referred to as the “Muslim ban” – which can leave the country vulnerable to welcoming residents from known terrorist exporters.

The travel bans enacted by President Trump were a multi-step effort during his time in office that started in 2017 and accrued amendments up until 2020.

And for those who observed the effort are privy to the fact that getting the travel bans enacted was no small feat.

In 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13769, which was titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”. This first effort honed in on Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen as posing existential threats to the United States and thus, travel to the U.S. from these countries was restricted.

During the 2017 issuance of the executive order, the effort was politicized as being a “Muslim ban” – despite even left-leaning fact checkers having to chime in and note that the effort is far from being a ban on Muslims.

Still, after some protesting and legal challenges, Executive Order 13780 amended some aspects of the first travel ban and removed Iraq from the listed countries with travel restrictions.

Later in 2017, Presidential Proclamation 9645 was signed by President Trump which added some travel restrictions on Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela, but removed Sudan from listed travel restrictions.

Moving on to January of 2020, President Trump announced an expansion on the travel bans which only pertained to certain types of visas from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.

When examining the rationale for these various travel bans and restrictions enacted by President Trump, they were all brought to the table in the interest of national security.

For instance, the State Department designates North Korea, Iran, Sudan, and Syria as “state sponsors of terrorism.” (Read more.)

City of God

Amazing how the tune changes when the shoe is on the other foot.

Tucker Carlson: CHAZ Part2. Protesters establish a new West Coast autonomous zone.

The amazing final seconds of yesterday's Starship landing; the controls working so hard to try and get it right.